How Houseplants can be beneficial for your home or office
Have you ever seen an office space with a few houseplants dotted around and thought, why are they there? While you may be thinking it is because they brighten the atmosphere and provide colour, this is not always the case.
What may spike the interest of anyone considering purchasing more plants for interior spaces like a house or office, could be some of the following:
- They may help reduce stress levels
- Real plants may sharpen your attention
- Working with plants can be therapeutic
- Plants may help you recover from illness faster
- They may boost productivity
- Improve the whole outlook on work
- They may also improve indoor air quality
Expanding on this, in terms of improving air quality, plants are known for their absorption of CO2, and if there is too much of it in an enclosed space, it can lead to unwanted breathing difficulties, tiredness, or loss of focus.
For example, houseplants such as succulents, cacti, or snake plants are all incredibly effective at reducing CO2 levels, airborne bacteria and even Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). They are also quite small, which makes them more manageable, plus they do not require constant watering, so they can be left to thrive.
When it comes to homeowners, only 52% now use houseplants to counter pollution within an enclosed space, such as this. Around 87% of air toxins are removed by houseplants within 24 hours, and some are even linked to decreases in dry skin, colds, sore throats, and dry coughs.
With regards to aesthetics, a range of different houseplants is effective at increasing the appeal of an enclosed space, so in an office it is ideal to have a few spread out, as to fill a space, providing it with a bit more colour and something to look at. As well as this, they generate happiness, which as a result, lowers the likelihood of depression.
Though we have spoken about indoor air quality with the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, such as smart meters or opening windows for maintaining efficient ventilation within an office, plants are typically the most beneficial solution. Smart meters are costly but highly effective at recording readings within a space, open windows is a free choice, but in the winter months it can leave any interior space at an uncomfortable temperature. While on the other hand, plants are relatively cheap and they thrive on the CO2 we breathe out, but they work at all times of the day, especially at night.
Overall, houseplants are quite possibly the best solution for indoor air quality, due to so many advantages over other methods of ventilation, as well as the cost of these plants being reasonable. The fact they can provide health benefits, improve our outlooks on a workplace, and more, just solidifies how important bringing nature into such an environment is.