Natural Air Filtration

By Murray Anderson

Concerned about the quality of the indoor air our tightly sealed, energy efficient homes are creating? Studies have shown that in our efforts to conserve energy, we've managed to make our homes so air tight that the normal migration of air between the outside and inside is effectively blocked. Great for saving energy and controlling heat loss, but bad for indoor air quality.

Studies of air trapped inside homes have shown it to contain pollutants and airborne chemicals  linked to an increasing incidence of allergies, sinus troubles, runny noses and eyes, headaches and even breathing problems(particularly in young children and the elderly). Up until recently it was felt the only way to mitigate these air borne pollutants was to install some form of an air filtration system.

However, the findings of a two-year study conducted jointly by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA)evaluating natural ways of improving air quality indicated there may be an alternate and natural way to effectively clean indoor air, simply using common house plants.

House plants?

• People have known for years that house plants can freshen and revitalize indoor air, but until recently, no one really knew just how effective plants could be in cleaning the air.
• The NASA study showed that houseplants can clean up to 87% of the pollutants in the air of an average home. In fact, the research on indoor plants found that living plants are so efficient at absorbing contaminants in the air that plants will be launched into space as part of the biological life support system aboard orbiting space stations.

How plants clean air?

• As part of the natural photosynthesis process plants take in air and give off oxygen.  The study found the foliage  and roots of plants were able to remove high concentrations of pollutants and give off newly filtered air..
• Not only did the plants remove the pollutants, they biologically degraded the pollutants before they could accumulate, making plants a much better alternative to man made air filters, that need to replaced  regularly and carefully disposed of.
• Plants were also found to be able to remove gases such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene in the air. These gases are often present in indoor air as they are emitted from furnishings, office equipment and some building materials. Studies have linked these gases to numerous ailments including headaches, heart and liver problems, breathing difficulties and even possibly cancer.

How can I take advantage of this natural air filtration?

• Simply get yourself some of the common house plants used in the study and place them in your home. Among the common plants found to be particularly effective in air filtration are the Peace Lily and Rubber plants. Some of the other effective plants are Chinese Evergreen, Spider Plants, Golden Pothos, Ficus, Gerbera Daisy, English Ivy and Dracaena.
• It's estimated one plant can filter approximately 100 square feet of air in a room. Calculate your homes size in square feet and divide by one hundred to determine how many plants you need for optimum natural air filtering.  Then it's simply a matter of choosing the plants you like and moving them into your home.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer over 500 articles published on the web as well as in print magazines and newspapers in both the United States and Canada. He writes on a wide range of topics and is a regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He can be contacted at murand@lycos.com.