Like most people, you would probably be surprised to find out that the air inside your home may be more polluted than the air outdoors. The fact is, dust, pollen, mold spores, allergens, chemical fumes, and other contaminants are easily trapped inside your home. Trapped toxins such as xylene, acetone, toluene, ethyl acetate, chloroform and methylene can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms, and seriously degrade your indoor air quality, leaving your home unhealthful and uninviting. One way to combat these contaminants is by installing a whole-house air-purification system; another is to use HEPA filtration in your heating and cooling appliances. Recently, however, scientists at NASA, along with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, have determined that some of the best air purifiers and most effective indoor humidifiers are houseplants.
While no replacement for a quality HVAC filtering system, they do help:
- Scrub indoor air of harmful gases
- Absorb pollutants
- Help fight indoor air pollution.
Some of the indoor air pollution-fighting greenery workhorses include:
- Spider Plant A stunning houseplant with long grass-like leaves, the spider plant grows quickly. One of the best air purifiers, it excels at removing poisonous gases and impurities such as xylene and formaldehyde. Place in the kitchen or near your fireplace, to remove carbon monoxide accumulation.
- Boston Fern Sporting graceful, frilly fronds, the Boston fern releases moisture into the air, acting like a natural humidifier. They grow well in filtered sunlight, while removing several toxic air pollutants, including formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene.
- Snake Plant A popular ornamental plant, the snake plant is tolerant of low lighting and irregular watering. NASA scientists have discovered that it has the amazing ability to absorb nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde and a variety of other airborne chemicals.
- Chinese Evergreen An excellent air-purifier plant, this common perennial has attractive, shiny, green leaves. It flourishes in low light and with minimal watering, and can also filter out toxins such as formaldehyde and benzene.
For more information about how to improve your indoor air quality, contact the experts at Senica Air Conditioning, Inc. Inc. We proudly serve both residential and commercial customers throughout the Tampa area.
