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Did you know that houseplants can remove toxic pollutants from the air in your home? It's not that they merely scrub away bad smells or mask stale air. Numerous studies have shown that plants actually remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants inside your house. The effects are so potent that researchers at the University of Georgia have been able to pin down the top five "specialist" plants that reduce common household VOCs to tackle indoor air quality issues.
- Purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternataa)
- English ivy (Hedera Helix)
- Variegated wax plant (Hoya cornosa)
- Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
- Purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida)
Other experts recommend specific plants for certain rooms in your house.
- The living room Areca palm cleans air well during the daylight hours.
- The bedroom The snake plant, or mother-in-law's tongue, produces lots of oxygen in the evening.
- The fume-y room The money plant is quite efficient at removing indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde, xylene and benzene.
The number and type of plants you choose depends on the type of VOCs present in your home. Learn more in this video from Clean Air Gardening.
How to foster green biodiversity
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What a great article! thank you Lisa. I will quote you for a new post on my website about this: http://www.HomeArchitects.com . I think something of additional interest might be the ideal environmental parameters for each of these plants:
1.Purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternataa)
2.English ivy (Hedera Helix)
3.Variegated wax plant (Hoya cornosa)
4.Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
5.Purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida)
For instance, direct sun, indirect, shad tolerant, amount of water each day or per week, humidity. Typically, plants like the Areca palm (which I have had in the past) can be challenged by indoor environments. Plants like a lot more humidity that us people do, and quite often need much for ligth exposure than they are likely to receive from being inside a home.
It would probably be prudent to try to locate plants like this near to windows and monitor the amount of daily sunshine they receive while they helping us with our air. My wife, Merry, will pick up potted plants and move them outside once in a while, for an afternoon, perhaps once a week, just to give the plant some additional light (but not direct for long-you can burn them) and ambient humidity. Perhaps those fine folks at the University of Georgia might be able to give us all some pointers on these issues. Thanks again.