A few months ago, I wrote a post about how indoor plants help clean the air inside your house. And the information just keeps pouring in. Lots more confirmation that specific plants help purify indoor air and lots more confirmation that the average American household NEEDS said purification. If you have paint, furniture, or wood in your house, you probably also have some nasty stuff floating around that plants can help you get rid of.
But some new information expands the benefits of indoor plants. For example, this recent TreeHugger article discusses how indoor plants can help hospital patients heal faster and better. Something many people have known intuitively, now with scientific proof.
Do you want in on this clean air extravaganza? This little ditty lists the top five air-cleaning indoor plants. And this article lists ten easy-to-grow choices proven to help purify indoor air. Perfect for those of you who are convinced you have a "black thumb"!
How many plants do you need for maximum benefits? HealthMad tells us, "The NASA study suggests a minimum of 15-20 plants in 6 inch diameter pots for an 1800 square foot area." That is honestly a ton of plants. But an effort of any size can help your health and that of your family tremendously.
Pick a plant or two from one of the links above and give it a try. Many of them are easy to find at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. If you're nervous about keeping things alive, try the easy-to-grow list (most of them are desert plants...very hard to kill).
NOTE: If you have a pet, cross reference these lists with lists of plants that are dangerous for your particular pet. Ivy and aloe, for example, are toxic to kitties but are also two of the best air-purifiers. We have one of each, but we made sure to put them in places our cat can't reach. [Here's a list of toxic plants for cats and dogs.]
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4 comments:
I killed our cat grass.
I got rid of all my plants when I caught my son with a leaf in his mouth -- and this was before he was even crawling! But he's older now and I want to try again. Have you seen a list of plants that are safe to have around kids?
Acheron,
I feel your pain. I planted a new pot of cat grass once a week or more for months.
I just recently figured out that if I get two pots of it going at once, I can make it live for a long time! I take one away from my cat every 3 or 4 days, water it, and let it rest while he's eating the other one for the next 3 or 4 days. That way, he always has one, and there's always one recovering. They each lasted four or five weeks this time!
What I've learned about cat grass: it only needs to be watered about once a week, it needs time off from the kitties to repair itself, and it does well in filtered sunlight (like in the middle of a south-facing room, or in a west-facing window).
Don't give up! Let me know if I can help!
Green Resolutions,
Here's a link with a long list of plants that are safe for children to live with.
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/SAFE-COM.htm
The page also has links to safe plants by their common names, as well as toxic plants by their scientific and common names.
Enjoy!
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