10 Air-Purifying Indoor Plants and How To Care For Them
Bringing plants into the home or the office can offer an enormous range of benefits and within this, there are certain plants which offer something a little different. Plants are not just a nice adornment for the room, they do of course add a real sense of style and they often are used to bring some level of freshness into a dark or tired room.
Beyond the introduction of style, however, we have scientific proof that plants inside the home or the office can have some seriously advantageous impacts. For example, we have seen research that productivity levels amongst workers are improved when there are natural plants and flowers inside the office. Our brains have been proven to respond very positively to the introduction of plants, and there are even some indications that those with anxiety or depression can benefit from their introduction.
The beauty of bringing plants into the office is that you don’t always have to buy them outright, and you could instead look at using a plant hire service. This will ensure that your office has well-maintained plants, all year long. In Australia, for example, Gaddys Plant in Sydney is becoming increasingly popular due to the convenience they can offer to plant-loving clients.
One of the greatest benefits of having plants inside your home or in the workplace is that they are able to help purify the air. A NASA Clean Air Study found that there are a number of plant types, which have the capabilities to rid the room of airborne dust particles, toxins, and germs which are naturally occurring. This however is not a description of every plant across the board, what the study found was that some plant types are able to perform this function. If this is something which you feel that your home or workplace could benefit from, here are 10 air-purifying indoor plants to consider, and how to look after them.
Barberton Daisy
There is possibly an assumption when we think of air-purifying plants, that they would be unattractive and foliage like in their makeup, this however is far from the case with many of these options. The first example of this being the Barberton Daisy, a blossoming flower with punchy red and orange colors which will brighten up any space. This particular plant has been found to be able to cleanse the air of toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. This is a plant which needs to be in a room with lots of natural light, and the soil must be kept moist at all times.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
A far kinder name for this simple plant is the Snake Plant, which features strong leaves which shoot upwards, with sharper, yellow tips at the end, hence the imaginative name regarding your spouse’s mother. The plant is often recommended for bedrooms because during the night it emits oxygen, which can help to promote better quality sleep. This particular plant is categorized as a succulent and it is able to cleanse the air of xylene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene. The best care tip to remember here is that overwatering can cause its roots to rot.
Spider Plant
This is a plant which is found thought offices and homes, a simple option which actually offers far more benefits than you may be aware of. The plant is so named because of the many leaves which sprout from the base, much like the legs on a spider. Placed in a nice vase this green and white plant can bring some real freshness to any room. From a purification point of view, this is also a plant which really packs a punch. So far it has been proven that the plant is able to cleanse the air of large amounts of carbon monoxide, as well as a chemical called xylene, which is a solvent that is often used in printing and rubber. This is an easy plant to care for and flourishes in both natural and artificial light.
English Ivy
This ornate vine-plant is a must-have in any bathroom, either at home or in the workplace. The reason for this is that the plant has been shown to be able to cleanse the air of faecal particles. Whereas so many air fresheners for the bathroom will do nothing more than add a new, stronger smell to the place, this plant is actively working on removing the particles and freshening up the entire space. In the home, this can also be used to purify the air of spores which are created from mold. This plant requires some special care and it will need at least 4 hours of sunlight each day, it will also need to be heavily watered in order to continue doing the stellar job which it has become known for.
Chrysanthemum
This is another plant which is already found in homes and offices across the country, yet that is more often than not down to the beauty of the flowers, rather than the plant’s ability to purify the air. Amongst other impurities, this is a plant which has been proven to be able to clean the air of ammonia and benzene, a chemical which we can find in the creation of plastics and in some cases detergents which we use in the home. Beauty and function ensure that this should always be a plant which we use in our lives. Chrysanthemums enjoy large amounts of sunlight each day, and the soil should be kept moist.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant is one of the most miraculous pieces of flora in the natural world. For many years we have known that the oil within its leaves has wonderful healing properties, not to mention its inclusion in so many holistic products. As if this wasn’t enough, the succulent plant also offers air cleaning properties. This plant in particular is great at cleaning formaldehyde and benzene from the air. Much like the chrystanths, aloe vera needs a lot of sunshine, and a window sill location would be perfect for it.
Weeping Fig
This is possibly one of the most common houseplants which you can find, and it has been a prominent feature of homes for a number of centuries. Whilst in the past this may have been a plant which was simply brought in to add a sense of natural style to the place, they do in fact offer some great air-purifying qualities. We have seen evidence that the weeping fig can cleanse the air of formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene, all harmful particles to have in the air. Caring for this one can be tricky, it needs bright and indirect light and it once you have found its place, any changes could do damage to the roots.
Chinese Evergreen
This small and simple looking plant really delivers when it comes to cleaning the air. Much like others mentioned in this list, the Chinese evergreen is able to cleanse the air of formaldehyde and benzene, these are chemicals which can be found in many household cleaning products. Very often we see these plants inside bathrooms because they thrive in areas which are humid and which don’t have much natural light.
Broadleaf Lady Palm
The broadleaf lady palm looks as if it has been taken straight from some exotic landscape and brought into your home, with long stems and shapely leaves. Not just a pretty face however, the broad lady palm is incredibly efficient at stripping ammonia out of the air. We may not realize it but when we are using cleaning products they are often high in ammonia and those particles then remain in the air. This plant will ensure that this becomes a thing of the past. This is another plant which will survive well in the bathroom, as it enjoys those humid conditions.
Dragon Tree aka. Red-Edged Dracaena
This may not be the cheapest plant to buy, in fact if you do decide to bring this one into the home of the office it may be best to get it young. With this being said, however, it has proven itself to be incredibly powerful with regards to getting rid of harmful chemicals in the air such as trichloroethylene and xylene. With regards to style points, the dragon tree has that in abundance, offering bright green leaves with a sharp red trim to them. The plant could potentially grow up to around 8 feet so it will be important that you place it in a space which can accommodate such growth. The plant is hardy yet it will still need to be constantly watered and will require an average amount of sunlight each and every day.
As you can see there is a wide range of options for plants which will first and foremost brighten up any space in which they are placed. Additionally, these delightful items will be able to offer something a little more functional for you, thanks to their wide-ranging, air cleaning credentials. There is of course no limit as to how many plants you can bring in, and the more that you do introduce to the home or the workplace, the better the overall look will be and of course, the more efficiently your air will be cleaned. So, which plant would you decide to buy first?
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