Is it true that plants help to “purify” the air in our homes?
Have you ever heard someone say that having little plants at home can help make the air in our homes “cleaner”? But is this talk true - and does converting our homes into small forests really make a difference? Well, look, dear reader, it seems that this story "proceeds", yes, and there are certain species that may have more influence than others!
Homemade Forests
According to Elizabeth Palermo of the Live Science website, studies abound that suggest that having plants at home can have beneficial action on the air we breathe. This is because, as everyone knows, during the photosynthesis process, they absorb sunlight and environmental gases - especially carbon dioxide - through the pores in their leaves and roots to convert them into energy.
However, plants do not only absorb CO2. Research has shown that they are also able to capture other environmental materials, such as VOCs - volatile organic compounds. Among those that can be found in our homes, according to Elizabeth, are benzenes, present in certain plastics, cigarette smoke and fabrics, for example, as well as formaldehydes, which are part of the composition of materials such as detergents, cleaning products. and some cosmetics.
In addition to these compounds, there are other materials and pollutants that may be scattered in the air we breathe in our homes, and the plants we keep in our homes can help reduce and even remove some of them. More specifically, as we mentioned earlier, plants can absorb these materials through leaves and roots, not to mention that microorganisms in the potted earth also have potentially neutralizing action.
The most suitable plants to help purify the air in our homes are those that have many green leaves, such as ferns, Aloe vera, St. George's sword ( Sansevieria trifasciata ), lily of the valley. peace ( Spathiphyllum ), garden palm ( Dypsis lutescens ), boa constrictor ( Epipremnum aureum ) and chlorophyte ( Chlorophytum comosum ). And you, dear reader, have any of these plants at home?
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