Plants filters for the home. Air Purifying Indoor Plants: An Overview of the Best Green Filters


Indoor air becomes clogged with dust over time, which can contain fungus and mold spores, particles of soot and burning, bacteria and viruses. It contains chemical compounds that are released building materials, chipboard furniture and paint.

You can deal with indoor air pollution without expensive electric cleaners. To do this, you need to choose the right indoor plants that purify the air.

How plants clean the air

Indoor flowers are not only the evergreen framing of the apartment, they perform the functions of " air filter". All plants emit phytoncides - biologically active substances that help saturate the air with oxygen and moisture, as well as neutralize harmful impurities.

Flowers perfectly fight against such harmful chemical compounds as benzene, trichlorethylene and formaldehyde.

Where do harmful substances in indoor air come from?

Benzene is released from products made of plastic, rubber. The source of such fumes can be a new linoleum.

Formaldehyde is present in varnishes and paints, as well as in the glue used in the manufacture of plywood. Release formaldehyde into the air New furniture from chipboard or MDF, as well as carpets.
Trichlorethylene is in household chemicals. It is found in stain removers, varnishes, and glues.

How many plants does it take to purify the air in a room

Calculate right amount plants by the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room can be as follows: for 5 square meters. m apartment will need one middle flower or tree. Not all indoor plants are equally effective at purifying the air, and some can be dangerous to pets or cause allergic reactions.

People often do not know which plants to choose to purify the air in the apartment. Therefore, we will consider what types of home flowers cope with cleaning from harmful fumes better than others.

The most effective plants for purifying indoor air

The list was compiled from the most popular indoor plants for air purification, which can be purchased at any flower shop.

Chlorophytum (Chlorophytum)

You probably remember this plant with narrow striped leaves and long shoots with young shoots.
The flower grows quickly, unpretentious care. It endures lack of light and moisture. You can water it once a week. And if you sprinkle its leaves warm water, then they will become brighter and more beautiful. A pot with a plant will not take up much space in the room, it can be placed in a planter.

This plant has a unique ability to fight bacteria. In a room where there is chlorophytum, they are 80% less. It also helps clear the air of benzene, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Chlorophytum absorbs exhaust gases, so it is recommended to start it for residents of the first and second floors in city apartments.

This plant came to us from tropical forests, so it loves warmth and moisture. Leaves should be wiped with a damp sponge. The temperature in the room should not fall below 17 degrees.

The flower grows well in partial shade or on a darkened window. At proper care it will delight you with delicate white flowers for a long time.
Spathiphyllum moisturizes the air better than others. In addition, it can neutralize trichlorethylene and ammonia fumes. In rooms where spathiphyllum grows, mold does not develop.

Such a plant with thick fleshy stems will not only decorate the room, but also home first aid kit. It treats sore throat, runny nose, helps to care for the skin. Various vitamin supplements are prepared from aloe leaves that increase immunity. Aloe freshens the air by releasing phytoncides. The plant helps fight fatigue, improves working capacity.

It is very easy to take care of him. The plant loves bright light. You can water it once a month. Aloe grows in light sandy soil. A flower pot does not take up much space on the windowsill.
Aloe normalizes the microclimate in the room, absorbs formaldehyde. The plant produces a lot of oxygen.

Dracaena is a good filter, neutralizing almost all harmful fumes. It fights even with toluene and xylene, but cannot clear ammonia.

Dracaena may have different height, depending on their age. Young plants are placed on the windowsill, and by the age of 10 they grow up to 3 m. There are about 40 species of this plant, which differ in the width and color of the leaves.

It is easy to care for her: dracaena does not like excess moisture, and is unpretentious to lighting. If the room is hot, the leaves may need additional moisture with a sprayer.

This plant will not only make the air in your room cleaner and safer, but will also delight you with beautiful bright colors. AT traditional medicine widely used medicinal properties kalanchoe. It helps to cope with a runny nose. In the room where this flower is, there are practically no pathogens.

Like any flowering plant, Kalanchoe loves bright lighting. During the flowering period, it should be watered more often than usual.

Lemon, tangerine or orange trees create a safe microclimate in the house, ridding the room of germs and bacteria.
Essential oils citrus fruits will help the tenants of the room get rid of fatigue and headaches. People's sleep and mood will improve.

