5 Amazing Benefits of Indoor Plants
By: Anna DeCourcey
For thousands of years, humans have been reaping the benefits of having plants inside their homes. They not only look aesthetically pleasing but have so many incredible benefits!
Houseplants have been known to boost your mood, purify the air while adding humidity, aid with recovery and even help with noise pollution. There are so many different types of plants you can
have in your home or office, including several low-maintenance options to choose from — anyone can be a plant parent!
1. Improves Mood in the Workspace
There have been many studies that have shown the positive effects of having plants in
workspaces. A 1996 study by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
indicated that interior plants may improve productivity and reduce stress in indoor environments.
Having plants around while working can help reduce blood pressure, improve reaction time,
lessen fatigue and decrease stress levels. Employees often feel happier surrounded by plants
and have been known to take fewer sick days. Even tending to your plants, like watering, can
help lower your heart rate and induce a state of calm — forcing you to slow down and enjoy the
moment.
2. Purifies the Air
Interior plants have been known to successfully absorb VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) —
like from household cleaning supplies. A 1984 study by NASA indicated that having plants
inside can help boost indoor air quality. During this study, the scientists pumped harmful
chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, and benzene into chambers filled with plants. After 24
hours they found that some of the plants removed up to 90% of the harmful chemicals! The
initial studies were done in small test chambers however a more recent study in 2005 suggested
that plants can be just as effective at purifying air in larger spaces. Different parts of plants can
also serve as filters for airborne particles like dust.
3. Contributes to Humidity
Interior plants are effective at increasing the humidity by a process called evapotranspiration,
which is essentially the evaporation of water consumed by the plants by watering them. The
presence of water vapour in the air (humidity) typically ranges from 30-50% in the average
home. Tropical plants often thrive in a bit more of a humid environment in the 50-60% range. A
study done by Lohr, V.I. in 1992 showed that interior plants can help improve humidity to ideal
levels inside your home or workspace, thus making your indoor environment more comfortable
and less dry. By adding humidity you can improve ailments like dry skin, hair and sinuses.
4. Helps with Recovery
Have you ever heard the expression that nature is medicine? Well, there is some truth to it –
even if you have to bring nature inside. Plants and trees found in nature are known to release
oxygen, indoor plants can have the same effect inside the comfort of your living space. By
simply placing plants close to you during recovery you can potentially help increase oxygen, and
reduce blood pressure and some people even notice fewer headaches/fatigue. A study by Ulrich
in 2002 showed that patients surrounded by plants can reduce physical discomfort and possibly
require less pain medication. Even the microbes in the soil can have benefits by releasing
endorphins! There are also many ways that indoor plants can be beneficial for aiding physical
ailments; like using the gel from the inside of an aloe vera plant for sunburns and other skin
conditions.
5. Can Reduce Sound Pollution
I bet you’ve probably never thought about how plants can absorb unwanted sounds in your
home or office, well the results are quite surprising! Plants in your home or office can help
muffle the sounds of busy streets and cars by deflecting, refracting and absorbing sounds. It
does depend on the types of plants and their placement within your indoor space, the more
plants you have the better they will do at reducing unwanted noise. Some plants that can help
reduce sound pollution include; baby’s tears, ferns, areca palm, fiddle leaf fig, money tree,
peace little, and the rubber plant.
The truth is, there are just so many incredible benefits of having interior plants. They not only
make for great decor but there are also plenty of health benefits. There are so many unique
plant species to choose from, including plants that are low-maintenance and easy to care for. If
you are just starting or looking for some lower-risk options you can try plants like; monstera,
spider plant, snake plant, pothos, peace lily, and philodendron. Now that you know about all the
amazing benefits of indoor plants and would like to have some of your own, head on over to
Galbraith Florists and check out their extensive selection!
Sources
https://public.wsu.edu/~lohr/pub/2010LohrBenefitsPltsIndoors.pdf
https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/26/6/article-p803.xml
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237441131_Interior_Plants_May_Improve_Worker_Productivity
_and_Reduce_Stress_in_a_Windowless_Environment