Why we love houseplants

It would appear there is a dizzying amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in all of our households, at any one given time, and many of these are already known carcinogens or are linked to serious health problems - see my last article which looked at the different types of pollution that can be found indoors. 

Opening a window offers an immediate source of fresh air which outpaces the benefits that a plant can bring - but how often do we do this? (Natural air exchange is vital for health so do build it into your routine when you can!). But there are days when we forgot to give ourselves that blast of fresh air so plants have become vital for our indoor areas.

House plants first became popular in the 19th century as air pollution and dust increased due to the industrial revolution. The upper and middle classes of that period, tended to have disposable incomes, and so were able to address this issue by bringing potted plants into their home. There was an understanding that plants would help capture the bad particles in the air and bring a sense of well-being, increasing people’s health. During the early 20th century, people’s homes were particularly polluted by the burning of gas fires. The fern and aspidistra became the most popular plants at that time as they seemed to be able to cope with the indoor pollution.

Since then our homes and the ways in which we live have changed quite dramatically, however, with all the advancement in technology and ‘better’ living, we seem to have unsuspectingly added to our indoor air pollution. In 1989, NASA conducted a Clean Air study on a variety of houseplants. There is some conjecture over the usefulness of this study as it was carried out under rather controlled conditions. What it did prove is that plants do help clean our air - we just need a high number of them in each room to be particularly effective. But I believe it is better to have them than not. Having any kind of greenery is a boost to both health and well-being - and if you are renting long-term and are unable to decorate, plants can really add that wow-factor! Plus plants are portable and if nurtured well can live for many years. I still have my very first plant I bought for my first flat in London all those moons ago.

So based on the types of potential VOCs that can be found in the air of each room in a typical home, I have chosen one plant type that will benefit that particular space:

Kitchen: Peace Lily

As a kitchen/dining room can be the hub of a home, many toxins can be found concentrated within this space - from VOCs emitted by cleaning materials and gas stoves to new wood products or flooring. A Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) is a fantastic all-rounder helping to reduce six well-known toxins. Plus it looks fabulous too. If you prefer a splash of colour the Flamingo Lily will tackle VOCs emitted from cleaners, flooring and new wood products. Although it isn’t quite as hard working at its cousin, the Peace lily, it is still a very useful plant to have in your kitchen.

Bedroom: Snake Plant

This plant came up trumps during NASA indoor air tests as it reduces airborne particles of formaldehyde, toluene and (the apparently more difficult to absorb) benzene. All of which can come from carpeting, plastics, synthetic fibres, nail polish and stain removers. 

This elegant West African perennial is a member of the Crassulaceae family which are plants that have adapted to suit arid conditions (think cactus). The stomata in their leaves remain shut during daylight hours so as to stop water evaporating but at night they open so as to take in carbon dioxide. During this process they emit oxygen and although only in small quantities, having several of these in your room can only improve the air quality as you sleep. 

Home office: Red-edged dragon plant

The Dracaena marginata is a statuesque plant and will help rid your air of five well-known VOCs. It is now thought by some scientists that the process of printing adds tiny harmful particles to the air. Although the jury is still out as to the benefits plants can have in reducing the tiny harmful particles emitted by printers, it certainly cannot hurt to have several plants near your printer.

Living room: Parlour Palm

The Chamaedorea elegans gives a striking display of green, comes in table top and floor sizes, and will tackle six common household VOCs - formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, ammonia, toluene and trichloroethylene. An absolute winner.

Bathroom: English Ivy

The Hedera Helix, it seems, is particularly good for bathrooms as it is effective at reducing airborne faecal particles - not something any of us really want to think about but if you have a plant doing that job for you then you don’t really need to :)  Some studies have also shown that ivy is good at lowering mould levels too - so an all round winner for our private space.

So those are my top five.

A study taken by the Royal Horticultural Society found that nearly three quarters (72%) of adults had a houseplant in their home, rising to 4 out of 5 (80%) of 16 - 24 years olds.

Plants are such a good investment to have in your home and besides helping to clean your air, they can add interest to a space, be a talking point, fill a nook, dress a window or just simply merge into the background and create an aura of peacefulness and calm.

It is worth exploring the exciting array of house plants and contemporary planters now available.

Did you know that on Instagram there were 7.2m posts with the hashtag #houseplant when I looked this morning! (Aug ‘21)

There are so many more household beauties out there. Happy plant shopping.
Zoë, Beautiful Healthy Home x

Images: peace lily image © Max Williams via Unsplash, snake plant image © Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash , dragon plant image © Severin Candrian via Unsplash, parlour plant image © Elena Kloppenburg, ivy image © beautiful healthy home ltd, thumbnail image © Annie Spratt via Unsplash

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