With proper care, citrus trees grow well. In the conditions of the apartment, they can bloom and bear fruit. To do this, they need to provide:

  • abundant watering;
  • spraying with warm water;
  • air temperature is not lower than 20 degrees.

The exotic guest fell in love with flower growers for their exquisite flowers, so today she can be found in many apartments. It is very unpretentious to watering and lighting. Orchid roots need air and light, so they place it on window sills in transparent pots. It does not grow in the ground, but in a special mixture of tree bark.

Few flower growers know about useful properties orchids. It perfectly cleans the air from formaldehyde and toulol.

It requires a lot of space, so it is suitable for large rooms. It is planted in a spacious pot.

The tree must be carefully looked after - wipe the leaves, water often, trim excess shoots. As a result, you will get a beautiful exotic tree and clean air in the apartment.

Pelargonium, geranium

This flower is known to many since childhood. It has long been grown on window sills because of its beautiful bright inflorescences. Geranium copes well with all pathogens. The essential oils secreted by the leaves relieve tension, fatigue, and normalize sleep.

Geraniums can be grown in sunny kitchen windows, balconies and bedrooms. This flower is not suitable for allergy sufferers because of the specific aroma.

This flower not only neutralizes chemical substances, but also copes with staphylococci.

AT recent times Gerbera has gained great popularity for its simplicity and beauty. It is increasingly decorating our window sills, and also improves sleep by absorbing carbon dioxide and oxygenating the air space.

Gerbera prefers bright diffused light, but not direct sunlight. Likes regular watering and moderate spraying. The accumulation of water on the leaves and in the rosettes leads to the decay of the flower.

Conclusion

AT modern life a person is surrounded by many things made with the help of varnishes, glue. In the surrounding objects there are parts made of plastic, rubber. All of them emit harmful chemicals into the air.

By growing indoor plants that purify and moisturize the air, you can protect your home from dangerous fumes and create a favorable microclimate. How more plants in the apartment, the cleaner the air in it, and the more comfortable it looks. Therefore, choose plants that purify the air from our list to create a comfortable and safe atmosphere in the apartment.

Many plants are able to purify the air at home, collecting dust, traces of smoke and other particles and heavy compounds that are hazardous to health.

What are these plants? I have selected for you several types that are easy to care for, beautiful and can significantly improve the air in the house.

Having settled indoors, (Chlorophytum) becomes its “lungs”: it collects carbon monoxide and many toxic substances from the air. For the removal of formaldehyde from the air and for the release of oxygen, it has no equal.

For many housewives, it seems too simple, but if you add something interesting or hang it on an unusual support, you will understand that it is not as simple as it seemed at first.

(Begonia) grow in many apartments in our country, and for good reason! They attract dust and make the air more humid. It is only necessary to spray the begonia from a spray bottle so that a new portion of dust is absorbed by the plant, like a vacuum cleaner.

In addition, begonias kill most fungi and microbes from the air. In addition, they help to cope with the radiation of electrical appliances. BUT beautiful flowers- as a bonus to so many useful properties.

11. Laurel noble

In the houses of Europe (Laurus) is by no means a rarity, but here we have a real curiosity.

Just woven from usefulness. The air will clear dust and germs and help with various diseases. Despite the outward simplicity, the plant is amazing in its healing and cleansing properties.

People with frequent lung diseases (Dieffenbachia) will come in handy. It is able to destroy staphylococci that cause various unpleasant diseases.

Also, the plant captures and destroys toxic substances (toluene, xylene) released paint coatings floors and walls.

(Dracaena) is also an excellent air orderly.

At one time in our kitchen with windows on the Yaroslavl highway there lived a small dracaena. Thanks to her, there was no foreign smell from the street in the room, there was no gas contamination. She perfectly takes away from the air not only benzene, but also trichlorethylene, flying with exhausts directly into the apartment.

For an oxygenated home, it is not at all necessary to turn an apartment into an impenetrable greenhouse. This will cause nothing but hatred for growing-hanging vines among household members. But 1-2 flowers per room will create a pleasant smell in the apartment, and will not clutter up, but, on the contrary, ennoble the interior. Our helpful tips identified the most ozone-enriching indoor plants that purify the air. The photo shows their exquisite forms.

These plants are common in modern interiors, the popularity of this glorious seven is explained simply:

Plants are easy to care for, and therefore will withstand the experiments and forgetfulness of watering novice growers;

Indoor flowers in the interior look aristocratic and quite compact;

Inexpensive and freely available - no need to order them from another continent or steal sprouts from reputable institutions.

