Houseplants that clean the air

Enhance your décor and lift your home with houseplants.

Not only do plants make our homes look great, but houseplants also have health benefits that you might not even know about. From improving the air we breathe to helping lift our mood during the darker winter nights.

Houseplants can brighten the home adding colour and interest, they also release oxygen into the air, making breathing easier as well as water which decreases the incidence of dry skin, colds, sore throats, and dry coughs. Most plants give off oxygen during the day and carbon dioxide at night, but some do the reverse, so they are ideal for bedrooms where fresh air is needed mostly at night.

By adding plants to hospital rooms, it can speed up recovery rates of surgical patients and plants in offices decrease fatigue, headaches and even sickness rates.

Very importantly plants remove toxins from the air, up to 87% of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) every 24 hours, according to NASA research, which can be found in many items round the home.

VOCs include substances like formaldehyde (present in soft furnishings, vinyl, cigarette smoke and grocery bags), Benzene and trichloroethylene (both found in man-made fibres, inks, solvents, and paint). These chemicals, which can be found in many everyday products are released into the atmosphere over time and may build up inside poorly ventilated buildings.

Luckily, house plants can help by filtering these pollutants from indoor air by drawing in the chemicals as they respire, leaving the air cleaner and healthier for us to breathe. What better excuse, to fill your home with dozens of air-purifying plants.

To help fill your home with fresher air we recommend the below houseplant varieties.

For Removing Formaldehyde:

Peace Lilly

Chinese evergreen

Bamboo palm

For Removing Benzene:

Jade tree

Bamboo Palm

Cast iron Plant

Dumb cane

Kentina palm

For Removing Both Formaldehyde & Benzene:

Spider plant

Madagascar dragon tree

Snake plant

India rubber plant

Boston fern

Devil’s ivy

Dragon plan

Fern arum

Here at Gates, we have many different varieties of houseplants on offer to suit anyone, from elegant and blossoming orchids, dinky cacti and succulents, floor standing palms, trailing and foliage plants and many more. All suitable for any room within your home. If you are looking for anything in particular or have questions about a particular variety, contact our Plant Specialists on 01664 454309, who are happy to advise and help with your purchase.