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A breath of fresh air
Houseplants not only look beautiful but they can also remove harmful pollutants from the air. Sarah Madison breathes a little easier.
Next time you reach for an air-freshener, stop and think about the cocktail of man-made chemicals you're about to pump into the room.
Rather than freshening the air you're simply adding to the pollution that's already there. Ironic, isn't it?
A much better option is to avoid indoor pollutants building up in the first place, whether that's a nasty niff in the kitchen to something more serious like a carbon monoxide leak.
There are dozens of ways to go about this, from opening a couple of windows for better ventilation and dusting regularly to banning cigarette smoking and getting your boiler serviced once a year, but one of the most effective means of reducing household toxins is to buy a mini-army of houseplants.
As odd as it may sound, the humble houseplant likes nothing better than to gobble up a whole range of man-made pollutants, airborne toxins and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
This is probably just as well, too, as research carried out by the US Environment Protection Agency has found that indoor air is typically two to five times more polluted than outside air, even in inner city areas or homes near motorways.
As most of us spend the majority of our time inside, that's obviously got to be a big concern.
But how do we know houseplants are great at purifying the air in our houses? Well, it's all thanks to NASA and research it carried out in the 1970s and 1980s.
The space agency was investigating ways of creating a breathable atmosphere for a planned Moon base. One of the scientists working on the project, Doctor Bill Wolverton, discovered that houseplants – from spider plants and ferns to palms and peace lilies – were great at purifying the air in enclosed test chambers.
Since leaving NASA, he's spent the last 20 years researching this link between houseplants and a healthy indoor environment and has published a great book on the subject called How to Grow Fresh Air (9.99 from.amazon.co.uk). It lists more than 50 houseplants and goes into great detail on which ones are best at neutralising which common household pollutants.
So how do houseplants soak up all this indoor smog? It's quite simple, really. A plant's leaves absorb a particular toxin, which is then broken down by microbes around the plant's roots and converted into harmless sugars and oxygen. Some plants are much better at gobbling up certain contaminants than others and the trick is making sure you have a good mix of houseplants to really scrub the air clean.
One of the most efficient pollution removers is the spider plant. Placed in a small enclosed space, it's been shown to remove 96 per cent of carbon monoxide from the air.
It's also particularly effective against formaldehyde, which is used to treat many common household products such as paper towels, tissues, fabrics, carpets, flat pack furniture, flooring and refuse sacks.
Numerous adverse health problems have been ascribed to formaldehyde exposure, including everything from eye, nose and throat irritation, to more controversial claims encompassing asthma, chronic respiratory diseases and even cancer.
The dragon tree (striped dracaena) is another champion pollution buster. It's used extensively in offices because of its ability to soak up trichloroethylene, a chemical released by printers and photocopiers. Like the spider plant, it's almost indestructible, so if you're not very green fingered or frequently forget to water your plants, this is the one for you. Place a pot near your home or office computer and you'll notice a remarkable improvement in air quality.
Another favourite of mine is English ivy. It's good at removing benzene (found in particleboard and paints) as well as airborne mould and fungus spores from the atmosphere, so it's especially valuable in houses that suffer from damp. The areca palm, as well as being a great looking houseplant, is also one of the best plants for chasing away indoor nasties while releasing lots of moisture back into the air.
Other houseplants to look out for include the Boston fern, rubber plants, the peace lily and the umbrella plant. If you're looking for something a bit more ornamental or colourful there are plenty of flowering plants that are excellent at fighting air pollution.
Gerberas, African violets, chrysanthemums and orchids are all very effective. Along with the Christmas cactus, orchids are one of the few plants that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen at night, so they're ideal for the bedroom or nursery.
It's obvious that filling your house with plants is a great way of improving the atmosphere. As few as 15 houseplants scattered about an average-size house will significantly reduce pollution levels and should greatly improve your health and well being too. For more information on all the plants I've mentioned above, go to www.flowers.org.uk – an excellent site full of invaluable hints, tips and advice on caring for your plants and flowers.
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Weather for Bakewell
Thursday 24 May 2012
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