Extra Oxygen

[Kiese]

I've read that having extra plants in your house helps to improve the air quality especially specific types of plants has anyone found this to be true? Some have been shown to improve allergies as well.

 

[ACSAPA]

There's a whole thread about air cleaning houseplants around here somewhere. Some of the plants that were mentioned were aloe vera and spider plants. One of the members here, taskeinc, has some gorgeous spider plants.

 

[Steverd]

NASA did a study on this very subject. Here are some of the top plants to clean the air.
I also always remember that the Spider Plant is on the list.

English ivy
Spider plant
Devil's ivy
Peace lily
Bamboo palm or reed palm
Mother-in-law's tongue
Philodendrons
Elephant ear (which is a Philodendron also)
Dracaena
Weeping fig
Gerbera daisy or Barberton daisy
Florist's chrysanthemum
Rubber plant

 

[justusforus]

I have always heard this to be true, and now Steverd says NASA says so. Good enough for me. I love plants indoors and out, so cleaning or oxygenating our homes is an added bonus to having them with us. I also understand all plants are good for the pysche so thanks to the above list, I will add some more.

 

[headfullofbees]

Not in the bedroom though; plants respire co2 at night.

 

[Gardener]

Not in the bedroom though; plants respire co2 at night.

Yes, good thing you pointed that out. Having plants in the bedroom is said to be bad because plants don't got through photosynthesis when they are in the dark. However, having a plant in your bedroom might be better than having another person in your room. The amount of CO2 that the plants make is very small and won't make much of a difference. But if you want the plant to be beneficial, then keep it in a place where it is bright!

 

[charahome]

Not in the bedroom though; plants respire co2 at night.

Great point. CO2 production.

I have never been able to keep indoor plants. I am afraid that I must be the one that kills them. I have tried for several decades, and I just cant manage to keep them alive. Anything outdoors, I am a champ.

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

A home would have to be well sealed up for a plant to much of an impact on air quality. For NASA this makes sense as the environment is effectively a closed system. If you ever open a door or a window, however, you are probably negating any impact your plants have had on your air quality.

 

[Mithos]

Not in the bedroom though; plants respire co2 at night.

This is mostly true. But some plants like the those from the Sansevieria family do the opposite and put oxygen into the air at night too.

 

[claudine]

I've always believed that the more plants we keep at home, the clearer air we breathe I think that my mother has more than 100 plants already, there are flower pots everywhere in our house. I love it! Now, when I'm writing this, I sit near a really big Spathiphyllum, I was told that it improves indoor air quality

 

[zigs]

I'm sure we can put up with a fair amount of Co2, we've evolved on a planet where it's been thousands of times higher in the past.

I do know that if you put your head into a fermenting bucket of beer and take a deep breath of the Co2 on top of it, it'll make you black out temporarily though.

Tried it during a discussion on anesthetic gasses with my midwife Sister in law