It is better to buy these flowers not in flower stalls, but in large supermarkets. There, professionals literally grow them from grains, which means there is no risk of acquiring a diseased plant.

1. Dracaena (Dracaena)

This tree eliminates the poisonous fumes of formaldehyde found in varnishes, adhesives and chipboard furniture. So, how to improve the smell in an apartment after repair or renovation of the situation can dracaena, no industrial air purifiers can handle it.

There are about 450 species of dracaena. They are not pretentious solar lighting, and underwatering is better for them than oversaturation with water.

2. Hamedorea graceful or indoor palm(Chamaedorea elegans)

Another natural air purifier for freshly renovated premises is hamedorea. Perfectly filters out substances emitted by plastic and intensively humidifies the air. Its sprawling branches are luxurious not only at home, but also in office and other public spaces.

Long stays at a young flowering age, which manifests itself in pretty paniculate yellow inflorescences. These flowers, which purify the air, do not bear fruit, therefore, in the future with the definition of "offspring in good hands» There will be no problems.

3. Golden Scindapsus or Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

These ornate, air-purifying houseplants look sophisticated in photos and elegant in decor. The air-purifying function of the scindapsus is valuable - the extensive leaves of the flower absorb unlimited amounts of benzene, which is abundantly exuded by leather and plastic furniture, rubber and rubber products, scented candles. They are loved in pharmaceutical establishments, pharmacies - they perfectly absorb the smells of medicines.

Scindapsus grows quickly, and it can be watered, and even desirable, rarely.

4. Chlorophytum or Venechnik (Chlorophytum)

Chlorophytum got the nickname "crested" because of the many tufts that fill the pot and hang from numerous arrows. The plant blooms regularly, however, it is not contraindicated for allergy sufferers. Competently controls the smell of the house, it is especially effective on the 1-2 floors of houses, as it perfectly filters exhaust gases.

Chlorophytums love the sun. But they won’t take up much space on the windowsill, because these air-purifying flowers are hanging plants. They hang merrily on standing crops with their variegated or juicy green tufts.

5. Schefflera

This Umbrella tree is simply made for rooms saturated with tobacco smoke. By neutralizing tar and nicotine, it creates a pleasant smell in the apartment, actively releasing oxygen.

A ficus-like plant, shefflera calmly tolerates dim rooms and light watering.

6. Ficus benjamina (Ficus benjamina)

Excellent absorption of benzene, formaldehyde and ammonia. In addition, it has original way how to improve the smell in the apartment - it attracts all the dust in the room to its fleshy leaves, like a magnet. Such an ecological and energy-efficient "vacuum cleaner" is very profitable in the household and attractive for landscaping stylish interiors.

7. Ivy (Hedera helix)

Ivy is popular in gardening pavilions, balconies. These indoor flowers in the interior of the house are used to decorate the hallway, kitchen and other rooms with a difficult climate and lighting. Ivy is an excellent neutralizer of benzene, formaldehyde and ammonia.

It is unpretentious in care, but needs support. Stems can curl indefinitely, so they need upright poles or strings spread across the wall.

You don't have to be a professional florist or horticulturist to create a clean, oxygenated home scent with these air-purifying plants. These selfless helpers need only love, like all living things. In return, they are ready to give health and aesthetic pleasure.

Today, an article atypical for our blog: we are not talking about technical assistants, but about natural ones - houseplants. Can they affect the microclimate? Are there really plants that purify the air? We understand.

It is widely believed that plants clean well and even “sterilize” and “disinfect” indoor air. This opinion is often supported by a link to information from NASA (National Aeronautics and Research Agency outer space, USA).

NASA, in fact, has been studying the ability of plants to purify the air. In 1989, a report was published titled "Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement", text available online. Scientists tested 12 varieties of plants. They studied their ability to filter three pollutants: benzene, trichlorethylene and formaldehyde. Among the results obtained were, for example, the following:

Removed contaminants in the test chamber over a 24-hour period.
"Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement", NASA, 1989

The numbers, indeed, can inspire, if not to create a balcony garden, then at least to water your cactus. But not everything is so simple. It should be borne in mind that the data given are the numbers achieved under test conditions. More specifically, the conditions were as follows: the plants were installed in special chambers, where a continuous supply of water and light was organized. Of course, we don't keep plants like that in our apartments. But, more importantly, the camera used a filter made of activated carbon. In other words, the indicated efficiency is the efficiency of the entire system equipped by scientists, and not just the “green defenders”. This is also indicated by the conclusion at the end of the report: Houseplants together with activated carbon filters demonstrate the potential for improving indoor air.” The air purification efficiency of the plants themselves is unknown.


