Did you know that the air inside your workplace can actually be worse than the air in the middle of a city?!
This is because pollutants get in, but they find it extremely hard to get out.
Bacteria and viruses stick around the home or office, leading to a higher chance of illness, airborne dust levels can rise and office supplies and furnishings such as carpets, paint and printers can give off pollutants called volatile organic compounds VOCs.
These pollutants can build up in the air and irritate your eyes and skin, worsen your asthma, or make it hard for you to breathe.
The good news is that some indoor plants can soak up these VOCs. You can think of plant leaves as lungs, breathing in unclean air and releasing fresh clean oxygen.
In fact, extensive research conducted by NASA revealed that plants can remove up to 87% of toxins in the air in just 24 hours!
Here's a list of three powerful air-purifying plants that can breathe life back into your workplace:
The Snake Plant
Air quality is a significant factor contributing to levels of productivity. Unfortunately, the air quality in many workspaces can be less than desirable. We are talking low humidity, stuffy, dry air and airborne pollutants.
Enter: The Snake Plant!
Snake Plants or "Sansevieria trifasciata” are great at pumping clean oxygen into space. In fact, according to NASA’s Clean Air Study, the Snake Plant is so effective in producing oxygen than if you were locked in a sealed room with no airflow (yikes!), you would be able to survive with just 6-8 plants in it!
Pretty impressive, right? But wait, there’s more! 👇
Snake Plant’s large, flat leaves also act as filters, helping to remove harmful unwanted toxins in the air such as formaldehyde, benzene and xylene. These are chemicals released by furniture, carpeting, and paint, which we would otherwise inhale.
The result? ✔️ Cleaner air, ✔️lower humidity and ✔️ better quality sleep.
Quick Snake Plant Care Tips: 🌡️Temperatures above 10 ☀️ Keep in a bright spot away from direct sunlight & rotate the pot every other week for even light exposure 💧 Let the soil dry out between watering.
The Areca Palm
Adored by plant owners worldwide, the Areca Palm or “Dypsis lutescens" is a popular plant known for its striking tropical appearance. In fact, it’s one of the most common plants displayed around homes & offices, so, likely, the Areca Palm is already on your plant wishlist!
Beyond aesthetics, this leafy palm also offers a range of air-purifying benefits.
Like many indoor plants, it has a powerful ability to remove nasty toxins from the air and is rated as one of the best by NASA at doing so. The Areca Palm absorbs gases through its leaves and roots, which they then process, remove pollutants, and then release oxygen. Having more oxygen in a space makes breathing easier, which positively impacts functions like sleep.
The Areca Palm is also among the top-rated plants at increasing humidity, which is great for sufferers of colds or sinus problems. It eases the side effects of these conditions, allowing for a better night’s sleep. Higher humidity also kills a certain percentage of airborne bacteria and viruses, reducing your risk of getting sick.
Quick Areca Palm Care Tips: 🌡️Enjoys high humidity, mist leaves every second week ☀️ Keep in a bright spot away from direct sunlight 💧 Cannot tolerate standing in water, keep in a well-draining pot.
The Peace Lily
Beautiful, easy to care for and beneficial for our wellbeing.
The Peace Lily plant or "Spathiphyllum" ticks all of our plant wish boxes 🙌
Like the snake plant, peace lilies are also fantastic air cleaners, as studied by NASA.
The Peace Lily also has a unique superpower where it takes the mould spores floating about, absorbs them through its leaves, and uses them as food.
The added benefit of a peace lily is that it can increase room humidity. The moisture given off by its flowers boosts the humidity of a room by up to 5%. This helps relieve irritating dry noses and throats that can run rampant in busy workplaces.
And that’s not even the best bit!
The Peace Lily is also very low maintenance, easy-care plant, making it the ideal plant companion for busy offices.
Quick Peace Lily Care Tips: 🌡️Average temperature of between 10°C-18°C ☀️ Enjoys light-medium light exposure 💧 Keep soil moist but never soggy
Looking to reap the regards of air-purifying plants for your workplace? Get in touch with our team today to arrange a free office plant installation quote team@plantstore.ie
