Towards the end of the 1980’s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) were busy developing methods to purify the air inside of space stations.  The solution that they implemented was a very simple one—and it has the potential to help improve the air quality in homes as well as space stations.

Buildings with newer construction were designed with a purpose: energy efficiency.  Of course this is a very worthwhile consideration when constructing new buildings, as it reduces the amount of money spent of heating and cooling.  However, since this new energy-conscious method of construction has been used to produce new homes and workplaces, the air quality inside the buildings has suffered.

The tightly sealed buildings allow indoor pollutants to build-up so that they are dangerously concentrated.  In addition to this, many of the building materials used in the production of the new structures contain chemicals that are re-emitted into the air.

NASA and ALCA spent two years testing and researching the air purifying qualities of 19 common plants.  17 of the 19 flora specimens were categorized as true house plants, while two (gerbera daisy and chrysanthemum) were more often used outdoors as for their ornamental flowers.  The difference between outdoor plants and the varieties of plants that we use as “house plants” is method in which these plants produce their energy through photosynthesis.

 

House plants are usually tropical foliages that have learned to thrive on the forest floor, where only a small amount of light reached through the tree canopy.  This as made them very effective at absorbing every hour of sunlight, as well as removing harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide and trichloroethylene.

5 plants for improving indoor air quality:

Peace Lily

Bamboo Palm

English Ivy

Mums

Gerbera Daisies

 

It is recommended that if you’re living in a home under 2,000 square feet, you have about 15 different plants in 6’’ sized containers.  Depending on your green thumb, this may not be the best solution to your indoor air quality concerns.  Another consideration is allergic sensitivity—if you are trying to avoid mold spores, you might not want to have this many containers of moist soil around as they encourage mold growth.

 A good prescription for maintaining air quality would be installing a whole house air cleaner in your furnace and ductwork.  Dynamic makes panel filters to replace normal filters in furnaces and air conditioners to improve the effectiveness of particle collection.  Ultra violet air purifiers are made for installation in air duct handlers that virtually transform your heating/air conditioning/ventilation into a whole house air purification system.

For more information about this topic– for for a list of other indoor plants that improve indoor air quality– click here.