When seeking cleaner air in your Fort Wayne area home, you'll find a number of houseplants that will boost indoor air quality. It has long been understood that house plants "breathe in" carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Certain plants have more recently been found to be effective at filtering certain toxins (VOCs – volatile organic compounds) from the air. NASA conducted studies that confirmed this was the case. Here is a list of some of best detoxifying plants for helping to clean the air in your home:
- Aloe Vera: also called "the medicine plant," this succulent is fairly easy to grow and loves sunlight. It can help reduce the amount of benzene and formaldehyde in the air. The gel has been used for promoting the healing of cuts, as well as to soothe skin irritations such as sunburn or insect bites.
- Areca Palm: Has also been called "the living room plant" because it gives off oxygen in the daytime.
- Golden Pathos: This is a vine also, with leaves that are variegated with golden stripes on green; is very similar to philodendron in appearance and is just as good at filtering out VOCs.
- Mother-in-Law's Tongue: This plant also enjoys low light. This has been called "the bedroom plant" because it gives off oxygen at night.
- English Ivy: This plant has been found to reduce the number of bacteria such as E Coli, as well as toxins in the air such as formaldehyde.
- Spider Plant: Is an attractive green plant; some have variegated leaves, as well. This plant can help filter benzene, formaldehyde and even carbon monoxide from the air, as well as xylene found in varnishes and paints .
Other houseplants to boost indoor air quality include chrysanthemums, dracaenas, the peace lily, Boston ferns, African violets and orchids.
Houseplants help reduce the amount of airborne bacteria and fungi in your home, and helps add humidity, which combats respiratory and allergy symptoms.
For more advice on how to improve the air quality in your Fort Wayne area home, please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about houseplants and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “KPG Payless2/Shutterstock”