Why You Can Never Have Too Many Indoor Plants

There is nothing I love more than entering someone’s home and seeing plants in almost every room. Cacti nestling in gravel, plants that send leaves and flowers tumbling off the side of a bookshelf, palms that sit in giant pots no one can move…

Nothing beats it.

They’re not just cool to look at either. Research shows indoor plants remove toxins and other pollutants from the air. We all know pollution is a danger to health. It turns out those plants you love the look of are working hard to make your home safer to live in, too.

Avoiding Sick Building Syndrome

Have you ever heard of this? Sick Building Syndrome is mostly associated with workplaces, but any building can cause it. Vague symptoms of many kinds can occur in those using any part of the building or just one or two rooms.

Plants help purify the air, removing toxins and other nasties. It tips the odds in our favor when we desire a healthy and happy home.

 

How Long Does It Take to Improve Air Quality?

Have you ever heard of VOCs? It stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. Every home has them in varying amounts.

Worrying, hmm?

Fortunately, research has proven how powerful plants are at removing these compounds. Researchers found that the bromeliad plant sucked up 80% of six VOCs in a mere 12 hours.

So, if you bring a humble yet stunning bromeliad into your home, you can expect it to thank you by making your home healthier and safer than ever. (Better still, look out for tiny pups to appear at the base. When they get bigger, you can remove them and grow new plants. How cool is that?)

Which Plants Improve Air Quality the Most?

We’re still learning about different plants and how many pollutants they can remove from the air. However, you’ll probably recognize some of the plants we know do well in this area:

• Spider plant (perfect for bathrooms)
• Rubber plant
• English or common ivy
• Mother-in-law’s tongue
• Bamboo palm
• Peace lily

Other Advantages of Having Indoor Plants

We’re not done yet. Even if you have a garden, it’s great to introduce plants into your home too. They make even the cooler months more inviting, cozy, and appealing. They soften décor and provide a focal point.

Do you have an empty corner in your family room? Stick a large rubber plant in there. Want to soften the appearance of your sterile, tiled bathroom? Pop a spider plant on top of your cabinets and let it dangle as it grows.

How about introducing some plant life into your kitchen? There is nothing better than the aloe vera plant. Keep one within reach of your stove. If you burn yourself, break off a piece of aloe vera and apply it to the burn. It’s not called the ‘burn plant’ for nothing.

Not something you want to try unless you need to, though. So, take it from me that the plant is proven to heal first- and second-degree burns.

See? Indoor plants can aid better health in more ways than one!

-Allison Whitehead

Photo: Wikimedia Commons