Breathe Clean Air into Your Home with Houseplants

Have you ever walked into a room and noticed how fresh and airy it feels … how being there makes you feel a little lighter? Was it a simple space filled with sunlight and indoor plants?

A little goes a long way when it comes to greening your home. Even adding a couple succulents can make a difference. Image Source: FotoRieth, 2018. Royalty-free image accessed on August 13, 2023.

Create a Personal Oasis

Your physical environment influences your outlook and productivity. Just as it’s easier to work at an uncluttered desk, being intentional about what’s in your space improves your mood and focus. Think about how you relax when you go outside. Fresh air, sunshine and green spaces revitalize. Indoor plants are a practical way to bring nature home. If your life is hectic, greenery can help even a small apartment seem like an oasis.

Calm and productive. Plants can make your workspace healthier and more attractive. Image Source: 1681551, 2016. Royalty-free image accessed on August 13, 2023.

Climate Affects Air Quality and Air Quality Affects Climate

Poor indoor air quality reduces your ability to think clearly. Fossil fuel combustion creates smog. Forest fires produce soot and irritating gases. Well-known impacts of air pollution range from headaches, watery eyes, and irritated airways to asthma and cardiovascular disease. Air pollution is common, but it isn’t normal. For example, there are no known safe levels of wildfire smoke. If your living space is poorly ventilated, concentrations of pollutants are higher indoors. Children are even more vulnerable to air pollution because they have smaller airways and higher metabolic rates.

While these gases are harmful to human health, many plants thrive on them as carbon sources. We know that trees and plants are nature’s air purifiers. Old growth forests and protected areas like Ontario’s Greenbelt act as carbon sinks pulling chemicals such as carbon dioxide (CO2)–the most common greenhouse gas–from the atmosphere. We cannot afford to lose these protected areas. In fact, as we’re beginning to feel the effects of rising global temperatures through frequent extreme weather events such as this summer’s devastating Canadian wildfire season, we know we need natural reserves more than ever for climate resilience.

Just as trees purify outdoor air, plants are an economical way to improve air quality in your home. Plants and people have a mutually beneficial relationship. Plants absorb our exhaled CO2 to make sugars. As plants break down our waste CO2, as well as other carbon-based pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene to produce food, they release oxygen. Gardening and growing indoor plants are just some of the many ways we can reduce our carbon output.

A familiar example of how plants convert carbon to sugar: sugar maples, native to North America, produce carbohydrates. As sap runs in early spring, it is tapped and boiled to produce delicious maple syrup. (Left) Sugar maple in the Comfort Maple Conservation Area in Pelham, Ontario. Image Source: Mhsheikholeslam, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0. (Middle) Tapping sap at a maple shack in Quebec. Image Source: Alain Bonnardeaux, 2021, Royalty-free image. (Right) Bottles of delicious maple syrup and a bowl of maple sugar adorn a kitchen table. Image Source: Nadine Primeau, 2019. Royalty-free image. Images accessed on August 13, 2023.

Houseplants for Beginners

If you’re like me, a fuss-free collection is the way to grow. I like easy plants that don’t need much light and thrive on a little benign neglect. Mine do better in self-watering pots, kept away from my slightly-too-adventurous cat.

These hardy specimens are some of my favourites. As a long-lasting alternative to fresh cut flowers, plants make a great gift. There’s something for everyone. (Top left) “Lucky Bamboo” by grodesh, 2008. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. (Top right) “Cast Iron Plant Hardy Tropical” by Jan Haerer, 2015. Royalty-free image. (Upper middle left) “Golden Pothos” by elvisripley, 2008. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. (Upper middle right) “Spider Plant” by madaise, 2007. Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. (Lower middle left) Zanzibar Gem, or “ZZ plant,” by xinem, 2013. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Lower middle right) “Sansevieria trifasciata Prain var. Laurentii (Green form)” by Ahmad Fuad Morad, 2011. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. (Lower left) “Jade plant” by ohmeaghan, 2009. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. 2009. (Lower right) “arrowhead plant, young……2017–08–20” by wintersoul1. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. All images accessed on August 13, 2023.

So if you want to start a collection but you don’t have a green thumb yet, start with a few hardy species. Which plants would you like to grow?

“Monstera plant” is marked with CC0 1.0 (Free public domain).

Update

An earlier version of this story didn’t examine the American Lung Association’s (ALA) position on using indoor plants to improve indoor air quality. In fact, the ALA doesn’t endorse relying on houseplants to improve indoor air quality, stating that “the jury is still out” (due to mixed evidence and ongoing research). The ALA states that while plants may be beneficial, their use needs more study.

The ALA recommends improving ventilation and avoiding the use of harmful chemicals at home because experts agree on these measures. Although the Lung Association doesn’t think houseplants make a significant difference to indoor air quality, several studies do suggest that indoor plants may add a layer of protection–even if it’s clearly on a much smaller scale than forests. We just wouldn’t count on them without ventilation and reducing our emissions.[1] [2] [3] The NASA study didn’t suggest that plants should be the only strategy, but that it could be part of an approach that also includes filtration (see Summary, p. 26 of the online PDF). NASA still stands by its findings. Some HEPA filters feature an activated charcoal filter, which removes organic gases (VOCs) more efficiently.

Unfortunately, we are experiencing poor air quality due to wildfire smoke and other environmental problems. When outdoor air is heavily polluted, ventilation isn’t sufficient, either. Health Canada states, “During heavy smoke conditions, everyone is at risk regardless of their age or health.” According to Health Canada, “There is no evidence of a safe level of exposure for most of these pollutants. This means that smoke can impact your health even at very low levels.”

This is a complex problem. We’re currently in a situation where we need additional measures to improve our air quality. HEPA filters and Corsi-Rosenthal boxes remove soot (fine particulate matter), which is the most hazardous component of wildfire smoke. However, the gases from wildfire smoke are too small to be trapped by HEPA filters.

We are experiencing the consequences of a warming planet. This speaks to the need to take meaningful action to reduce air pollution and slow down global warming individually and collectively through a combination of strategies. We all have a right to a healthy environment.

August 15, 2023.