Purify Your Indoor Air with Plants!
By Sara Butler
Indoor air quality is bad -- surprisingly so. It may surprise you to learn that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air quality is consistently worse than outdoor air quality. This can be especially true in environments where windows can’t be thrown open on a regular basis, such as your office. How can you combat this? Well, try growing some of these plants to help improve your indoor air quality.
Why Indoor Air Quality is Poor
Indoor air pollution has been found to be a big threat to the health of humans, and can lead to symptoms of an illness referred to as “sick building syndrome.” This can cause headaches, fatigue, and chronic illness. Things in and around your home and office can release what is called volatile organic compounds into the air you breathe. This can be emitted through paint, furniture, cigarette smoke, printers, copiers, dry-cleaned clothes, and cleaning supplies. A cheap and simple way to help combat this problem is to use plants to help cleanse the air you breathe.
Plants You Should Try
So you don’t have a green thumb? You don’t really need it to grow these plants. To help cleanse the air in your home or office, try:
- Dracaena – This plant has shiny leaves and a trunk-like stem that is incredibly helpful in removing acetone from the air.
- Jade plant – This pretty succulent is easy to grow and care for since it doesn’t have to be watered often in order to thrive and is an attractive plant to have around. This one tested best in removing toluene from the air, a chemical often associated with paint thinners.
- Spider plant – This is an oldie but a goodie! Spider plants are nearly impossible to kill and easy to grow, and remove p-Xylenes, o-Xylenes, and ethylbenzene from the air. These chemicals are often found in paint, varnish, rubbers, and inks. The spider plant is highly adaptable and makes tiny baby plants that are really easy to repot and grow.
- Bromeliad – This is a colorful and spikey plant that is actually related to the pineapple. It helps to remove benzene from the air and can soak up the volatile organic compounds found in the air with surprising efficiency. It’s one of the best to have in your home or office for your health.
It’s always going to be best to eliminate toxins from your home or office by removing the source of the problem, but plants are great to have around to help!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.