Your Very Own Housemaid: Plants

Did you know that plants can clean, humidify, dust-filter your home or office air? They're your inexpensive house maid!! Plants can save you hundreds of dollars every year by you spending less money on air filters, humidifiers, allergy medications, dusters, cleaning agents, etc... That's more money in your pocket. Not only that but they also remove those harmful toxins from air you breathe. This is especially important because there are higher levels of toxins inside your home than the outside. Crazy! As you'll read on, you'll see why getting a couple of plants is the better solution in cost, maintenance, for your health, and for the environment.

Photo Source: Colourbox.com

The leaves of plants emit negative ions. Oh no, that doesn't sound safe?! Don't worry it just means that the negative ions (produced similarly from air purifying machines) bind to dust, mold spores, bacteria, and allergens. Cool, huh? They actually help clean up the source of your allergies and actually eliminate the problem. You can spend less on allergy medication which only help the symptoms anyways and not actually address the source. So that means you don't have to spend all your money on a fancy air filter either. I remember when I used to have a small air filter it was loud which was mildly annoying. I would keep it on all day and everyday. I'm sure this didn't help my energy bill and on top of that I had to replace the filters from time to time. More money! Plants cut down on costs on your energy bill and since don't require that much energy that means they're definitely more environmentally friendly. Plants don't require maintenance cost like if an air filter goes broke you might have someone fix it or replace it. Do I need to go on? ^^

They also help maintain humidity levels by releasing water vapor during transpiration. I've posted a picture to the right showing you what that it looks like. They help you stay moist during those dry days. No need for a humifier! 

As you already may know pollution is on the rise and toxins are everywhere. You have toxic chemicals like formedehyde, benzene, toluene, carbon dioxide  and countless others outside and inside your home. As stated in the CDC (Center of Disease Control) "[i]ndoor air generally contains levels of benzene higher than those in outdoor air." How could it worse inside?! "The benzene in indoor air comes from products that contain benzene such as glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents." Ohmergerd! Additionally in gas emissions, crude oil, lubricant, tobacco smoke, industrial and plant emissions.  If that doesn't already scare you, here's more:

"Formaldehyde is found virtually everywhere, indoors and out, naturally occurring and man-made. It is a combustion product found in cigarette and wood smoke, natural gas, kerosene, exhaust from automobiles, incinerators and power plants. It is also widely used in building materials especially glue, Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation and pressed-wood products such as plywood, particle board, paneling and wood finishes. Many floor coverings contain formaldehyde such as carpet, padding and adhesives. Also used in furniture, paper products, cosmetics, deodorants, shampoos, fabric dyes and permanent-press fabrics, inks, disinfectants, air deodorizers and carpet deodorizers. Mobile homes, motor homes, and travel trailers are known for high amounts of formaldehyde since so many of their components may be made from particle board or pressed-wood products."- Prohousedr.com

Need I say more? It's freakin' everywhere! Most plants will eliminate carbon dioxide through an amazing process called photosynthesis. Certain plants can also eliminate those nasty toxins I mentioned earlier. Why should you care about toxins? Well toxins are bad for your body. They can be carcinogenic which means they may cause cancer and diseases. Yikes! There are good plants that will help clean some of the air out inside your home and no worries they very low maintenance. I will list two common house plants below:

Common House Plants: Golden Pothos & Snake Plant

Name: Golden Pothos

Other names: Devil's Ivy

Price: 12 to 15 US dollars (Walmart)

Caution: KEEP THIS AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND PETS AS IT IS POISONOUS WHEN INGESTED

Name: Snake Plant

Other names: Mother-In-Law's Tongue

These guys don't need very much light and water. (Once weekly/biweekly)These plants are amazing because they are low maintenance and they filter out toxic compounds known as formaldehyde and benzene. They're not expensive to get and you can purchase these at your local nursery or garden center.

So come on guys and get with the program and start making your house look like a jungle. Just kidding! Place a few plants in your room or house. Obviously, this isn't the complete and final solution to cleaner air but it's a start! Every little bit helps, right?