How to Clean Indoor Air

According to research carried out by NASA, indoor air pollution is just as bad and can even be much worse than outdoor pollution. Research at the University of Technology, Sydney, has shown that indoor pot plants can improve air quality and demonstrated how this occurs. One of the plants in the Sydney study was Kentia Palm, a common house plant available in the United States. There is on-going research being conducted by many governmental and academic institutions to discover how and why this works but that is not the purpose of my article. The purpose of my article is to list common indoor pollutants and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and the applicable plants to reduce the presence in your home.
The solutions presented here will help to reduce common indoor pollutants and VOCs. According to the studies conducted by NASA the proper use of indoor plants to absorb air pollutants has been shown to reduce indoor pollutants by nearly 85%. The list of plants that can be used to reduce the big hitters listed like Benzene, Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene is large enough to meet the requirements of even the most picky interior decorators, home owners and business managers. The plants that were studied were shown to naturally filter these pollutants through their leaves and roots and other micro-organisms present in the indoor potting mixtures. The plants in the studies naturally filtered the air and then converted it into breathable air. It was shown that within 24 hours, some plants can remove up to 87 percent of toxic indoor air.
In order to effectively use plants to help clean and filter your indoor air the study recommended that you apply a plant per 100 square feet of home or office space.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Potted Plants
• Maybe a Green Thumb

1. 
    
   Chrysanthemum

   Reduce Benzene:
   
   Benzene can be found in inks, oils, paints, plastics, rubber, dyes, detergents, gasoline, pharmaceuticals, tobacco smoke, synthetic fibers and is considered a common VOC present in many households based on the common occurrence of the items that produce it. Pick your favorite plant from the list below and place them in several rooms around your home.
   Plant options to reduce the presence of Benzene in your home or office:
   *English Ivy
   *Dracaena
   *Chrysanthemum
   *Gerbera Daisy
   *Peace Lily

2. 
    
   Philodendron

   Reduce Formaldehyde:
   
   Many common building materials produce the VOCs formaldehyde like foam insulation, plywood, adhesive binders in floor coverings but other common sources of formaldehyde are natural gas and cigarette smoke. Take a look at the great list of plants below to combat this common pollutant in your home.
   Plant options to reduce the presence of Formaldehyde in your home or office:
   *Azalea
   *Philodendron
   *Spider Plant
   *Golden Pothos
   *Bamboo Palm
   *Corn Plant
   *Chrysanthemum
   *Mother-in-law's Tongue

3. 
    
   Peace Lily

   Reduce Trichloroethylene:
   
   Trichloroethylene is used in the degreasing agents and dry cleaning chemicals and like benzene can be found in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes and adhesives. The refining processes used to manufacture these chemicals dictates the levels of these VOCs that will be produced. There are many options available to the consumer these days that specifically aim to reduce all VOCs. You can use Gerbera Daisy, Chrysanthemum, Peace Lily to reduce the presence in your home or office by placing one of these plants in several rooms of your home.

4. 
    
   Spider Plant

   Reduce Carbon Monoxide:
   
   Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion and is present whenever fuel is burned and therefore it is present in most homes that use natural gas, propane or heating oil. So basically just about everybody's house has carbon monoxide at some level. What we are focusing on is the fact that we want to reduce the amounts of these indoor pollutants to a level below toxicity. The main plant used in the NASA study was the spider plant and it was found, under a controlled environment to convert toxic levels of carbon monoxide into non-toxic levels, plus this is a great looking plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Evaluate each plant based on the requirements for sunshine and water
• Protect the surfaces with water proof coverings
• Buy a book on plant care or search www.ehow.com for "how to" articles about plant care.
• Keep in mind that some of these plants may cause other issues in your home and each one should be considered carefully based on the presence of children, pets and possible allergen reactions.

[Merriment]

on 4/27/2009 I love my house plants. I truly believe it changes the way I feel in my environment. Knowing it provides cleaner air quality in my home is probably the reason why!

[2besure]

on 12/14/2008 Great ideas. I love to have plant in the house.