Many people grow flowers not to purify indoor air, but to make their homes look more natural and warm. From a scientific point of view, the ornamental value of plants indoors is the most important, and their ability to purify the air can be ignored.
When plants perform photosynthesis, they exchange gases with the outside world through the opening and closing of stomata. When plants inhale carbon dioxide, they can also absorb harmful gases in the air and release oxygen at the same time. Structures such as villi on the surface of plants can absorb dust floating in the air. In addition, plants can release water vapor to regulate temperature and humidity to a certain extent. Therefore, forests have always been called "lungs of the earth" and "natural purifiers".
I have seen some reports before that NASA has shown that plants have a good ability to purify the air, including the common green radish, areca palm, monstera and tiger skin orchid, which have a very strong air purification effect on indoor air, can absorb harmful gases in the room, and increase the oxygen content in the room.
It's not that this study is wrong, but they did the experiment in a closed laboratory environment, and the environment we live in is more complicated. To be honest, it is better to open the window for ventilation frequently to achieve a good air purification effect, which is far better than closing the window and letting the plant purify the air.
Now many people buy flowers for a good intention. Let's take a look at which plants are the most numerous on the market? You can generally understand. In addition to the green radish, other plants with nice names such as the fortune tree, lucky bamboo, happiness tree, money tree, smooth sailing and good luck are the most popular.
If you want indoor plants to play a better air purification effect, you also need to make them grow stronger. It is best to ensure that there is appropriate light every day, or a longer period of light exposure, so as to ensure that the plants can photosynthesize normally.
Plants kept indoors should also pay attention to regular cleaning of the leaves and ensure proper light to make the plants grow stronger, so that these plants can purify the air better.
1. Multiple factors affecting indoor air quality:
Nowadays, people's quality of life has begun to improve, and of course they will pay attention to the quality of indoor air and whether it will affect their health. There are many factors to judge indoor air quality, including the concentration of volatile organic compounds, air humidity and ambient temperature. In fact, we only need to detect the concentration of PM2.5 in the room to determine the air quality. If you want to detect indoor formaldehyde and VOC (volatile organic compounds), it is more difficult, and some more professional instruments are needed to detect them.
Volatile organic compounds are generally released in furniture, including carpets, sofas and various electrical appliances. We can reduce the concentration of indoor volatile organic compounds by selecting some more environmentally friendly products.
2. The role of indoor flower cultivation
As long as the potted plants maintained indoors grow healthily, they can absorb harmful substances such as benzene, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde and so on in the air, and can also slowly release oxygen. Of course, the content of harmful gases absorbed by these indoor plants is extremely low. If it is in an open window environment, the effect of plants on purifying the air can be almost ignored.
If there is a lot of dust on the leaves of the plants, the air purification effect of the plants will be further reduced.
One thing everyone needs to understand clearly is that plants generally purify the air by reducing a variety of volatile organic compounds in the air. However, the rate at which plants absorb these volatile organic compounds is very slow, which is not enough to have a big impact on the indoor air quality. Plants remove volatile organic compounds from the air, generally through the absorption of plant branches and leaves, soil microbial removal and root absorption.
If you want to make the best improvement in indoor air quality, you should place a strong potted plant for at least every few square meters in the house, so that you can play a certain air purification effect.
But this involves another point. Indoor plants need good ventilation to grow better, but in the case of ventilation, the ability of plants to absorb harmful gases can actually be ignored, because in the case of ventilation, the indoor air will be changed every hour or so. The air purified by indoor plants will soon be replaced by outdoor air.
3. Indoor and outdoor air quality
One thing is to understand that for most families, the outdoor air quality is much better than the indoor air quality. This is because in ordinary families, there are many kinds of furniture and daily necessities. These household items will emit various harmful volatile organic compounds. When living indoors, the best way to purify the air is actually to strengthen ventilation.
From a long-term perspective, if you want to ensure better indoor air quality and improve air quality, the best way is actually to open doors and windows to increase the air exchange rate.
Of course, in winter, if the place where you live is relatively cold, many people will close doors and windows in winter for ventilation, which will be much less frequent, which will definitely affect the indoor air quality.
4. Ways to improve indoor air quality
1. Regular cleaning
There are many tricks to improve indoor air quality. When you walk into the room, your shoes will bring some dust and pollutants. It is more important to pay attention to regular cleaning of the home and floor.
2. Avoid excessive humidity
The indoor living environment should avoid excessive humidity, which is not good for people's health, easy to breed mold, and has an impact on the skin and respiratory tract. Enhance ventilation and turn on the dehumidifier to reduce humidity.
In fact, the indoor air humidity can be maintained at around 40%~60%. If the air is too dry, it will also cause dry skin. If the air humidity is too high, it will definitely affect people's lives. Maintaining a certain air humidity is also beneficial to the growth of plants. It is necessary to have a hygrometer at home.
3. Reduce indoor smoke
Whether it is secondhand smoke or oil smoke, it will contain some harmful volatile chemicals. If someone smokes at home, it is best to smoke in a fixed area, otherwise it will have a greater impact on the air quality.
5. What are the benefits of growing plants indoors?
Of course, there are many benefits to growing flowers indoors. Although the air purification ability of indoor plants is limited, it is also continuous.
1. Reduce illness and relieve mood
Keeping some potted plants indoors can indeed reduce the risk of infection with colds, coughs and sore throats, and improve people's vitality, which has an indirect promoting effect on people's health.
In fact, this statement shows that plants are effective in relieving people's moods, making people more energetic, and indirectly reducing the chance of illness.
Just like we usually put more potted green plants in the office, which can reduce the chance of illness, and it will also relieve people's mood and relieve stress. Planting some plants around people's lives can reduce symptoms such as dry skin and headaches.
2. Plants reduce noise
Plants are a natural material that absorbs sound, and they can reduce indoor noise. Placing some potted plants in the room can indeed provide people with a better living environment and a more comfortable auditory environment, thereby reducing stress.
This is why the roadside is full of green plants, which actually have the effect of absorbing noise.
3. Plants make people happy
Planting some potted plants at home can not only be appreciated, but also make people feel better, so that we can get satisfaction and happiness in the process of growing flowers.
This sounds a bit mysterious, but most people who grow flowers have lower blood pressure than those who don't grow flowers. In fact, this can be understood as growing flowers can bring us happiness and reduce our stress.
4. Regulate humidity
Indoor plants can maintain a certain air humidity, especially in a closed indoor environment. As mentioned earlier, the indoor humidity should be maintained between 40% and 60%, which is suitable for plant growth and people's lives.
5. Increase attention
Keeping some plants is also good for people's health and can increase people's attention. For example, placing some potted plants next to the desk can help us concentrate better and improve work efficiency.
Summary
Plants have little ability to purify the air, but there are still many benefits to keeping potted plants indoors. As long as they are properly cared for, indoor plants will bring us endless benefits.
