Home Improvement : Houseplants Can Be an Effective Air Purifier

QUESTION: We made our house airtight to save energy, but we are concerned about the harmful and cancer-causing volatile chemicals indoors. Are houseplants very effective for purifying the air and how can we use them?

ANSWER: As more research is done, much of it by NASA, certain common houseplants are proving to be very effective natural air purifiers. In addition to purifying the air inside your home, plants increase the oxygen level and provide natural moisture to the air.

Standard room and furnace-mounted air cleaners are effective for removing particles (dust, pollen, fungi, etc.) from the air. They do not remove the organic volatile chemicals.

These chemicals (formaldehyde, benzene, TCE, etc.) are emitted from carpeting, furniture, subflooring, cleaners, dry cleaned clothes, curtains, etc. Even permanent-press shirts are treated with formaldehyde chemicals when they are made.

Certain common houseplants are more effective than others for removing particular volatile chemicals from the air. A combination of selected plants is best. For example, including some orchids and bromeliads is effective for nighttime purifying. Their leaf pores open at night.

There are special new natural air purifying planters available. Current research indicates that the roots and the microorganisms in the soil are also very effective for removing volatile chemicals from the air. These standard-looking planters take advantage of all three - leaf, root, and soil purifiers. There is also a built-in watering gauge to avoid overwatering.

These new planters are designed with a small electric fan in the base. This fan draws the room air down through special soil filled with charcoal. As the room air passes through the charcoal and hydroponic clay, the volatile chemicals are removed and trapped in the charcoal.

Trapped in the charcoal, these chemicals are broken down by the plant roots and “good� microorganisms in the soil into harmless food for the plant. In this way, the charcoal filter material is naturally bioregenerated and does not have to be replaced. It is also very good for the plant.

You should also consider using new “low-toxic� natural cleaners and materials inside your home. There are many companies that manufacture special detergents, cleaners, paints, waxes, cloth, etc. from natural pure materials. Many of these environmentally safe products are as effective as the typical mass-produced non-natural products.

You can write to me at the address below for Utility Bills Update No. 040 listing the most effective houseplants for purifying air, information on the new natural air purifying planter, and a list of addresses and telephone numbers of manufacturers of low-toxic natural household products. Please include $1.50 and a self-addressed business-size envelope.

Mirror Not Effective for Reflecting Heat

Q: I am redecorating my living room and plan to hang some mirrors on the walls. Will hanging a mirror on an outside wall help to reflect the heat back indoors and save energy?

A: A typical glass mirror is not effective for reflecting heat energy back into your room like it reflects visible light energy. If you really want to reflect heat, hang some type of artistic or sparsely painted polished aluminum sheet on the wall.

If you do hang a large standard mirror, space it out slightly from the outside wall. This will create a dead air space behind it. This will save a little energy and make you feel warmer in the room.