Sunday, July 20, 2008

Clean the Air in Your Home Naturally


How can you improve your air quality at home? Plants, plants and more plants. Just say no to fake plants. Real live plants naturally remove toxins, pollutants and help balance indoor humidity. Just one plant is needed to clean the air in a 10 square yard area, so in an average living room, just a few plants will do the job.

So what plants are best? Personally, I think any common, easy care houseplant is good. You can find most of these indoor plants at your local nursery or home store: Pothos, Ivy, Spider Plant, Dracaena (Janet Craig), Chinese Evergreen, Corn Plant, Peace Lily, Palms, and the ever popular Ficus. You might even find my favorite indoor plant which is the easy care Ponytail Palm (pictured).

Choose plants that look healthy. No yellow or dead leaves. Check the undersides of leaves and soil for possible insects. Most of these plants are used because they adapt well to indoor conditions such as lower light. The most common problem with caring for plants is OVER watering! Follow the plant tag recommendations and check your plant once a week, lift the grow pot- does it feel heavy? Is the soil wet on top? If so, it doesn't need water. Is it super light? Is the soil dry? It might need a drink.

Indoor plants not only help clean the air, they enhance our living space with their natural beauty all year long. A great way to "green" your home!