Can House Plants Improve Indoor Air Quality?

There are several ways to breathe easier at home

Do you have house plants in your home? They can do a lot: They make a room more attractive. They are a fun way to get the kids interested in plants and gardening.

But do they improve the air quality inside your Delmarva home like so many people say?

It looks like the answer to that is sadly, not really.

According to the American Lung Association, there’s no evidence that house plants have any positive impact on the air quality in homes and buildings.

The idea that they did became popular when NASA research found plants did help clean the air in space stations. But space stations aren’t on Earth and don’t function like our homes.

Space stations are closed environments. They don’t have outdoor air coming into the home, or pollutants including pollen to viruses that come into the home with that outdoor air. And that’s only the beginning of the variables.

A 1992 memo from the Environmental Agency said that we would need to have 680 plants in our homes to get the effects seen in the NASA research. How many of us have room for 680 plants, and the time to water and tend them?

Indoor air quality solutions that work

While you may love your philodendrons and ferns, they aren’t cleaning the air in your home. And the current COVID-19 outbreak has reminded us of how important cleanliness is in our homes. We have some ways to do the job plants simply can’t:

• Change your home’s HVAC filter regularly. Inspect the filter monthly and change as needed. The average-sized home, where there aren’t any pets, can often go three months before the filter has to be changed. You need to do it more often if you have pets, or if someone in your home has a respiratory condition such as allergies, asthma, COPD, or emphysema.
• Take care of other filters. Clean your dryer’s lint trap after each use. Inspect filters and vents in your vacuum cleaner and kitchen range hood, and clean or replace as needed.
• Install indoor air quality equipment. There are several products you can add to your home’s HVAC system to help clean, purify, humidify, or dehumidify the air inside your home.
• Install and check carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and potentially lethal. You need carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home, as well as outside all bedrooms. They need to be replaced every five years. If you use propane in your home, we also urge you to install propane or multigas detectors.
• Clean the ductwork. Ductwork can become a home for dust, pollen, dander, and even mold. They should be professionally cleaned every three to five years.
• Vacuum often. Rugs and carpet trap dirt, dust, pollen, and other pollutants. Have them professionally cleaned regularly as well.

Poore’s Propane offers our customers an always-reliable supply of propane and fuel oil, as well as kerosene, gasoline and diesel. We also have long been committed to providing the residents of Delmarva with top-notch equipment and support services as well. Give us a call today – we’ll be happy to help with your home comfort, today!