LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings

Categories

  • Aging Parents
  • Alternative Health
  • Asthma & Lung Disease
  • Beauty
  • Beauty Treatments
  • Cabinet
  • College Issues
  • Couples Counselling
  • Craft
  • Decorating
  • Diets
  • DIY
  • Dogs
  • Elder Care
  • Entertaining
  • Environmentalism
  • Family & Social Concerns
  • Finance
  • Fitness
  • Furnitures
  • Gardening
  • General Medicine
  • Grade School
  • Green Living
  • Growth & Development
  • Health
  • Health Education
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Exterior
  • Home Improvement
  • Home Management
  • Home Renovation
  • Horses & Ponies
  • Infants & Toddlers
  • Interior
  • Irrigating
  • Kitchen
  • Landscaping
  • Mental Health
  • Mind & Soul
  • Motivation
  • Moving Out
  • Natural Medicine
  • Nutrition
  • Parenting
  • Pets
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate
  • Special Needs Parenting
  • Sports Medicine
  • Weight Loss
  • Weight Loss Methods
  • Windows
  • Women’s Health
  • Woodworking
  • Young Adult

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • December 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • About
  • Contact Us
26K
98K
0
LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings
  • Health
    • Alternative Health
    • Beauty
      • Beauty Treatments
    • Diets
    • Fitness
    • General Medicine
      • Arthritis
      • Asthma & Lung Disease
      • Health Education
    • Natural Medicine
    • Nutrition
    • Sports Medicine
    • Weight Loss
      • Weight Loss Methods
    • Women’s Health
  • Home & Garden
    • DIY
      • Craft
    • Gardening
      • Landscaping
        • Irrigating
    • Home Improvement
      • Decorating
      • Furnitures
      • Home Exterior
      • Home Management
      • Home Renovation
      • Interior
      • Kitchen
    • Woodworking
      • Cabinet
  • Parenting
    • Elder Care
      • Aging Parents
      • Seniors
    • Grade School
      • Growth & Development
    • Special Needs Parenting
      • Early Intervention
      • Family & Social Concerns
    • Young Adult
      • College Issues
      • Moving Out
  • Mind & Soul
    • Couples Counselling
    • Psychology
  • Pets
    • Dogs
    • Horses & Ponies
Featured of Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
  • Gardening
  • Green Living
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement

Clearing the Air, Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality

  • Perla Irish
  • November 30, 2018
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
Table of Contents Hide
  1. Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
    1. Areca Plant
    2. Mother-in-law’s Tongue
    3. Money Plant
    4. Results of the Meattle Study
    5. Additional Resources

Traffic, smog, pollution, haze… whatever the cause, the effect is lower air quality in cities across the world. While there are different ways to tackle this problem, researcher Kamal Meattle has come up with a novel solution–to grow your own fresh air. At a recent TED conference, Meattle made an enlightening presentation on how you can transform an indoor space into a living one.

Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality

According to Meattle’s research conducted in Delhi over a period of 15 years, it takes three types of plants to vastly improve the quality of indoor air. The study was conducted on a 20-year-old, 50,000 square feet building which houses 300 occupants and 1,200 plants. The three plants that Meattle recommends are the Areca Plant, Mother-in-law’s Tongue and the Money Plant.


Read Also:

  • How to Plant a Vegetable Garden
  • Top 3 Tips to Prepare Garden Soil for Outdoor Home Area
  • What You Need to Know to Become an Urban Farmer

Areca Plant

The Areca Plant (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is a common indoor plant that makes a perfect daytime air freshener to one’s living room. Four shoulder-high plants per person goes a long way to enriching oxygen levels in the room.

Areca Plant (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) - Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens (Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality)

The plants are relatively easy to care for. In a dusty city like Delhi, leaves need to be wiped daily but for cleaner cities, once a month will do just fine. The plants grow well in vermi manure or hydroponics and need a trip to the balcony or garden for sunlight once every 3-4 months.

Mother-in-law’s Tongue

The Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a bedroom plant. Contrary to what the name suggests, the potted version will be a welcome addition to your home.

Mother-in-law's Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) - Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
Snake Plant – Sansevieria trifasciata (Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality)

These plants take over the night shift and are particularly adept at converting carbon dioxide into oxygen at night. For every person sleeping in the room, 6-8 waist-high plants are recommended to keep you breathing easy. Care and soil requirements are the same as the Areca Plant.

Money Plant

The Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum) completes the triad of recommended indoor plants. This plant is deemed to be an excellent way of cleansing closed environments of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds that are emitted from various construction materials and household items. It grows best in hydroponics.

Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum) - Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
Money Plant – Epipremnum aureum (Best Plants for Improving Indoor Air Quality)

Results of the Meattle Study

Not sure about needing so many green friends around you? Here are some results from the study that may make the idea grow on you. The study found that there is a 42% probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1% by simply being in the building for 10 hours a day. Human productivity in this building was also 20% higher when compared to other buildings in the city.

But this research had its share of ‘downs’ as well—all good thankfully. Like a 52% drop in eye irritation among workers; 34% drop in respiratory symptoms; 24% drop in headaches; 12% drop in lung impairment; 9% drop in asthma. And a whopping 15% drop in energy costs for the building. So your wallet will love it, too.

The results were so impressive that this has been rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Government of India. This research has planted the seeds for a green revolution in industrial spaces in India, as well, and the idea is now being replicated on a building that will house 60,000 plants across an area of 1.75 million square feet.

At a time when so many cities across the world face problems with air pollution, the opportunity to clean up your own working and living space feels like a breath of fresh air.


Additional Resources

  • How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air.
  • Kamal Meattle: How to grow fresh air.
  • Plants in an Earthship photo by Lori Greig [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
  • Money Plant Photo by Mokkie [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • air
  • fresh
  • plant
Perla Irish

You May Also Like
Home Decorating - A Stylish Home With Children is Not Impossible
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement

Home Decorating – A Stylish Home With Children is Not Impossible

  • Perla Irish
  • February 3, 2023
Pest Control Bristol – Whom to Choose Why Choose One
View Post
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement

Pest Control Bristol – Whom to Choose? Why Choose One?

  • Perla Irish
  • January 27, 2023
What are the Best Toy Storage Solutions & Ideas for The Kid's Room
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Furnitures
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement
  • Home Management

Toy Storage 101: The Best Ideas & Solutions for Kid’s Room Sanity

  • Perla Irish
  • December 20, 2022
Pantry Organization 101: The Best Tips & Organizer Ideas
View Post
  • Decorating
  • DIY
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement
  • Home Management

Pantry Organization 101: The Best Tips & Organizer Ideas

  • Perla Irish
  • December 12, 2022
Vermicompost - Composting With Worms
View Post
  • Gardening
  • Home & Garden

Vermicompost – Composting With Worms

  • Perla Irish
  • December 11, 2022
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement
  • Interior

How to Decorate With Purple

  • Perla Irish
  • December 5, 2022
Playroom Ideas - Allow Creative Growth
View Post
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Improvement
  • Parenting

Playroom Ideas: Allow Creative Growth

  • Perla Irish
  • October 22, 2022
DIY Outdoor Fireplace
View Post
  • DIY
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Exterior
  • Home Improvement

DIY Outdoor Fireplace

  • Perla Irish
  • October 21, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • About
  • Contact Us
Helping Quickly Solve Problems

Input your search keywords and press Enter.