House plants in luxury hotels and commercial buildings will help clean the indoor air

Posted by Southern Botanical, Inc. in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Jan 19, 2012

Scientists are pinpointing house plants that are particularly skillful at cleaning indoor air of pollutants that can cause a range of health problems in luxury hotels, commercial buildings, company offices and residential homes.

Article reference: Green Plants for Green Buildings, Submitted on October 12, 2011 by Gwendolyn Bounds

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A Superhero Scrubs the Air: The Mighty Houseplant

The humble houseplant is on the attack. A growing body of research suggests that house plants boast significant powers to clean the indoor air in everything from luxury hotels, commercial buildings, company offices and residential homes, of common toxins such as formaldehyde, ammonia & benzene, Wendy Bounds explains.

A growing body of global research is showing houseplants can reduce dust particles and contaminants, such as formaldehyde and benzene, that come from cigarette smoke, paint, furniture, building materials and other sources. Big growers such as Costa Farms, based in Goulds, Fla., and retailers Lowe's and Home Depot now sell indoor plants with tags promoting their air-cleaning abilities.

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"The advantage of indoor plants is you can sometimes solve your problem with $100 of plants or propagate your own," says Stanley J. Kays, a horticulture professor at the University of Georgia, which is spearheading plant research with scientists in South Korea. In addition to studying existing indoor plants, researchers there are trying to see if certain species could be bred to create super-efficient air cleaners.

Interest in houseplants as air purifiers—what's called "phytoremediation"—comes amid mounting concerns about the quality of indoor air. People spend more than 90% of their time inside, where levels of a dozen common organic pollutants can be two to five times higher than outside, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Associated health problems range from headaches and asthma to respiratory diseases and cancer. The agency says it is particularly concerned about air quality in homes and commercial buildings that have taken steps to be more energy-efficient by adding insulation and other weatherization techniques.

That said, houseplants aren't yet recognized as a mainstream air-filtration tool. The EPA says "there is currently no evidence … that a reasonable number of houseplants can remove significant quantities of pollutants in homes and offices." The U.S. Green Building Council, which certifies buildings based on environmental standards, says while "using indoor plants to help clean air is a great strategy…we've had difficulty quantifying the results."

That could be changing. Studies conducted over the past five years by the University of Technology, Sydney found that small groups of the Janet Craig and Sweet Chico potted plants placed in offices with high airborne concentrations of volatile organic compounds consistently reduced total VOC levels by up to 75%. Reductions to negligible levels were maintained over the course of five- to 12-week periods studied. "Potted plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable bioremediation system for indoor air pollution," researchers concluded.

In another study at Washington State University, dust was reduced as much as 20% when a number of potted plants were placed around the perimeter of computer lab and small office for one week.

Southern Botanical brings the outside in by offering the finest quality fresh plants and flowers to enhance Dallas luxury hotels, commercial buildings, company offices and residential homes in North Texas. Contact us so that one of our design professionals can help you get started today!

House plants in luxury hotels and commercial buildings will help clean the indoor air

Posted by Southern Botanical, Inc. in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Jan 19, 2012

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