A Guide To Purifying Your Home
Homeowners and homemakers often work very hard to make their homes pure, uncontaminated by chemicals and allergens. There are many methods for achieving this. “Tight” houses are sealed and have weather tight windows and doors to make the home more energy efficient. These methods also help to purify the home by blocking out many of the allergens that can make people sick. Construction materials also now have a great deal of mold barriers in them, to reduce the occurrence of mildew and black mold that can make people extremely ill. In addition, many homes have special air filters that will filter dust particles and pollen down to the tiniest of microns, making the air in the home purer. But, there are still other ways that you can purify your home, and beautify it, as well. Some of these methods may even involve big planters.
Big Planters and Clean Air
Plants really can purify the air in your home. Some people shy away from the use of houseplants, because they fear pollen, spores, or mildew from the soil may create allergies. These shortcomings, however, are easily avoided with the right kinds of plants and proper maintenance. The benefits, on the other hand, are amazing. Green plants can scrub the air in your entire home, every day, converting noxious gasses to oxygen. A big planter with English ivy, for example, can absorb all of the formaldehyde in a room, converting it to oxygen. Formaldehyde is used in carpets and wooden flooring. Almost all flooring uses this chemical during the manufacturing process, and it usually off-gasses for a while after the flooring is laid. Recent scandals involving excessive formaldehyde in flooring manufactured in Chine for Lumber Liquidators are extreme examples of this problem. However, plants can clean the chemical out of the air.
Flowers that Clean Air
The Peace Lily is a good plant for cleaning benzene and acetone from the atmosphere. This plant requires frequent watering, so you want to make sure you use sterile soil in the planter. You may need to make sure the planter gets plenty of air circulation, too, to avoid the growth of mildew. Another way to avoid mold and mildew with a houseplant is to keep dead leaves and other organic materials cleaned from the soil and the plant. By adding a nice peace lily to your home, you can remove the acetone emitted by electronics and cleaners. This is a great plant for the home office. It also absorbs benzene, which is a carcinogen that is often found in furniture polish. So, if your office is paneled, the peace lily can serve dual purposes.
Lady Palm
Get a big planter and plant a Lady Palm in your house. This fan-like branching pattern is lovely, and great for placement behind furniture or in corners. The fronds will sway as breeze touch them, breaking up lighting and adding natural motion to the room. The fronds also absorbs ammonia, which is common in cleaners, dyes, and fabrics.