During COVID-19, people started to take a step back and stayed at home thinking that staying at home would help them reduce the exposure to the virus and deadly pollutants in the air.
With staying home there come others issues such as loneliness, distraction from work/study, indoor pollution,etc.
So as the possible solution to the above concerns, one can think of bringing a pet home. If you can’t afford a pet – due to any reasons, another best and equally valued alternative is bringing plants.
Plants can be indoor or outdoor, all plants are equally valued. Thinking of the issues listed earlier, indoor plants sounds like a solution to all of them. One could say, we spend a considerable amount of time with them after our family members and pets.
Apart from being beautiful and decorative, these houseplants have a number of other benefits to your home. They can be great for removing toxic agents in the air through air purification, they can also improve your health, enhance refresh home ambiance, sharpen your focus and more importantly give you a great company.
What room works best?
All indoor plants have one thing in common. They all need sunlight, but the amount that they will need is different for each one of them.
Avoid placing your plant without a thought. Just because that plant fits in with the interior/decor of certain areas of the house, don’t just place them there. Their visually fitwith interior doesn’t mean that they are going to sustain.
Focus on which rooms get the most direct/indirect sunlight in your house, direction of windows, curtains position/placement when folded, etc
With that, you will start to get ideas of the places where you can keep your plants.
Some of the best suitable places you can think of keeping your houseplants are ( TV unit, entertainment unit, center table, tea table, study table, dining table, bathroom, side table, bedroom, near window, balcony).
Remember before deciding on a place to keep a houseplant, it is important to know the type, horizontal and vertical growth, and last but not the least, sunlight requirement of the plant.
10 Indoor plants that bring beautiful living and help reduce air pollution.
1. Areca Palm
- Light – Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Frequent (interval of 3-4 days)
- Common names – Bamboo palm, Areca Palm ,Butterfly Palm,Golden cane palm
- Botanical name – Dypsis lutescens
Areca plant is one of the best air purifying plants and most famous in the category of indoor plants. A relatively easy care houseplant plant,
Areca plant filters benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from air – considered one of the most efficient air purifying plants.
As an added benefit beyond air purification, it is also a natural humidifier making it all the more useful during the dry winter.
Areca palms need moist soil and placement in an area with good air circulation.
The plant requires regular pruning as it grows rapidly. Since it is non-toxic it is safe for pets.
Areca palms are good space feelers and excellent companion in your house/office.
2. Rubber Plant
- Light – Shade, Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Rubber plant, Rubber bush, Rubber tree
- Botanical name – Ficus elastica
Rubber plants are commonly seen in their dark green variety, but also come in more colorful varieties – known as the “black prince” or “burgundy” have reddish-black leaves.
Rubber plants absorb airborne chemicals (formaldehyde) and break them down, rendering them harmless. Also known for converting carbon dioxide to breathable oxygen.
Remember rubber plants need regular pruning as it can get tall up to 10 fts or more. But rubber plants grow very slowly, so you need to keep patience and no need to worry.
Small Rubber plant is a good table plant and when grown enough this plant is a good bedroom and living room decor.
3. Aloe Vera
- Light – Bright light (Indirect sunlight)
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 3-4 days)
- Common names – Aloe, aloe vera, ghritkumari
- Botanical name – Aloe barbadensis miller, Get aloe vera plant now
Aloe vera, great plant to keep at home as it is short, easy to grow and maintain.
This plant remains short, it is mostly kept on table tops like ( study table, dining table, kitchen platforms, tv unit, etc).
A beneficial plant not only cleanses the air of benzene and formaldehyde but also absorbs carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Aloe vera is one of the strongest plants, in sense, its cleansing is equivalent to the work done by nine air purifiers.
Remember this plant needs bright sunlight for healthy growth, if taken care of nicely, a single plant propagates into multiple plants in a short period.
