Air purifying indoor plants, why the hype?

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There are air purifying plants that are able to cleanse the air inside our homes.

Much more polluted than one can imagine, the indoors of our houses and apartments is loaded with invisible chemical compounds that most plants are able to absorb!

This article comes in 2 parts, the second part presents each of the best air purifying indoor plants and their benefits.

About our indoor air

The air inside our indoors is loaded with toxic invisible substances that are poisonous for our bodies.

• Most of the building materials that our houses are constructed from, as well as cleaning products, contain great amounts of toxic substances that weaken our health.
• Paints, detergents, deodorizers, insecticides, solvents, etc… are concentrated sources of benzene, xylene, formaldehyde or toluene that are actually pollutants.

Thanks to a series of experiments prepared by French (Phyt’air) and American (NASA) laboratories, it has been proven that a great many plants can help us to evacuate or at least absorb most of these compounds.

How does a plant purify air

Although some research sometimes contradicts these results, studies performed on plants show that there is an indisputable beneficial impact of plants on the quality of the air we breathe in.

• The basic phenomenon at play when depolluting plants filter the air is gas-phase exchange.
• Toxic compounds present in the air are absorbed by the plant thanks to its leaves and are converted to active organic matter thanks to the root system.
• The plant exhales perfectly healthy CO₂ which is much better than what it inhaled.
• It thus purifies air quality indoors and also regulates oxygen levels.
• Of course, the more the plant grows, the more efficient this process will be.

Most active air purifying indoor plants

Most of the plants have an important role in this process, and it has even been proven that one good-sized plant for 10 sq. yards (10 m²) significantly improves the purity of the air.

However, certain plants, thanks to distinctive properties, are much more effective than others:

• Read on to discover the main air purifying indoor plants and their benefits