Breathe easier: Use household plants to help clear the air

comments from our community

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  Posted by dovecash@verizon.net Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:21pm PST

  Which of the purifying plants are harmless to my cat or dog? Thank you. Marla

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  Posted by danielb Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:55am PST

  what is the most effictive way to get cig. smoke out of the air in your house, quickly? i do not smoke, but friends have told me they smell cig. smoke on me because my husband smokes?

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  Posted by akablueeye Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:59am PST

  That's Golden Pothos not Pathos

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  Posted by Don L. Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:06am PST

  I would hope that all cat-owners would note that some of these plants are considered poisonous to felines. The Peace Lily, Golden Pothos and English Ivy are all listed on the Cat Fanciers' Association website (www.cfainc.org) as dangerous to cats. Environmental benefits should not be the only concern by those who recommend these plants.

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  Posted by AmericanMadeMorgans Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:15am PST

  Pothos plants are poisonous. I use Spider plants, also. My readings are they clean the air well. & They are very easy keepers.

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  Posted by Miss Cha0s Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:54pm PST

  Just FYI Carol, plants use carbon dioxide ALWAYS. (I know this because I'm a chemist and my husband is a biologist.) Their "waste" is oxygen, which is essential for us to live. It's fine to put plants where ever you want in the house, even in your bedroom.

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  Posted by ChelseaG Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:58pm PST

  Boston fern is also effective. It does need frequent watering. Poinsettia is helpful, although not as effective as some other plants. So the next time someone gives you a poinsettia at holiday time, hold onto it as long as possible.

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  Posted by IRIS J. Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:44pm PST

  Cool, I'm going out and buying some of those today!

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  Posted by EllBea Sat Mar 7, 2009 10:36pm PST

  The plants are a great idea, but research says the air in the home is up to 100 times as toxic as the air outside because of the cleaners we are using. A new company just this month came out with chemical free products with 000 toxicity. All enzyme based! You can literally drink them. I read that some house cats are now getting breast cancer..that has to be from floor cleaners! they lick their paws all day! I am going chemical free..too scary. It is just better for my health, my kids health, and the environment.

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  Posted by Clem Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:18am PDT

  This is only true if plants are maintained at optimal levels of health in optimal growing conditions, something that is almost never the case in residential and commercial interior spaces. If plants are not growing optimally, they will not metabolize any significant amount of toxins from the air. Much of the toxin-neutralizing activity is done by bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the SOIL shared by the plants' roots, not by the plants themselves. This is an over-hyped, grossly misleading train of thought and should be discredited as sales puffery by the "green" industry. Plants should be kept in indoor spaces for good reasons: they beautify, they soften harsh spaces and surfaces, they uplift people's morale, and they can help to humidify the air in large density plantings. But an air filtration system using activated carbon will remove vastly more contaminants, especially VOC's (volatile organic chemicals, like formaldehyde) from the indoor environment than will a room full of poorly-maintained foliage plants growing in dim light most of the time.

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