The Houseplant: A Hardworking Air Purifier in Your Middletown Home

With all the talk of pollution to our outdoor environment, what about pollution in your home?  Scientific research has shown that many new homes, built in response to the energy crisis, are prone to what is known as “sick building syndrome.”  If you live or work in a new building, the synthetic carpeting and other man-made materials may release certain pollutants into the air. If that building also is energy-efficient, better insulated and more tightly sealed, those toxins are trapped with less means of escape. These Volatile Organic Compounds can make you and your family sick.   

There are professional air filtration and purification systems available and these systems can be helpful for certain situations.  Such indoor air quality upgrades can help manage the situation.  A recent study by NASA, however, suggests there is a much easier (and more aesthetically appealing) aid to the problem: the houseplant.

According to NASA, a houseplant can absorb and remove benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air, thereby having a purifying effect. Different plants are better at absorbing different chemicals (but there is no evidence that these plants remove tobacco smoke).  NASA’s research report also provides a list of recommended houseplant air purifiers for your home  and suggests using 15 to 18 good-sized houseplants that for an average, 1,800-square-foot house.

For more expert advice about choosing the right houseplant air purifier for your home, or to learn about other topics related to home comfort, please contact us.  We have been faithfully serving the Middletown, New York area since 1945.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about houseplants and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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