Clean The Air With Houseplants For A Healthy Home Office

For many decades, we have been sealing up our homes as tight as a drum to conserve energy. As heating and cooling costs have risen, so has the effort to weather-proof our houses.

This is all fine and good when it comes to saving money. After all, who needs to let their warmed or cooled air leak out of the cracks and crevices around doors and windows? We spent good money to get our temperature inside to a comfortable level, so let's keep that air inside.

However, since we've started super-sealing and insulating our homes and businesses, we have found one drawback - the lack of fresh air. These tightly closed environments became associated with illnesses related to the pollution created in buildings that were sealed off from any source of air cleaning or filtering mechanism.

After years of study by NASA researchers and scientists around the world, the answer became evident. Man does not live on this planet alone. In fact, our existence depends on our close relationship with other living things; namely plants. Yes, one of the answers to indoor air pollution is the simple houseplant.

That brings us to our healthy home office.

Many of us work in a tightly closed environment. If you have a home office and a busy family, you probably spend most of your time with the doors and windows closed.

If that's the case, your air quality may not be as healthy as it should be. Air pollution can be causing you and your body stress. Perhaps you are getting headaches more often than you should, or you are battling a cold constantly. Itchy eyes, a nagging sore throat, or other ailments may be caused by what's in the air in your own home office.

According to a NASA study, if we are to close ourselves into these sealed environments, we must take along with us our own natural fresh air system - plants. In their research, NASA found plants, along with their eco system (roots, soil, etc.), reduced the air pollution created by man within these air-tight environments.

The houseplants found to be good air purifiers include:

English Ivy

Mother-in-Law's Tongue

Golden Pothos

Janet Craig Dracaena

Chinese Evergreen

Spider Plants

These plants are typically low-light loving and easy to grow with just a bit of care.

Of course, you'll want to have your home checked for radon and install a carbon monoxide detector. Once you have taken care of those issues, consider the air quality of your home office. Are you constantly feeling ill when you are in your home office? There could be reasons why your tightly closed office isn't feeling like a healthy haven.

Now we know that little houseplant does so much more than brighten up a room - it actually cleans the air. Isn't it time to add a bit of greenery to your home office?