Continuing where we left off yesterday, in Another Way to Go Green: Houseplants for Air Purification, I’d like to share more on houseplants that can help clean the air in our homes.
As we learn more about the potential dangers of substances like formaldehyde, benzene, and other problematic gas such as carbon monoxide, we’re also learning that bringing in houseplants is a simple way to help purify the air and protect against these hazards.
Some of these plants are quite common, so they’re readily available to us. Many are easy to care for as well.
Here are some of the top ones, and most of these, you have probably heard of:
- Bamboo Palm
- English Ivy
- Gerbera Daisy
- Peace Lily
- Pot Mums (Chrysanthemum family)
There are many others. In fact, you may be interested in picking up a book called How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants to Purify Your Home or Office. The author, B.C. Wolverton is a retired scientist from NASA that has researched the effects of plants on air quality for some time.
NASA has done a great deal of stuff on this issue, and has determined that certain houseplants can indeed absorb potentially dangerous materials, therefore improving air quality. There are planters you can purchase that combine air flow with live houseplants, increasing the ability of the plants to clean the air and even to help balance humidity.
It is recommended that at least one plant be placed for every 100 square feet of space, but obviously, the more plants you have the better. If you have a space that doesn’t get much natural light, pothos plants are suggested and there are other low light plants as well. Also, you can move plants and set them in an area that gets sunlight for several hours each day (when the space where the plant normally resides is not in use).
The addition of houseplants is an incredibly simple and affordable way to improve the air quality of your home.
So, when are you going plant shopping?