You may recall being educated in biology class about photosynthesis. This is a process plants undergo where they take in carbon dioxide and other airborne toxins to produce oxygen. When you grow plants indoors it is almost as if you have an instant air filtration system within the walls of your home. It has been estimated that 15-20 spider plants will detoxify a home less than 2000 square feet. NASA has been studying the effects of plants on air quality for about 20 years. Their research confirms that common houseplants are natural air purifiers.
You may be wondering where you would place all these plants. Consider hanging baskets, plant stands that can hold multiple plants or windowsill indoor planters. If natural lighting is limited, indoor grow lights are reasonably priced now, and they come in many different designs to suit all areas.
As always, if you have little ones or pets, make sure to keep poisonous plants out of their reach. Herbs including basil, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, mint, and geraniums both clean the air and offer some fantastic aromas not to mention some culinary flavor.
A few of the best air filtering plants include: Spider Plants, Golden Pothos, Peace Lily, Fern, Chinese Evergreen and Weeping Fig. Bringing in your potted geraniums at the end of summer is always a great idea. They can be minimally trimmed back and then watered every week for beautiful blooms throughout the winter, not to mention the air filtering quality.
Remember that although we are not plagued with unsanitary conditions within our homes, we still have modern household materials which create volatile compounds. Ordinary carpeting, furniture and painted surfaces all emit toxic vapors. We can’t get away from those completely, but we can help by just developing a green thumb!
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