House Plants – Cleaning Your Home’s Air and Adding a Living, Organic Touch

For many people, a house doesn’t feel like a home until it gets some greenery. Indoor plants add texture, life and color to our houses and apartments – and are useful in plenty of other ways too! Here’s a quick guide to the benefits of house plants, what plants thrive indoors and how care for them.

The Benefits of Bringing Plants into Your Home

• Increased oxygen: When we breathe, our bodies take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide – plants do the reverse. This makes plants and people a perfect match, with plants helping to increase healthy oxygen levels indoors.
• Purifying your air: Plants are also great at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air like formaldehyde (commonly released by carpeting, paint, vinyl and even plastic bags), benzene (released by inks, solvents, paints and man-made fibers) and other contaminants that are common in the home. The more climate-controlled your home is, the higher the concentration of VOCs – but plants can filter these from the air and convert them into useful nutrients that they’ll use to grow.
• Humidity: The optimal level of humidity in a home should be between 30-50%. Lower humidity levels can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, while higher humidity levels can lead to mold growth and encourage dust mites. If your home humidity is a bit low, add some plants – they release moisture into the air naturally and achieve that perfect comfort level.
• Mood and attention boosters: Did you know that bringing plants into the workplace boosts mood, health and productivity levels? This is known as bilophilia and it applies to homes and living spaces just as much as offices, so bring some of nature’s beauty into your house and experience these great benefits.

What Plants Will Grow Well Indoors?

Fortunately, there are many plants that love the indoor life – both large and small – even in limited light areas. Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right plants for your space.

• Orchids: There are an incredibly variety of orchid species out there and all of them are happy to live indoors. Their bright and varied flowers (that last for months), beautiful structure and low maintenance needs make them a firm favorite. They’re happy anywhere with high light and no direct sunlight.
• Aloe Vera: These desert-type plants are very low maintenance, requiring minimal water but plenty of sunlight. They are easily propagated, so you can grow lots of small plants quickly from a single plant. The thick sap of an aloe is also a traditional source of healing and can be used to soothe skin burns.
• Peace lily: This pretty white-flowered lily is great for cooler, shaded spaces. It flowers regularly and doesn’t need much attention. You’ll notice when it needs water as the leaves will start to droop.
• Snake plant: Also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, this striking plant has upright, strap-like leaves and thrives even when neglected. It tolerates low light and low water but does best in a bright light areas.
• Rubber plant: A relative of the ficus, this plant loves bright to lower light areas and frequent watering (if the leaves go yellow, you’re watering too much). They are hardy and don’t catch diseases easily, and have very attractive, large dark green leaves.
• Kalanchoe: If you’re after pretty flowers this plant is ideal. Originally from Madagascar, these need bright light and regular watering. Another benefit is that you can grow new plants easily from cuttings. After flowering, you can trick the plant into sending out a new crop of blooms. Simply place it in a dark closet for 12 hours each day for around 6 weeks.
• Herbs: A sunny windowsill is the perfect place to grow a little herb garden and add some flavor to your kitchen! Chives, basil, oregano, thyme and mint all grow well in pots in high light areas, and regular trimming will keep help them thrive.

Care Tips for Indoor Plants

To keep your house plants in great condition, follow these easy tips:

• Always follow the feeding, watering and light instructions that come with the plant.
• Dust the leaves regularly.
• Avoid using pesticides wherever possible – don’t use them at all if you are growing herbs.
• Place saucers under each plant pot to catch dropped potting soil and excess water.
• Remove any dead, diseased or yellowed leaves regularly.
• Cover the potting soil mix with river rocks or grave to keep it firmly in place and reduce mess.
• Prevent mold by cleaning catchment saucer regularly and watering only when the top third of the potting soil is dry.

Plants are a wonder of the natural world and caring for indoor plants give a great sense of purpose and connection with nature – it’s no wonder that they bring so much happiness to homes and workplaces. So, get out there and don’t be afraid to try and develop your own green fingers!