If you love being in nature but your health prevents you from spending as much time outdoors as you'd like, consider bringing a little nature inside with houseplants. You can enjoy their beauty, and some houseplants can also promote staying healthy with chronic lung disease.
According to the University of Minnesota Extension Service, NASA has discovered photosynthesis does more than just turn sunlight into food for plants—it also removes significant amounts of harmful gases from the air. This means houseplants can improve indoor air quality.
Solving Problems With Indoor Air Quality
If you live in a relatively new home, it’s likely it includes features to make your home "tighter." A tightly sealed home saves energy and money, but it also traps air pollution inside. One solution to trapped pollutants is to increase ventilation.
With NASA’s confidence in the power of plants, it’s also viable for you to improve indoor air quality with houseplants. Several plants are helpful because they absorb gases that contribute to poor indoor air quality, including carbon dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. These offending gases are found most commonly in new homes and offices furnished with manmade fabrics, carpet, wallpaper, paint, laminate and other common materials.
Choosing Houseplants
Not all houseplants remove harmful gases at equal rates or in equal quantities. NASA suggests you maintain 15 to 18 houseplants in 6- to 8-inch diameter pots for the average 1,800 square-foot home. According to Healthline, the best plants for cleaning indoor air and staying healthy with lung disease include:
• Peace Lily
• Dracaena
• Florist’s Chrysanthemum
• Bamboo Palm
• Golden Pothos
• English Ivy
• Chinese Evergreen
• Areca Palm
• Rubber Plant
Before you run out and buy one of each, make sure you understand how to properly care for individual plants. No matter what you choose, it’s important to maintain the soil correctly so it doesn’t harbor mold and reverse your attempts at staying healthy with lung disease. Also be sure to consult with your doctor about your intent to add houseplants to your home.
