Nowadays, most people spend their time at work or home. Air conditioning, energy-saving, and better insulation minimize air exchange in homes and buildings. Therefore, we tend to breathe the same air repeatedly. Spending a lot of time indoors with electrical equipment, computers, modern synthetic furnishings, and household products can lead to sick building syndrome. These products can produce harmful substances that can pollute indoor air. Besides, you can experience itchy eyes, nausea, headaches, and loss of concentration. Simply adding interior plants is a natural method of removing most air pollutants.
How Indoor Plants Clean Air
Your indoor plants will clean air through photosynthesis. Therefore, when you breathe in oxygen, you breathe out carbon dioxide. The indoor plants do the opposite by absorbing carbon dioxide, light, and water. This helps them manufacture sugar while creating oxygen. Regardless of how complex your air filtration system is, it cannot create oxygen. Oxygen is crucial for healthy and clean air. Plants, therefore, are the best answer to enhancing your indoor air.
Safety Concerns When Buying Indoor Plants
If you have pets like dogs and cats, you might need to reconsider purchasing some indoor plants. Some of these plants are toxic, but you can enquire from your local greenhouse for some allergy-safe and pet-safe solutions. Furthermore, too many plants in your space can affect humidity, thus promoting mold growth. You should remove excess water regularly or use sub-irrigation planters to prevent this. Moreover, you can cover the topsoil with aquarium gravel or Spanish moss to remove mold. Below are the best indoor plants for excellent air quality.
Rubber Plants
Rubber plants love filtered bright light. These plants are evergreen trees, and their roots grow upwards. Rubber plants form interesting shapes, and they love a little attention frequently. To take care of the plant, you need to water it moderately. This helps keep the soil moist. You should also wipe and prune the leaves to keep the rubber plant looking pretty. The plants help eliminate trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and more impurities in the air. However, keep in mind that the plant is toxic to dogs and cats.
Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are known to be amongst the best plants for eradicating household toxins like ammonia. These beautiful plants also eliminate xylene, trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde, etc. Even with its amazing capabilities, it’s advisable to keep it as an ornamental plant since it’s toxic to dogs, cats, and humans. For kids and adults, the plant can cause skin irritation, swelling, and burning. If you opt to keep the plant, you should keep the soil slightly moist. The plant will also thrive in any lighting condition, but too little light can prevent blooming.
English Ivy
English ivy is an evergreen climbing plant ideal for all your indoor conditions. The plant is available in most variations, and they will all prefer different light conditions, from low light to bright to indirect light spaces. You can plant it in a hanging basket to make it look picturesque. To care for the plant, you need to water it generously during growth. However, you should avoid overwatering it during winter. The plant is known to eliminate trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, and more impurities in the air. English ivy is also known to be toxic to pets and humans when eaten.
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese evergreens are perennials that are native to Asia. The plants are loved for their patterns and colors. They also remove most toxins in your home like trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, and so much more. Chinese evergreen also requires extra attention where you’ll have to water moderately. You should also allow the compost to be almost dry before you water them. These plants like high humidity, repotting them after a few years and regular misting. Chinese evergreen plants are also toxic to dogs.
Golden Pothos
This plant is also known as devil’s ivy. It’s the closest plants can get to indestructible since it flourishes in most conditions. Golden pothos can grow up to eight feet long, and it’s among the best indoor air purifiers on earth. The plant can remove common toxins like carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, and many more. Caring for the plant is simple since you only need to water it when the soil is dry. Moreover, you can trim the tendrils if the plant becomes too big. The plant is also considered toxic to dogs and cats.
Spider Plants
They are also known as air plants. These plants grow quickly, and they look great when you plant them in hanging baskets. At times, the plants can produce some lovely white blossoms. There are over 200 species of spider plants, and most of them can survive without any care. If you get a spider plant for your home, you should try to water it twice or thrice a week. Besides its beauty, the plant can eliminate xylene and formaldehyde from the air. The plant is also non-toxic, thus being ideal if your pets or kids love to play with swinging things.
Chrysanthemums
Also known as mums, this plant is one of the best in air purification. They are known to eliminate common toxins like ammonia, benzene, xylene, and formaldehyde. The plant is known to bloom for six weeks, but you can fertilize its pot again for new growth. To take care of the plant, you should check its soil moisture daily and aim to always keep it damp. Even with its lovely name, the plant is known to be toxic to both dogs and cats.
Bamboo Palms
These plants are loved for their height and easy elegance. Bamboo palms love bright light, but you shouldn’t keep them in direct sunlight. Besides light, the plant does have a few preferences regarding its care. For example, you should keep the soil moist and place it where there’s free circulation of air. You can also keep it in a misty area to help prevent spider mites. These plants help transpire moisture into the air, thus making them great options in the dry winter months. Bamboo plants help eliminate chloroform, xylene, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and more impurities from the air. The plant isn’t toxic, thus being ideal in a home with pets and kids.
Dracaenas
Dracaenas are a large group of houseplants that are available in all colors, sizes, and shapes. You can, therefore, choose from a rainbow plant that’s available in bright purple or a tall corn plant that has interesting markings. The plant helps eliminate trichloroethylene, benzene, toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde. It’s also toxic to animals when ingested, thus causing them to have dilated pupils, salivate or vomit. To take care of the plant, you should keep the soil damp. Also, remember that too much water is a kiss of death for the plant.
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