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Feeling Stuffy?

by Melissa Bravo - December 1, 2015

It’s that time of year again. The storm windows are going on and the heavier curtains put up to stop the draft on the North side – all in preparation for the coming months of winter.

The cold air came a bit earlier this year and so did the first cases of congestion as we added the dry heat of our furnaces to the air inside our homes. While a humidifier, air purifier, and duct work filters, are all examples of man-made objects that can help purify the air of the ozone, and fine particulate dust from wood and coal burning stoves, have you considered the benefits of house plants?

Plants are a biological filtration system from their head down to their toes. They don’t just go it alone either. They work in tandem with soil microbes to create nutrients out of the very air we breathe. So skip the sterilized potting soil and give them some good old dirt, remember repotting them is a necessity!

purify

Air purification start’s with the process of photosynthesis. Air is absorbed through the pores of the leaf tissue and the carbon dioxide in the air is converted to carbohydrates. You do know that carbohydrates are the same thing as sugars? Glucose, that lovely word associated with your health is created in the photosynthesis process and is the most important sugar molecule on earth. Remember, only plant’s make glucose. We just eat it!

glucose

But, let’s get back to house plants. Plant’s give back oxygen during the chemical process called photosynthesis that occurs when oxygen is split off from a water molecule. So, don’t forget to water your plants. It stands to reason that some plants are more adept at filtering air than others. Tropical species that have evolved to retain their leaves all year round have a lot of stomata’s that contain a lot of chloroplasts. That is what makes them green.

Spider Plants

Spider plant’s like this one are a good example. They are easy to take care of, and they thank you by producing baby spider plants. These can be snipped off, and after a few days of developing roots in an aqueous solution, they can be transplanted into a fresh pot of soil.

spiderplant1

If you want some diversity, consider getting some ferns. Japanese royal ferns and Boston ferns do well as house plants and they absorb a lot of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a volatile by-product of a lot of housing materials and cosmetics. So if you are a huge hair spray fanatic, hang a fern in your bathroom, or two.

cactus

Other good house plants that are phytoremediator’s, which just means they filter harmful chemicals from the air, include those spoon shaped, low growing purple waffle plants, the lovely English ivy, and that variegated yellow and gold runner called golden pothos. That’s the one that loves to snake into your fish tank. Not to be confused with snake plant, Sansevieria trifasciata, which is a sword shaped sward of a thing.

Some other common house plants are Aloe vera, peace lilies, areca palms, and vinca (which is your outdoor hanging basket and ground cover just brought inside for the winter). But, don’t forget some plants are toxic! So use the vinca, spider mum, and poinsettia to help clean the air, just keep them out of reach of pets and children.

Credits:

Produced by Vogt Media

 
 
 
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