Can I use Dubai tap water on my houseplants?

Hard water is not poison, it is accumulation. Each watering leaves a little mineral residue behind; over time it crusts on the soil surface and concentrates around the roots, which shows up as brown leaf margins and white deposits on terracotta pots.

Three easy fixes. Leave a jug of tap water out overnight so chlorine dissipates and the water reaches room temperature. Switch sensitive plants, calathea, Boston fern and spider plant, to filtered or bottled water. And once a month, run water through every pot for a full minute to wash salts out of the drainage hole.

Skip softened water from a home softener, which adds sodium, and never use water straight from the hot tap. Rainwater is rare here, but AC condensate collected from a clean unit is effectively distilled and works well for humidity-loving plants.