It’s no secret that the air in your home can be dirtier than the air in a bustling metropolis. To many, this is concerning as it should be. When hearing this, some people turn to houseplants to get the reprieve from poor indoor air quality. While houseplants bring an organic beauty that you can’t get anywhere else, do they really do anything to remove toxins from the air you breathe? Air Pure Air Duct Cleaning is here to talk about houseplants and whether or not you can count on them to help you clean up your air.
1989 NASA Study on Air Purifying Plants
There was a study done in 1989 that showed many houseplants that actually worked to remove VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air. There were small house plants that were placed in a small chamber that was pumped full of different VOCs to see how well it removed them from the air. The study actually showed that within a 24 hour period, the household ivies did remove up to 2/3 of the formaldehyde that was in the air. The problem with this study is that these tests were done in small chambers and they didn’t come close to mimicking the conditions found inside a real home. Ever since, people have been adorning their home with beautiful plants, all the while, with a peace of mind in knowing that they were cleaning the air. This 30 year old study was experimental and some of the results are simply not realistic.
Plants DO Remove VOCs & Toxins
No one is trying to refute the fact that plants remove VOCs from the air we breathe. The fact of the matter is that they do it at such a slow rate that they can’t actually keep up with the air exchange mechanisms in homes and buildings. If you wanted plants to remove enough of the VOCs in your indoor air to make any difference, you would need to have 10 plants every square foot. To put this in perspective, a 500 square foot home would have to have 5,000 plants in it to keep the air cleaner. This is equivalent to a miniature forest in your home.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Aside from planting a forest in your home, there are several ways that you can improve your indoor air quality.
– Change your air filter regularly
– Have your air ducts cleaned
– Keep rugs & carpet cleaned
– Control the humidity in your home
– Open the windows when weather permits
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If you are frustrated with the air inside your home and are looking for ways to get rid of the VOCs that are found there, you can rely on the experts at Air Pure Air Duct Cleaning to help with our many air purifying services. With our air duct cleaning and microbiocide treatments we can help you achieve indoor air quality that helps to improve your health. Call us today!
