'Cleaning' your home's air is just a plant away

Television is a popular spot for advertising air filters which claim to rid your home's air of pollutants. A better solution that is less expensive is to grow indoor plants.

NASA conducted a two-year study of indoor pollutants found inside a space station and the effect ordinary houseplants had in controlling the quality of the station's air. Dr. Bill Wolverton and his NASA research team tested 15 house plants to see how well they “cleaned” the air. The results gave a thumbs-up to growing plants indoors to help rid the air of chemical pollutants.

Why should we need our home's air “cleaned”? Before the 1970s, homes were not built to be “energy efficient.” Air moved from the inside of the home to the outside on a regular basis and removed chemical pollutants. However, as the cost of heating and cooling began to rise, better building techniques were utilized to make homes “leak” less air to help lower energy bills. These tightly-sealed homes trapped air inside and caused air pollutants to accumulate.

Three main pollutants found in newer homes are formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene, which leak into the air from synthetic materials, such as carpet backing, particle board furniture, laminated counters, plastic-coated wallpaper, and man-made building materials.

I can remember sitting in my high school biology class dissecting pigs and frogs preserved in foul-smelling formaldehyde. Little did I know that this chemical is found in almost all indoor areas and emits fumes which irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Formaldehyde is found in foam insulation, plywood, particle board, adhesive binders for floor coverings, cigarette smoke and natural gas.

Another pollutant, benzene, is found in solvents, gasoline, inks, paints, plastics and rubber. It also irritates the eyes, nose and throat. In research studies, it was shown to cause cell mutations and to be carcinogenic.

The third pollutant, trichloroethylene, is found in metal degreasing products, dry cleaning products, paints, varnishes, and adhesives.

Indoor plants clean the air by using photosynthesis to take in carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air and release oxygen as part of their food-making process. In the NASA study, the plants listed below proved to be most effective at “cleaning” pollutants from the air.

English Ivy, dracaena marginata, Janet Craig dracaena, warneckei dracaena, chrysanthemum, gerbera daisy, and peace lily were best at removing benzene.

Azalea, philodendron, spider plant, golden pothos, bamboo palm, corn plant, chrysanthemum, and sanseveria worked best at removing formaldehyde.

Gerbera daisy, chrysanthemum, peace lily, warneckei dracaena, and dracaena marginata absorbed trichloroethylene the best.

NASA researchers recommend having 15-18 houseplants in 6-8 inch containers or 7-9 large plants scattered around the house in order to absorb air pollutants in every room. These “air cleaners” are quiet, efficient, and cheap to maintain.

When caring for houseplants, place them where they will receive as much sunlight as possible, maintain a regular watering schedule and repot when the plants outgrow their containers.

The small worm farm described in the July 19 Desert Gardener article recycles your kitchen waste into vermicastings that add valuable nutrients to potted plants to keep them healthy and green. (To make your own worm farm, go to yumasun.com and read the article. Click on “Life” at the top of the page and “Desert Life.” Scroll down until you find the article.) Fishing worms cannot be used in a worm farm. MGM Garden Club has the correct type of worms and offers them for sale. They also offer bags of vermicastings produced by the worms to amend your plants' soil. Call 920-8469 for more information.

Houseplants are a small investment which can give big rewards by improving the quality of your home's air and adding a bit of nature to your indoor living spaces.

Karen Bowen is a master gardener and member of Yuma Garden Club. This column is sponsored by the Federated Garden Clubs of Yuma.