In addition, in addition to these three, there are many more common and harmful ones. Therefore, if you are seriously thinking about the microclimate, then you should rely not on plants that clean the air, but on specialized devices. One with a recycling function or will replace a whole army of ficuses 🙂

In fairness, it must be said that plants do have a certain effect on the microclimate. First, they absorb carbon dioxide and some other volatile compounds. By the way, about carbon dioxide: a certain amount of it is released during the respiration of plants - just like in humans and animals. Secondly, plants secrete phytoncides - protective substances that counteract microorganisms. And although the claims that plants disinfect the air are greatly exaggerated, some merit in improving the microclimate still belongs to them.

And for those who want to conduct their own tests, we have selected seven of the most suitable indoor plants for our latitudes.

With the advent of autumn cold weather, we try not to ventilate the apartments, so as not to “let out” warm air. However, the air in the room needs to be cleaned all year round. Today we will tell you which plants can replace various cleaning devices.

In the cold season, you need to use a humidifier, extractor hood and ionizer to maintain the microclimate in the house. However, instead of buying expensive appliances, you can grow some indoor plants at home that can replace cleaning appliances. Basically, they are all unpretentious, and care for them does not require high costs and skills. However, the benefits of such plants in the house are very tangible!

Instead of extracting chlorophytum. A compact plant is perfect for the kitchen, especially in the cold season, when there is no way to ventilate the room after cooking. Chlorophytum cleans the air of fat and soot. To clear an area of ​​ten square meters, it is enough to arrange four pots with a plant on the cabinets. In addition, chlorophytum can stand in other rooms, as it neutralizes the toxic substances released plastic windows, linoleum, chipboard and laminate. Chlorophytum quickly cleans the air from bacteria. It is unpretentious to moisture and composition of the soil, as well as to lighting. In a hot room, watering the plant should be plentiful. To enhance the properties of chlorophytum, add activated charcoal tablets to the soil.

To purify the air pelargonium. This plant perfectly cleans, ozonizes and disinfects the air. In addition, pelargonium relieves a person of a headache, kills microbes and improves mood. The plant should be planted in a bright place, but in winter it is very important for pelargonium to observe low temperatures. The plant does not like spraying, but requires frequent watering. Do not add organic fertilizers to the soil.

Lemon for flavoring the air. Lemon has soothing and antibacterial properties. It will fill the room with a wonderful aroma and purify the air. All citrus fruits have such properties - grapefruit, citron, tangerine, orange. However, care for citrus fruits should be thorough: in the cold season, plants should be kept at a temperature not exceeding +13 degrees. If you have a glazed loggia, then citrus fruits will feel great there.

To humidify the air cyperus. Because of heating appliances the air in the apartment becomes very dry. You will come to the aid of cyperus - a plant of the sedge family. Cyperus has the ability to moisturize and purify the air. It is best to put the plant in a tray of water and place it in the children's room. If you live in panel house, put plant pots in every room. Cyperus does not require special lighting, but you can not put it in a place where direct sunlight falls. In addition, in winter, the ideal temperature for the plant is not higher than twelve degrees. It is necessary to regularly moisten the roots of cyperus.

From insomnia sansevieria. This is the perfect plant for your bedroom. It provides strong and healthy sleep, and can even relieve chronic insomnia. The uniqueness of sansevieria lies in the fact that at night it releases oxygen, not carbon dioxide. To make the dream really sound, you need to put six pots with a plant in the bedroom. The brighter his coloring is, the more light he will need. Sansevieria is watered very rarely, only through a pallet. In winter, the water for irrigation is slightly heated.

To ionize the cactus. This plant will protect all family members from electromagnetic radiation that comes from the computer monitor. The cactus saturates the air with useful negative ions, creates a useful microclimate in the room. The longer the needles of the cactus, the better it will protect against radiation. All the plant needs is plenty of heat and light. The cactus does not require frequent watering, and in winter it does not need water at all.

Flowers are the perfect gift or addition to a gift. Women of all ages love to be given flowers. That is why the service

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