4. ZZ Plant
- Light – Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – zz plants, aroid palm
- Botanical name – Zamioculcas
ZZ plant, known for its wide, attractive, dark green leaves.
ZZ plant tolerates neglect, is drought tolerant, and accepts low-light conditions without showing any dullness. Its waxy, smooth leaves reflect sunlight and brighten rooms.
Commonly found on desk and on floor when grown enough in the house/office.
ZZ usually grows slowly to a height and width of 2ft to 3ft, no worry it won’t outgrows containers quickly.
5. Snake Plant
- Light – Indirect sunlight, Low Light
- Watering – Frequent (interval of 3-4 days)
- Common names – Mother in laws tongue, Snake plant
- Botanical name – Sansevieria laurentii
Snake plant is a hardy, easy to grow and propagate plant requiring minimal attention.
The only thing you need to take care is that they need to be planted in well draining soil.
Snake plant is one of the air purifying plants as identified by NASA – filters out formaldehyde – commonly found in personal care products.
Snake plant is one of few plants that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen at night.
The above qualities makes it an ideal plant for bedroom, living rooms and bathrooms too ( as it can survive in low light and humid conditions).
6. Spider Plant
- Light – Shade, indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Spider plant,airplane plant, ribbon plant
- Botanical name – Chlorophytum comosum
is considered one of the most adaptable of houseplants and the easiest to grow. This plant can grow in a wide range of conditions and suffers from few problems, other than brown tips.
Spider plant look especially nice in a hanging basket and smaller one can make a good workplace companion.
Spider plant is an useful air-purifying indoor plant – eliminates xylene and formaldehyde present indoors, which makes it best fit for bedrooms,offices, etc.
7. Peace Lily
- Light – Shade, Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Peace lily, White sails, Spath
- Botanical name – Spathiphyllum
Peace Lily one of NASA’s best-known cleansing plants for removing common household toxins (benzene and formaldehyde), thereby cleaning up our breathing space.
An easy to grow plant with pretty white flowers to off-white flowers. Peace lilies manage just fine in darker quarters such as offices, bedrooms, and hospital rooms.
The good thing is Peace lily is amongst the super air purifying indoor plants and cleanser that is able to effectively remove indoor pollutants emitted by electronics, furniture and other household items.
8. Boston Fern
- Light – Shade, Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Boston fern, Sword fern
- Botanical name – Nephrolepis exaltata
Boston ferns an evergreen perennial herbaceous plant that loves to grow in a cool place with high humidity and indirect light.
This plant is effective in removing formaldehyde, xylene, toluene and airborne germs, molds, bacterias from the indoor air.
Although it’s very tempting, try to resist touching their fronds as they really don’t like it and it might turn them brown.
9. Croton plant
- Light – Bright (Indirect sunlight)
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Croton plant, rushfoil
- Botanical name – Codiaeum variegatum, Get croton plant now
Chances are, you’ve seen this multi-colored plant before. Its bright colors draw the eye.
Some plants don’t like to be moved and croton is the best example for it. When these plants are moved, they can quickly go into shock which results in leaf loss.
Choose a place for this plant keeping in mind that this plant hates movement.
Corton can grow up to 10ft tall, but don’t worry in the home or pots, they stay a lot smaller.
10. Dumb Canes
- Light – Shade, Indirect sunlight
- Watering – Less frequent (interval of 5-6 days)
- Common names – Dieffenbachia, Dumb cane, Tropical Tiki
- Botanical name – Dieffenbachia
Dumb canes is found to be effective in cleaning xylene and toluene from the air.
A popular plant due to it’s attractive pattern and much white and gray color in its leaves. This plant is known for its easy going nature.
Over watering and/or fertilization will cause leaves to turn brown, starting at the edges. Mealybugs and aphids often are pest problems.
Dumb cane is good plant to fill up the corner space to give refreshing look to your house.
CONCLUSION
Plants plays very important role in our life. Make them your part and they will make your Life and Home beautiful.