Cleaner Air at Home

Posted June 1, 2013 / 11:00 p.m.

 

Garage sales are a fun pastime I used to share with my mother. She loved taking her time perusing other people's discards and felt a sense of satisfaction when she found that special something and saved money in the process.

It was at one of these sales that I came across a book called How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants that Purify Your Home or Office. Basically, the book discusses how NASA conducted plant studies and found that several houseplants were effective in reducing volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from inside air. Moreover, PCAC and Wolverton Environmental Service, Inc. conducted further research, building upon NASA's research, and tested plants' effectiveness in removing various toxic gases, such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene, from indoor air. The results were incredible!

You may be wondering what does this have to do with you?

Well, as mass consumers and purchasers of many modern-day products composed of plastics and other synthetic materials, you are being exposed daily to these very toxins which off-gas in your home and office. Formaldehyde, for example, is commonly found in garbage bags, paper towels, facial tissues, floor-coverings and adhesives.

Plants are an excellent way to effectively counter indoor air pollution, according to NASA's research and that of Dr. B.C. Wolverton. At the top of the list are several types of palms, rubber plants, English ivy, some types of ficuses, some types of ferns, peace lilies, corn plants, gerbera daisies, and florists' mums.

After reading this book, I began acquiring houseplants of various kinds and placing them in every room of our home. As I've said before, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, and now you have the power to make the air you breathe healthier for you and your family.