As per the estimate goes at least one person of every household spends 85% of their time indoors. Indoor air quality has been suffering people for very long. It has also been identified as one of the biggest threats under EPA for humans. If you don’t know then let us tell you that indoor air quality is polluted at least 2 to 5 times much more than the outside air. This is the major reason why respiratory diseases like asthma, chemical hypersensitivity, and headaches are quite common. Chemicals inside the house, pollution from cooking, volatile organic compounds from furniture and construction. This all contributes to degrading indoor air quality.
Now, when you are looking to improve the indoor air quality then you will come through a number of ways. Proper ventilation, use of air purifiers, natural furniture, low VC finishes, oxygenators are some of the most common ways to upgrade your indoor air quality.
But not why look at one of the most inexpensive ways of upgrading your indoor air quality.
Here we are bringing you some of the best indoor plants which are known to improve your air quality produces the most oxygen:-
- Areca Palm – Do you know that this plant is biologically engineered to inhale carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This plant has the ability to remove harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene and purify the indoor environment. The plant needs to be placed in a well lighted placed and needs to be watered also quite often. For a single person in the house, four shoulder-high plants are perfect. The best place to have this indoor plant is the living rooms.
- Snake Plant aka Mother in Law’s Tongue – This is one of the most efficient plants for oxygen
production. This is known as the nighttime oxygen production plant. This plant is also known to purify the surrounding air. This plant also needs to be placed beside a window through which good natural light comes in. The plant needs to be watered weekly. For one person in the house, 6-8 waist level plants are recommended. The bedroom is the best place to keep this plant. - Money Plant – Featured by NASA, Money plant is considered as one of the best air purifiers to remove unwanted toxic chemicals from the room and purify it. But you must know that despite the high purification rate, this plant is toxic to small pets like cats, dogs and also to small children. The leaves of the money plant are known to be infected. This plant prefers indirect light and is known to be watered at least once every week. Any room is good for this plant just make sure that it is out of the reach of pets and children both.
- Gerbera Daisy – One of the prettiest plants ever, this is definitely a beautiful decorative plant in gardening. This plant is known to produce oxygen and remove harmful chemicals from the room. This plant also helps in sleeping well and thus ensures good night time sleep. This plant requires bright sunlight during summer, winter and fall time. The plant needs to be watered regularly so that the soil is moist. The bedroom is the best place to have this plant.
- Chinese Evergreens – one of the most common and widely used indoor plant. The plant emits high oxygen content and thus useful for emitting harmful chemicals. This indoor plant is quite popular in China and now slowly the plant is gaining popularity in India. This plant grows in its full shade and needs to be watered only occasionally. The main focus is to keep the soil moist in this case. Living rooms are the best place to keep these plants.
- Aloe Vera – This is a beautiful succulent plant which is known to flush out the unnecessary toxins from your body. What you get in return is the clean fresh air which is full of oxygen. Unlike most of the plant, this plant also absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen during night time. This is a medicinal plant which is known to treat burns and other skin ailments. The plant is healthy in a sunlit environment and this does not need too much watering also. The plant can be placed in any room be it the living room or drawing-room.
- Peace Lily – This is a lush green plant which is known to flush out toxins from your body. The plant allows to produce oxygen and thus purifies your room. This is an ideal plant for beginners or for people who have very little sunlight at their home. This plant does not require too much maintenance and needs watering only once a week.
- Rubber Plant – This attractive plant can be the perfect addition to your indoor plants. This plant is known to remove formaldehyde from the air. You will be amazed to know that this plant can reach up to eight feet in some conditions. This plant requires indirect lighting and also very less water. During dry weather, this plant requires very less water only on its mist.
- Weeping Fig – This is a tropical plant which is known to remove the impurities from the room. Many toxic chemicals are naturally removed by this plant. This plant is known to remove formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene from the air. The standard variety of these plants include bush, tree, and tree with braided trunks. This plant requires semi to full sun and also frequent watering.
Other than the indoor plants, what else can be done to improve the indoor air quality?
Indoor plants can improve your life, but they are not a solution to any of your respiratory issues. And if in worst cases you are suffering from COPD, then indoor plants are obviously not a solution.
You need something stronger which will take care of the air quality when you are inside your home. A human is known to breathe in 11000 liters of air every day which contains 550 litres of pure oxygen on a daily basis. Thus, you need plants to produce 30-40 pounds of the matter. Now, this is a rough calculation that you want your indoor plant to produce a minimum of 30-40 pound of oxygen every day for each person in the house.