Houseplants and flowers add color, warmth, and character to your home, making them attractive decor items. You can create a lush green space, a peaceful indoor garden, or a statement nook filled with lush blossoms and flowering bushes. All plants improve the indoor air quality in your home, but if you consider the following additions, then you can also remove harmful toxins and chemicals that cause allergies and other respiratory problems.
Reduce Toxins With a Peace Lily
Image via Flickr by Olin Gilbert
Peace lilies are lovely, low-maintenance plants. They’re the ideal plants for novice gardeners who aren’t used to living flowers and plants in their homes. Even plant experts will benefit from placing a peace lily or two throughout the house. The deceptively delicate blossoms and leaves remove many of the sneaky toxins harming the indoor air in your home.
Soothe the Space With Aloe
Aloe is a little panacea of a plant that does much more than simply add to the decor; it’s pleasing to the eye as well. You probably already know that the gel that comes from aloe soothes sunburns, cuts, and rashes. However, the plant also improves the indoor air quality in your home by clearing out any pollutants, including any chemicals in your cleaning products.
Aloe is an exceptional plant because it lets you know when your indoor air quality is poor. The leaves develop sickly brown spots, which signal you to have your HVAC system checked by a professional. In the meantime, try cleaning your fans and vents.
Get a Snake Plant to Enjoy Clean Air All Night
Many plants take in carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen during the daytime. The snake plant, a towering plant with lush green leaves, absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into oxygen at night. Consider placing one or two in the bedroom so that you can breathe in fresh air while you sleep.
Add Color With Mums
Image via Flickr by coloredby
Plenty of people display chrysanthemums — also known as mums — outside, especially during the fall, but they’re ideal indoor plants. Give them a bright space, make sure the soil drains well, and water them regularly. Chrysanthemums are worth the time and effort, not only for the vibrant colors but also because mums top the list of plants that purify the air — and you can thank NASA for that honor. Find a high, safe spot for the chrysanthemums, as the leaves can poison children and animals.
Let a Spider Plant Thrive
Spider plants are practically foolproof. They love moist soil, but they won’t die if you neglect to give them a drink for a few days. During the spring and summer, you need to fertilize the plant twice each month, but you don’t need to do too much more for maintenance. The payout for the minimal effort is enormous. Spider plants remove many pollutants, including carbon monoxide, xylene, benzene, and formaldehyde.
Do you have any houseplants? Have you noticed a change in your indoor air quality with them in your home?