Plant power

You're loving your groovy new wallpaper, designer furniture and luxurious carpet, but are they loving you back?  Scientific evidence is proving that the answer is no and to add insult to injury the fact is, they're probably poisoning you. Now, we hate to do the whole scaremongering thing but we almost fell off our (now suspect) chairs when we discovered that pollution in our homes (and offices) could be 10 times worse then the pollution outside. So much for safe as houses!

Poisonous chemicals can be released by just about any normal household or office item. The problem is that they get trapped indoors and because we spend around 90% of our time cooped up, experts warn that long term exposure to such toxins is a major health threat â€“ leading to symptoms ranging from allergies to cancer.

Yes, you're probably thinking 'thanks for sharing', but we haven't finished yet â€“ it's not all doom and gloom!  According to ex-NASA scientist Dr. Bill Wolverton and a whole host of research, there's a simple way to combat common pollutants â€“ plant power!  Our leafy friends literally consume toxins, add moisture and produce oxygen.  They can do for indoor environments pretty much the same as rainforests do for the earth's atmosphere.  And you can banish visions of your home turning into a nursery - apparently it only takes 1 plant per 30 feet to do a fine and dandy job.

Top Tip Not all plants are good for this task so here's the best of the bunch:

Peace Lilly – absorbs alcohol, acetone, trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde. Effective at reducing allergies.

Spider Plant - absorbs carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.

Moth Orchid - removes xylene.

Areca Palm - reduces allergies to dust and removes most toxins.

Rubber Plant, Fern & Ivy - effective at removing formaldehyde

Ficus Alii - removes formaldehyde.

Lady Palm - great for removing ammonia and other toxins.

Dendrobium Orchid - removes alcohol, acetone and formaldehyde and an ideal bedroom plant as it's one of the few plants that works in reverse by releasing oxygen at night whilst absorbing carbon dioxide.

Where these toxins are found:

Formaldehyde - gas cookers, upholstery, wood stains, curtains, floor coverings, varnishes and ceiling tiles.

Ammonia - cosmetics and nail varnish.

Xylene - electrical equipment including TVs and computer monitors.

Carbon Monoxide - fireplaces and gas cookers.

Acetone - cosmetics.

Benzene - carpets, paints, varnishes, adhesives and wallcoverings.

Trichloroethylene - printers.

Alcohol - perfume and mouth wash.
 
 

Contact Buy: Eco-friendly Houseplants: 50 Indoor Plants That Purify the Air £32 by Dr B C Wolverton.

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