Indoor plants not only look great in the home, but they also bring a lot of health benefits, from making us feel relaxed to purifying the air we breathe. Having greenery inside your living space can reduce stress, boost mood, and create a refreshing environment. Many people are now searching for the best indoor plants in Pakistan to add beauty and freshness to their homes. Whether you live in a small apartment or a spacious house, indoor plants can improve air quality and make your space more inviting. Plus, they’re easy to maintain and perfect for enhancing your home décor.
Why use air-purifying plants?
Air-purifying indoor plants not only have a decorative function, they also have a positive effect on your health. But how does it work? They remove harmful substances from the air, such as carbon dioxide, and influence the humidity. Have you thought about the fact that the air in your home is 7 times more polluted than the outside air? It’s with good reason that people are advised to step away from their desks at work to get some fresh air. There are many things in your home that pollute the air. Think about carpets, furniture or a new computer. If you want fewer harmful compounds in your home or office, make sure there are plenty of oxygen-rich plants in your home!
It’s easier to concentrate with an indoor plant
Indoor plants purify both your home and your mind. Many plants have a relaxing effect, reduce stress, and enhance your concentration. That is how you create a pleasant work and living environment. Feeling out of sorts and a bit down? Different plants could provide you with the boost you need. In addition, a home filled with plants is really cozy. Everyone will be in a better mood.
Where to place indoor plants?
Where’s the best spot to put your healthy plant? Well, that depends on the plant. Some plants need more light than others. The windowsill is one option for a healthy work climate. Put one in the bedroom or bathroom for a relaxing environment and extra oxygen. A good level of humidity helps against respiratory infections and irritations. Why is oxygen from plants so important? Air humidity should be between 40–60% for a pleasant living environment. If that isn’t the case, you may start having headaches or problems concentrating. Are your eyes irritated? Then the air in your home is too dry. But when the air humidity is too high, molds could form.
Which plants work extra hard?
All indoor plants have a positive effect on their environment, but some plants are known to be just a bit better for your health.
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii): purifies the air.
- Aloe vera: removes chemicals from the air.
- Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria): converts carbon monoxide into extra oxygen.
- Fern: increases air humidity, for example, when the air in your home is dry due to higher heating in winter.
- Ficus: neutralizes chemicals.
Purify the oxygen in your home
Before you head into your local Bunnings to pick up your indoor plant, check out our article on how to care for your indoor plants so they can take care of you.
The Benefits of Indoor Plants
On average, every Australian spends around 90% of their time indoors, be it at work, at home, at the shops, or the local pub – a figure that is quite astonishing. But, if you think that’s frightening, several studies have found that the air indoors (where we spend most of our time) is generally more polluted than the air outside (where we spend about 10% of our time – or even less in some months)! Having plants growing indoors is an easy and attractive way of cleaning up this pollution.
Volatile Organic Compounds
A class of chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is the main indoor air pollutant. VOCs are present in many common office and indoor items, including carpets, paints, wall panels, wood products (especially particle board), and furnishings, and can be pretty bad news. Including such baddies as formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and toluene, VOCs decrease the indoor air quality and are a significant contributor to “sick building syndrome”, a term used to describe a range of symptoms thought to be caused by the office or home environment. Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide also pollute indoor air.
How Plants Protect People
Plants indoors can significantly reduce both VOCs and carbon dioxide from the air, meaning cleaner, greener, happier, and more productive homes and offices. But how do they do it? Removal of VOCs from the air indoors is actually done by the plant ,as well as the millions of micro-organisms in the soil. It has been shown that potting mix alone was able to remove some level of VOCs from the air, although the amount removed significantly increased with a plant in the pot (due to the increased level of soil microbial activity that comes with having a real plant in the pot)2. Having just three indoor plants in 10m² of office space can go a long way indeed to improving indoor air quality.
When 28 different plants were compared
When 28 different plants were compared the most efficient at removing VOCs were Hemigraphis alternate (red flame ivy), Hedera helix (common ivy) Hoya carnosa (porcelain flower or wax plant) and Asparagus densiflorus (foxtail fern) had the highest removal efficiencies for all pollutants; Tradescantia pallida (“wandering Jew”) was able to remove all but one of the VOCs tested 3. Don’t think, though, that these are the only effective plants (and don’t plant them outdoors as they become weedy). Those findings show that there are differences in plant effectiveness and suggest that it would be wise to have a mix of different species.
Modern buildings with windows
And in modern buildings with windows that are sealed to minimize unwanted temperature changes (“tight buildings”), levels of carbon dioxide are also higher than outdoors, coming from air we breathe out, and can cause restlessness and sleepiness. Carbon monoxide can also be a little higher, generated by heating, smoking, incense, and candles. Since plants are responsible for removing these gases from the air, having them indoors not only helps save the planet, butalso helps make us less lethargic and generally feel better!
Conclusion
Some research suggests that indoor plants, either because they bring people in contact with nature or because they improve indoor air quality, can also increase creative task performance and lift mood. So, let’s have a look at some readily available indoor plants, their light requirements, and their ideal positioning in the home or office. You can easily find a wide variety of these plants through an online plant nursery Pakistan, making it convenient to bring greenery into your space.
Bring fresh air and natural beauty into your home today. Explore a wide variety of affordable, air-purifying plants at our trusted online plant nursery in Lahore!
