Happy, Healthy, Healing House Plants
August 16, 2005 – 4:18 amDid you know that filling your home with house plants have the ability to make you happy and healthy and give your home a Detox? Patrick Morais explains why becoming green fingered in the comfort of our own home will do you the world of good.
Not only can plants absorb toxins, but by increasing the humidity of a room, a houseplant dampens down dust. Hairy and rubbery leaf surfaces attract dust in the air and absorb the toxins it contains. Dust will absorb the moisture from humid air and the damp dust particles will sink to the floor.
Modern air-conditioning units and unventilated homes mean that air born bacteria can be re-circulated around a room. House plants can remove the toxins from the air, reducing irritation to the eyes and skin. Recent studies have found that headaches have been reduced by 47% and dry hoarse coughs have been reduced by 37% when house plants have been added to an indoor environment.
Research carried out by the University of Sydney has proven that house plants clean the air of chemicals. When plants transpire water vapour from their leaves, they pull air down to their roots. Any airborne contaminants are also pulled down into the plant root zone. Microbes, living on and around plant roots in an area called the rhizosphere, breakdown and destroy the chemicals. Microbes convert these chemicals into a source of food and energy for the plant and themselves. The more chemicals the plant is exposed to the more efficiently they work. Plants use chemicals as a source of energy.
Negative ions are created by cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays, air flow friction, falling water and most notably plants. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, which helps alleviate depression, relieve stress and boost our daytime energy. Since plants are one of the main producers of negative ions, keeping a number of plants around your home or office will give your mood a boost. In fact, Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that high levels of negative ions can relieve depression as much as antidepressants.
Plants that have the highest transpiration rates produce the most negative ions. So to get a high dose of negative ions throughout the day, surround yourself with plants with high transpiration rates like Pines or Asparagus Ferns or plants with sharp and pointy leaves.
Research carried out for NASA over twenty years ago looked at how different plants absorb different chemicals in order to create synthetic environments in their space stations. We’ve selected some of the best plants for removing chemicals and explain which ones to put in which room.
KITCHEN
Fern (Adiantum)
This plant is good at removing formaldehyde, which is found in most floor coverings and in gas cookers, found in most kitchens. It likes semi-sun and should not be given much water during the winter.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
This plant is also very effective at removing formaldehyde, which can be found in gas cookers, ceiling tiles and can withstand a range of temperatures from 16� - 27� Centigrade or 61� - 81� Fahrenheit. It is the best of the fictus group of plants at removing household toxins.
Ivy (Hedera)
Again, this plant is effective at removing formaldehyde. The English Ivy likes semi-sun to semi shade and can be grown in a topiary form around a wire.
Aloe Vera
Many chefs keep Aloe Vera plants in the kitchen because the leaf can be cut and the juice used to treat burns, cuts and other skin irritations.
LIVING ROOM
Moth Orchid (Phaelenopsis)
Removes xylene from the atmosphere, which is found in electrical equipment like TV’s and computer monitors. Also a very ornamental plant so can replace flowers and save you money. You should beware not to over water the Moth Orchid.
Areca Palm (Butterfly Palms)
A six-foot Areca palm transpires about one litre of water every twenty-four hours so it will increase the humidity of the room, great for reducing allergies to dust. It’s also good at removing most toxins.
This plant has unique ability to remove salt accumulations to different branches. When saturated these leaves will die and should be pulled off.
Ficus Alii
Effective at removing most toxins especially formaldehyde found in drapes, wood stains and varnishes. Needs full and semi-sun.
Red Emerald (Philodendron)
This plant thrives in the warmth and humidity, so it is perfect for Hong Kong. The Red Emerald needs to be kept in semi-shade to shade and is good at removing general toxins around the home.
Dwarf Banana (Musa acuminata nana)
Large leaves mean that this plant transpires a great deal of moisture, making it a good remedy for a dry room. Should be kept near a window.
BEDROOM
The Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)
One of the best plants at removing ammonia found in things like cosmetics and nail varnish remover, and also good at removing other toxins. The Lady Plant needs generous watering in the spring and summer.
Peace Lilly (Spathiphyllum)
One of the easiest houseplants to care for and also very pretty. It’s good at removing alcohol (found in perfume and mouth washes), acetone (cosmetics), trichloroethylene (printers), benzene (carpets, paints, varnish) and formaldehyde (found in upholstery drapes and floor coverings). It also has a high transpiration rate so will increase room humidity, which is good for allergy sufferers.
Most plants produce stacks of oxygen during the day and carbon dioxide at night, so there’s a common misconception that they shouldn’t be kept in the bedroom. However there are some plants that do release oxygen at night so are fine to use where you sleep.
Dendrobium Orchid (Singapore Orchid)
This would be a good alternative to cut flowers and it absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen at night. Choose a hybrid orchid, which is better for beginners as they are easier to look after. It’s also pretty effective at removing alcohol, acetone, formaldehyde and chloroform.
Snake Plant - Sansevieria
This is not the best at removing toxins from the environment, but this is an almost indestructible house plant and produces a large amount of oxygen at night, making it a good choice for the novice house plant keeper.
ORGANIC CARE
It’s all very well and good trying to use plants to remove chemicals in your home, but how can you avoid putting chemicals on your plants?
* Add charcoal to the compost to absorb more toxins
* Use soap and luke warm water or warm milk to clean the leaves - NOT LEAF SHINE
ABOUT THE CHEMICALS
Formaldehyde - Found in adhesives, Ceiling tiles, drapes and fabrics coverings, upholstery, chip board stains and varnishes, gas cookers.
Xlene - Found in adhesives, glues and caulking, ceiling tiles, computer VDU units, printers, floor coverings, paints, chipboard, photocopiers, stains and varnishes, wall coverings.
Trichloroethylene - Found in printers and photocopiers.
Benzene - Found in adhesives, ceiling tiles, printers, floor coverings, paints, photo copier, stains and varnishes, wall coverings.
Acetone - Found in cosmetics, and nail polish remover
Copyright © 2005 Patrick Morais All Right Reserved
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.