Wednesday, March 10, 2010

GREEN Alternative to Air Purifiers




Who knew that an electric run air purifier is not as effective as a few everyday common houseplants to help improve our indoor air quality-and the electric version is not as GREEN?



The EPA states the air in your home or office is 5-100 times more polluted than air outside. What does that say about the products we use in our home and office?

What are the items that are creating toxic environments?

1) Traditional cleaning products

2) Paint, sealants, caulks, stains

3) Carpeting

4) Mold & Mildew

5) Wood products like countertops, cabinets, flooring

6) Dust

7) Tobacco smoke



As you can see some of these items are man-made and the others occur in nature naturally but all have a high VOC content(volatile organic compound). What can we do to improve the indoor air quality? The answer is so simple. Place live houseplants in your home. Well you need to care for them appropriately too. While researching ways to cleanse the air in space stations, NASA found certain houseplants cleanse the air of some of the VOCs such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene-all included in the EPA's list of potentially hazardous VOC's. In this study, NASA studied 19 different houseplants for 2 years including two flowering plants and the remainder being common everyday houseplants. The NASA study showed the recommendation of 15-18 houseplants for an average 1,800 square foot home could improve the indoor air quality. To read more about the study and learn the simple science go to: NASA.



Here is the list of plants with their common names included in the study:


  • english ivy

  • spider plant

  • golden pothos

  • peace lily

  • Chinese evergreen

  • bamboo or reed palm

  • snake plant

  • heartleaf philodendron

  • selloum philodendron

  • elephant ear philodendron

  • red-edged dracaena

  • corn stalk dracaena

  • Janet Craig dracaena

  • Warneck dracaena

  • weeping fig

If you have pets, please check the list for potentially hazardous plants before using them in your home.


I encourage you to incorporate at least a few of the plants included in the study in an area you spend the most time whether it is your home or office or both. Greenery not only improves indoor air quality but it is a living being that will improve your mood(see http://www.plantsforoffices.com/ study).

References
NASA, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, September 1989, by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, Anne Johnson, Keith Bounds

http://www.plantsforoffices.com/a290279-office-plants-can-improve-employee-productivity-.cfm, Indoor Plants Improve Mood

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