Having a bit of green in your living space helps it seem a more attractive and visually appealing place to live, both for you and for any potential visitor. But beyond that, is there any good reason to have houseplants in your home?
The answer is yes. There are are a couple of compelling scientific reasons to get yourself some houseplants.
1. They actually do make the air cleaner
In the 1970s-80s there began to be mass reports of people feeling unwell, with symptoms such as headaches, throat irritation, fatigue, dizziness and nausea, for no apparent reason, but with the symptoms increasingly in severity the longer the person spent in a specific building. It became known as 'sick building syndrome' when associated with homes or 'office unwellness' with offices. It's now widely thought that this illness is due to poor air quality in new-build homes from poor ventilation, recycled air, and the increase in outdoor air pollution.
In 1989 NASA conducted a clean air study to look into how air in new homes could be improved, and they concluded that "plants improve the quality of indoor air" by filtering the air and removing some toxic agents. The recommended having 1 plant per 100 square feet of space in offices and homes, in order to improve the air quality.
They also released a list of air-filtering plants, which included:
Aloe vera
Ferns
Ivy
Palms
Philodendrons
2. They improve our mood and our mental ability
People have long reported feeling calmer and happier after gardening or spending time in nature, and that isn't just a coincidence.
Today people who live in the city spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, between an office and home. Getting out into nature is the best way to de-stress and gain mental clarity, but bringing the outdoors indoors is the next best thing. A study by the Royal College of Physicians in early 2016 found that having houseplants reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. They also included evidence from a Washington State University study which found that the presence of plants in a room also improves mental facilities, increasing the speed of reaction in a computer task by 12 per cent, whilst also reducing blood pressure and increasing attention span.
Plus, it's always nice to have something to look after, and given that most of us now live in rental properties without any chance of getting a pet, houseplants are the next best option!