Did you know the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental risks to public health? Considering that the average family spends 90% of their time indoors this fact is alarming.
Fortunately, you can do many things to improve and clean the quality of the air in your home. You can get rid of the toxic products you use like air fresheners, disinfectants, particle board furniture, vinyl flooring, and harsh solvents. You can replace many of these products with safer, healthier options. Other ways you can improve the air quality is to get the air flowing in your home, even for just a few minutes a day. Open those windows! Another way you can help clean up your air is with plants. Plants placed in rooms throughout your home can really help to improve the air quality. Some great plants that work well are:
The Areca Palm which is a great choice to place in your living areas and the more the better. It is recommended to have 4 of these shoulder height plants for each person in the household. So if you are a family of four, you should have 16 of these palms placed in your home throughout your living areas. These palms work like a green oxygen factory for your home.
The Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or snake plant is the ideal choice for bedrooms and the recommendation is to have 6 to 8 waist-high plants per person.
Th Money Plant works like a toxin filter to remove formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from the air.
Now I know you may be thinking that sounds like an awful lot of plants to have, but they will provide amazing benefits even if you do not have as many as recommended.
Some other great options are the following 5 ornamental plants that are very effective for removing toxins like benzene, toluene, octane, alpha-pinene and TCE.
- The purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternata)
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- The variegated wax plant (Hoya carnosa)
- The asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
- The purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida)
Now always keep the plants clean, and dust free because that helps them do their job more efficiently, Take good care of them as the more robust and healthy they are, the better they will work for you. Good luck and let me know if you decide to add some of these natural air cleaners to your home. I am definitely going to be adding many to my home.
