Why You Want Indoor Plants for a Healthy Home

Breathe easy. Live indoor plants are not only pretty to look at; which can help you relax, but indoor plants have health benefits you should not ignore.  A Nasa study in 1989 showed several indoor plant species reduce harmful chemicals for cleaner indoor air.  Additional studies show it’s a slow process, but every bit helps.

Indoor Plants Help Reduce These Common Chemicals

We are exposed to a wide variety of chemicals on a daily basis, but indoor plants have been shown to reduce levels of the following: 

Benzene - Naturally occurring in volcanoes and forest fires, also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke. Benzene is sometimes used to make other chemicals, then used to make plastics, resins and nylon or synthetic fibers found in everyday products.  

Formaldehyde - Common in building materials, furniture and paper products.

Toluene - Used in many industries and can be found in paints, dyes, solvents, fingernail polish and gasoline.

Carbon Monoxide - Gas stoves and heating systems release low levels of carbon monoxide. Check your carbon monoxide detector annually.

Easy Indoor Plants for Clean Air

Many plants are easy to care for, but research if they are suitable for where and how you live, because different species have different needs. Water, soil drainage and amount of sun are important considerations to keep your plants healthy. Also, ensure you are not bringing plants into the home that might be toxic for small children or animals. Do a little research up front and it will be enjoyable to watch your plants flourish as a fun family project. Shop our Wellness Collection for these easy care, clean air, healthy indoor plants.

	English Ivy (Hedera helix) removes harmful chemicals found in homes. English Ivy can grow in full shade to full sun.
	Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) (can be toxic to pets) Easy care plant that thrives in low to medium light. Grows 1 to 2 feet tall. Maintains healthy air.
	Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata magenta) tolerates low light well for easy care and helps to purify air.
	Mass Cane/Corn Plant ( Dracaena fragrans massangeana) Removes formaldehyde from the air.
	Mother in Law’s Tongue or Snake plant (sansevieria trifasciata Laurentii) Hardy succulent and very easy to care for. It can survive in tough conditions including wide variety of temperatures and light conditions. Tip: Don’t overwater.
	Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Mauna Loa) mildly toxic for people and pets. Clean formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from the air. Easy to care. Tip: Will droop when it needs water.
	Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum Vittatum) Easy to care for as it thrives in bright or indirect light. Removes harmful pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Tip: Dislikes soggy soil so let them dry out slightly between watering.
	Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) absorbs and breaks down harmful chemicals in the air. Rubber Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.  Tip: Needs well drained potting soil and water.
	Lemon Button Fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia) remove toxins and cleans the air. They like indirect light and humidity.
	Pothos Snow Queen (Epipremnum aureum) Cleans the air from benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, carbon monoxide and exylene. Tolerates low light and is easy to care for. Note: This plant is poisonous if ingested by pets or children.
	Aloe Vera ( Aloe barbadensis Miller) Easy to grow succulent and cleans the air of benzene and formaldehyde. Tip: Needs a sunny spot and soil that drains well.
	Ficus (Ficus benjamina) Very sensitive to change in location or watering habits. Improves indoor air and removes formaldehyde and exylene.  Tip: Likes bright indirect or filtered light and  high humidity.

SHOP HEALTHY INDOOR PLANTS

Some additional healthy indoor plants include:

Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) removes benzene and formaldehyde and  prefers part sun or shade.

Gerber Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) removes benzene. They like warm temperatures 75 degrees or higher.

Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) removes benzene from the air.

 Show us your green thumb by posting a picture of your indoor garden!   

Stay tuned for the benefits of Bonsai's next week.

Thanks for reading,

Savvy

We may receive a small commission from links in this post.

Inspiring Reads - 

Fund literacy programs and protect the planet when you buy books from Certified B Corporation, Better World Books. Here are few that will help you style and care for your indoor garden oasis.

	Wild at Home: How to style and care for beautiful plants by Hilton Carter Take a tour through Hilton's own apartment and other lush spaces, filled with a huge array of thriving plants, and learn all you need to know to create your own urban jungle.
	How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged by Veronica Peerless Can't keep a houseplant alive, no matter how hard you try and how good your intentions are? This is the book for you. You need this book. Give plants a chance. Help your plant live with survival tips and learn the simple ways not to kill your plants.
	Living and Styling with Plants: Urban Jungle by Igor, de Graaff, Judith Josifovic Provides all your DIY ideas for styling and tips on how to plant Inspiration for seasoned plant lovers as well as beginners, providing the total package on the topic of living with plants.

In Case You Missed It - Santicler

 A family run business committed to circular design principles Santicler manufactures beautiful women's apparel that is easy to care for and made with nontoxic materials from renewable resources for the lowest environmental impact. Santicler's Transylvania factory is socially responsible including fair payment, health insurance, maternity and parental leave, regulated working hours, protected labor conditions, banned child labor and ISO certified. Every material is ethically sourced from Italy, eco cashmere GRS certified to be 65% recycled + 35% virgin cashmere fiber, ethically sourced extra fine merino wool, and more with a zero waste mentality. Packaging is recycled or biodegradable materials without compromising on quality.  As summer winds down we encourage you to jump to their site and get ready for cooler weather with soft against your skin apparel.

In Case You Missed It - 

Responsible living is more than just caring about the environment.  Woven into the ethos is taking a stand for social equity and East Fork Pottery has been fully committed to that from day one.  Partnering with community outreach organizations to stretch outside their comfort zone; always paying employees a living wage, they are now working towards increasing wages to a family living wage.  Receiving their Carbon Neutral Certification in April has been another huge milestone.  All these steps and more have earned them B Corporation Certification, read about the journey here. Instead of seeing this accomplishment as the finish line, they view it as an inspiration for making additional changes.  Reading East Fork's About Page was part of our inspiration for starting The Savvy Elephant. AND we haven't even touched on how stunning and beautiful their pottery is!  See for yourself by clicking through to the East Fork Website.  

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