A closer look at the care and health benefits of indoor house plants

Did you know that indoor plants have so many health benefits? Every space should have them. In this post you will read about the many health benefits, tips on how to care for, the lighting requirements and much more. You will be surprised that a green thumb is not needed to have a space filled with beautiful plants resulting in a healthier air quality.

No one thinks about the toxins that come into our home from the outside as well as toxins that are already inside. The most common household toxins are benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, they come from different synthetic materials and things that we come in contact with every day like furniture, building materials, cooking appliances, cleaning fluids, computer copiers, printers, the list is too large to list. Simply put, if you live on earth then you are exposed.

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Figure out lighting to make sure your plant is in the right area and will thrive.

Break out the compass...

North facing windows – is ideal for low light plants.

South facing windows – Is good for plants requiring high and bright light.

(plants that need high light or bright light need at least 5 hours bright indirect sun light)

East facing windows- has morning sun but is not as strong good for medium to low light plants. West – brings both afternoon high heat and direct sun.

If you don’t have a compass try this trick:

Low light – during the day place an object or hand near a wall if you cannot see a clear shape on the wall then you are in a low light setting (low light setting gives enough light that you are able read something comfortable without any lights on)

Medium Light – place an object or hand near a wall if the shadow shape is present but not clear then you are in a medium to low light setting.

High Light – The shadow of your hand or object shape will be very clear and you can possibly see the sun beams in different areas in the room.

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Fiddle Leaf Fig

You will see this beauty popping up in a lot of Interior design showrooms, it can be a finicky plant if not placed in the right setting, and may demand your attention until you get the hang of the watering requirements, and the right lighting until it finds a happy spot. Once the introduction faze subsides, you will know exactly what she likes and will find that this plant is easy to care for.

Health Benefits:

Improves air quality, makes high levels of oxygen, cleans the air of allergies, and eliminates many chemical compounds from the air, controls humidity as well.

Care:

This is a sun loving plant requires at least 5 to 6 hours of very bright indirect light can take some full sun also, loves to be in a pot with soil that has great drainage.

Water: Allow to dry out between watering, a guide to water is to place your finger in the soil about a inch down to see if the soil is is dry or better yet place any thin wooden stick all the way down in the pot, wait a few seconds and pull out, if the stick is damp or the soil is wet wait to water. wipe leaves off with a wet sponge or cloth periodically.

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Snake plant:

Has many other names Mother-in law’s tongue, Saint George’s sword, Sansevieria:

I like how this plant looks in Contemporary, Modern, Mid-Century Modern and Retro decors:

Health benefits:

This plant produces a better quality of air that we breathe, in addition offers many health benefits by releasing oxygen into the air at night and absorbs carbon dioxide that we breathe out, which is perfect to place in a bedroom.

More health benefits:

Purifies and filters the air resulting in a better quality that we breathe by removing harmful toxins; Formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and benzene and nitrogen oxide produced by gas burning appliances now how great is that!

Care:

Very easy to care for does not require a lot of fussing,

Light requirements:

Is very versatile in any lighting situation and can tolerate bright indirect light to very surprisingly low light conditions. Does well when placed near any East or North facing window, for a West window (a couple of feet away from the afternoon sun), For a South facing window it is recommended if you choose to place near a window to not place directly in front of the window but to the side, otherwise, for southern exposure please place at least couple of feet away. Works well with fluorescent lighting also.

Water:

Easy! Very important to allow the soil to dry out between watering. Prefers room temperature water, not much watering is required can even go up to 4 weeks without watering, to try not to water directly over the plant where the leaves get wet but water along all outer sides of the pot.

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Chinese Evergreen:

Health Benefits:

Filters out air borne pollutants and even removes more toxins as time and continues. This plant is an indoor air purifier, increases humidity to aid in respiratory illness, and puts out high oxygen,

removes the chemicals benzene, formaldehyde, and other toxins.

Care:

Requires little effort to care for and easily adapts too many conditions.

Water:

Do not over water, allow the soil to dry out some to avoid root rot. If the leaves start to droop down that is a sign it definitely needs a drink of water.

Lighting:

Medium to Low light conditions are what this plant likes, it can benefit from an occasional misting of water if your air is too dry and the leaf tips start to turn brown.

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Tip:

Dust leaves periodically to guarantee your plants will have maximum absorption of air toxins.

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Pathos:

Is a common house plant used for hanging or climbing, it grows quickly, and doesn't require much attention.

Health Benefits; Cleans the air, eliminates toxic fumes; formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide, and may help eliminate orders. Your family can benefit by placing one close to where exhaust fumes can be present like near a garage.

Care: Don't require a lot of water and prefer to be on the dry side, can be placed in bright or very low light.

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Janet Craig:

Care:

Can thrive on neglect, is a great low light plant, leaves grows larger in bright filtered sunlight, is very durable and doesn’t require a lot of fertilizers, allow soil to dry one inch down before watering if soil is still damp or you are unsure wait a few more days to water.

Benefits:

Removes air impurities like carbon monoxide and acts as an air purifier

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Corn Cane:

Care: Low maintenance, doesn’t require a lot of water and is a low to medium light loving plant

Health benefits:

Cleans the air and is known for removing formaldehyde

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Tip: Rule for all plants, they must have good drainage, When you water wait until you see it coming out of the bottom of your pot, remove the remaining standing water promptly, do not allow plants to sit in water for an extended time, no plant likes wet feet and that will cause root rot.

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Many houseplants are toxic, poisonous, and unsafe to pets and children if they eat them. Please keep your plants out of reach.

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An FYI and another tip:

The leaves of indoor plants removes low levels of pollution, It is plant root and soil area that remove pollutants at higher levels.

Tip: not necessary but to treat your plants to a better quality of water, you can use distilled or let tap water stand overnight, the more days the better to bring down the levels of chlorine and fluoride which plants don't really like.

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Most people think that plants require a lot of maintenance, the less you fuss over them is best, place in the right lighting, water when the top inch of soil is dry, and dust occasionally. House plants make your home beautiful but most importantly provide many health benefits to you and your family.