We spend a lot of time indoors, so we want to make sure the air we [and our babes] are breathing in is clean and pure. Turns out there are some clever indoor plants that actually improve air quality. Cool hey? Here are our favs.
By Mama Disrupt®
Not only do indoor plants look fab, thanks to the colour and texture they add to the home, but it turns out they breathe a little more life into the air, too.
Aussies spend 90% or more of our time indoors. And mamas spend even more time at home when we have little ones.
So the fact that indoor air pollutants can build up and be present in larger amounts than humans should be breathing in, this is something that we should totes be thinking about.
If a living or office space is rife with air contaminants and lacking decent ventilation, it can cause what’s known as ‘sick building syndrome’.
Yuck.
And it can cause short-term symptoms like irritation of the skin, eyes and throat, headaches, drowsiness and general irritancy.
In 1989 NASA even looked into how indoor plants reduce air pollutants inside. And they made a list of which house plants best diffuse chemicals commonly found indoors (such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene).
Here, we’ve picked our five fav NASA-approved plants to help clean the air.
Annnd BREATHE.
“[INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS] CAN CAUSE SHORT-TERM SYMPTOMS LIKE IRRITATION OF THE SKIN, EYES AND THROAT, HEADACHES, DROWSINESS AND GENERAL IRRITANCY.”
1. Snake plant
Combating chemical compounds such as xylene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, toluene and benzene from the air, the snake plant [also known as mother-in-law’s tongue], gives out oxygen at night. Place one in your bedroom and it can help you breathe better while you sleep.
2. Red-edged dracaena
This is one of the most effective indoor plants for removing formaldehyde [found in paints, wallpaper and smoke from fireplaces] and benzene [found in dyes and synthetic fibres]. It grows up to 2.5m high, so they look amazing in living rooms.
3. Aloe vera
Aloe vera is a great plant to keep in Aussie homes to treat sun-kissed skin with its soothing gel. This cool plant also fights benzene [found in detergents and plastics] and formaldehyde [found in varnishes and floor finishes].
4. Broadleaf lady palm
The broadleaf lady palm survives well in humidity and is one of the few indoor plants to filter out ammonia [found in cleaning products].
5. Spider plant
The spider plant is a great one to keep in garages and sheds because it fights carbon monoxide, xylene [found in petrol and rust preventers] and formaldehyde [emitted with vehicle exhausts]. It’s also very resilient, too.
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