Benefits of the Simple Houseplant
Most everyone enjoys having a houseplant in the indoor environment which we reside in. Whether we purchase it ourselves or receive as a gift, it makes a nice decoration and enhances the view. I often heard that plants are capable of cleaning the air indoors, I looked into it a little deeper. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that potentially hundreds of organic, damaging chemicals are at any given time living inside our homes and buildings. They are released into the air we breathe, and they give off gas from walls, ceilings, clothing, carpet and maybe even the furniture. Is there a simple remedy? Houseplants can assist in the removal of chemical vapors around the home, this is a nice asset to an already pretty décor.
The best houseplants to keep for their cleaning properties, low-maintenance, and resistance to insects and humidification are listed as these few species: Areca Palm, Arrowhead vine, Bamboo palm, Dwarf Date Palm, English Ivy, Ficus allii, Golden pothos, Lady Palm, Peace lily, and the Rubber Plant. Our homes and offices are sealed in and much of the furniture and home products (carpets) are made of synthetics. These synthetics give off gases, toxins, particles and pollutants. Plants are considered organic filters, they absorb the pollutants given off by synthetic house hold materials, carpets, plastics, etc. breaking them down within the internal structures of the plant. They save us from the full impact of chemicals in the atmosphere of the home.
It is a scientific fact that indoor houseplants have the ability to improve the air quality. Plants and their root microbes are a natural biological cleaning machine. Plants use two well known processes to move chemicals in the air to their roots. Leaves absorb certain chemicals in the air and transport them inside plant tissue down to the roots, and plants pull air down around their roots when moisture is emitted from leaves during transpiration. Plants with higher transpiration rates are able to move larger amounts of air. This is controlled by humidity. Plants attempt to balance humidity levels for their optimum well-being by controlled release of moisture from their leaves. When humidity is high, plants emit less moisture into the air then when humidity is low. This is the general scientific reason plants benefit our indoor environment.
The animal/plant/microbial world is balanced harmoniously so that we reap the benefits from each other. We are dependent upon these interactions form our existence. The next time you look at a simple houseplant whisper a thank you to it. Perhaps it can feel the appreciation.
