Houseplants are visually appealing and help provide a dramatically healthier indoor eco-system.
BY STEVE PANOSIAN
IN A RECENT TECHNOLOGY DESIGNER ARTICLE, I pointed out that spending more time at home should mean enjoying it more, too. Amenities such as AV rooms, saunas and the like provide fun escapes, but how do you get around the feeling of being confined to your home when you simply want to kick back in the family room or when you are multitasking in the home office? Is it possible to feel like you are outdoors when indoors?
We at TD Magazine say yes. You can combine today’s technologies with natural elements to create a healthy, mood-elevating ambience for any room. For example, a ceiling fan simulates a breeze while large plants visually transport us to a naturally healthier experience. And the room’s lighting, background sound, and air flow can all be controlled with a voice command or touch of your smart home solution.
Of course, plants are not only visually appealing — they help provide a dramatically healthier indoor eco-system, as well. According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, which was designed to find ways to clean the air in sealed space stations, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air, plants can actually remove pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. These chemicals found in homes contribute to irritation of the skin, ears, eyes, nose, and throat, according to the EPA. The study suggests that at least one plant per 100 square feet can effectively clean the air.
types of plants and what they do
Listed below are several plants that offer air-cleaning properties. There are many more to chose from which purify the air and add a natural visual element to any room you wish.
The Snake Plant is ideal for your bedroom, as it is unique in its ability to release oxygen at night. Snake plants are also capable of producing enough oxygen in an air-sealed room for people to breathe normally. It is one of the best plants for filtering the air of formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, toluene, and trichloroethylene.
The Peace Lilly is perfect for somebody that loves flowers in the house that produces fragrant blooms all summer long, and effectively removes ammonia, formaldehyde, trichlorobenzene, and benzene from the air.
The Bamboo Palm is a fast-growing houseplant that looks majestic and is safe for children and pets. It will add moisture to the air in the dry winter months and it thrives in indirect sunlight away from any cold drafts. Care is easy — just keep the soil moist and mist its leaves.
The Parlor Palm is great for new enthusiasts, as it requires minimal maintenance. It does best in medium to low light and does not need much water. Let the soil dry out completely between watering.
The Lady Palm plant is an elegant and one of the best houseplants for cleansing the air of formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene. Keep it in a window with indirect sunlight and drench the soil when it dries out.
The Red-Edged Dracaena is a drought-tolerant plant great for beginners. It thrives in light. Wipe the underside of the leaves regularly with a damp cloth to make sure it can properly filter your air. Place it in a semi-shaded area and mist the soil with room-temperature water, rather than drenching.
The Cornstalk Dracaena, like most Dracaenas, varies in shape, shade, height, and size, so there’s one to suit most types of landscape or interior design. Dracaenas are found to be effective air-purifiers which remove most common indoor air pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene
The Dracaena Janet Craig plant is highly adaptable and quite easy to care for. It is a large, indoor plant that will thrive and adapt in almost any environment. It’s excellent for removing harmful chemicals from the air.
Household plants bring the outside into a home along with the freshness you would expect from nature. Whether you have a whole-home air-purification solution or are just looking to freshen up the home with air-purifying plants, the aim when working with your designer should be creating non-confining ambience choices for your customers.
Create an urban oasis with the folks at Leon & George.