Breathe Easier in Your Home with Houseplants
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
by Cindy Kerschner
Take a deep breath in. Hold it. Hold it. Now let it out. Phew! Carbon dioxide in. Oxygen out. Don’t panic. I’m talking to my Philodendron.
We spend a lot of time indoors and often with the doors and windows closed. There is little exchange of fresh air. Along with our loved ones we share the inside atmosphere with chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene found in everyday items like pressed wood and fiberboard furniture, plastics, cleansers and personal care products. Fortunately we also share the air with our houseplants.
During photosynthesis there is a constant exchange of gases through the plant leaves. A plant absorbs everything in the air and filters out what it needs to survive. Some of the byproducts travel through the plant and are stored in the stems or released through the roots into the ground. (more…)