Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air
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Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Sep 9 2007 at 10:05pm by My wife and I run a small store in Milford, Pa called A Breath of Fresh Air. The premise of our store is that all of the plants that we carry are based on a study by NASA published in 1989. We can honestly and truthfully state that we have seen first hand the benefits that plants have on our indoor environment, and the best part is no batteries, nor elctricity are required to have a cleaner home environment. We are going green!
I am not trying to hype our store and please forgive me if it sounds like it is, but we are so convinced by the results as well as customers coming back for more plants that is a testament to itself.
It seems that nature tirelessly tries to undo the damage that man has wrought on this small plant. I just hope we are not too late.
Sincerely
Bob Bostinto
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RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Sep 12 2007 at 11:09am by Is it non-toxic, just wondering. I work in a pediatric outpatient clinic and was thinking about the implications for work.
Kelly Scott MSOTR/L-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Sep 12 2007 at 7:38pm by Hi Kelly
With respect to plants that clean the air, here are some helpful plants as well as the book that BC Wolverton published - "How to Grow Fresh Air". He worked on the NASA project entitled Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Polution Abatement, published September 1989.
Great Green Air Cleaners
Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa)
Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
Dracaena 'Janet Craig' (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
Fig 'Alii' (Ficus macleilandii 'Alii')
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans)
Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Florist mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Note: Some plants--such as golden pothos, dieffenbachia, some philodendrons and dracaenas, and peace lily--can be toxic to dogs; depending on the variety of plant and the size and weight of the dog, effects can range from mild oral irritation to poisoning. If you have a dog that likes to nibble, place these plants out of reach.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Bob
For more information:
This great little book describes the care and culture of 50 plants that can help purify the air in your home or office, rating the plants on how well they remove chemical vapors, how easy they are to care for, etc.: How to Grow Fresh Air by B. C. Wolverton-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Sep 30 2007 at 5:05pm by Hi Bob,
This is my first time to post on any blog, I have always just read. I had to tell you how much I appreciate the information. I have several of the plants you listed outside in containers and now they will become inside plants.
Thanks again,
Nancy Alos/Houston, Tx.RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 1 2007 at 10:46pm by Hi Nancy
I think thats great! You'd be surprise to find out how many people have these plants in their home without them realizing the benefits they bring. The more the merrier!
Thanks a bunch
Bob Bostinto
A Breath of Fresh Air, Ltd.
BOFA@PTD.NET
RE: Nancy Alos Posted on Sep 12 2008 at 12:01pm by This message is for Nancy Alos in Houston, Tx., who responded to this website on Sep 30 2007.
Looking for your daughter, Laquita Herndon. My daughter, Tina Babbitt, and Laquita were close friends in their teen years in Houston. I wanted her to know that Tina passed away. Please email me at Ga_Gal2u@comcast.net.
Thanks
claudia babbitt
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RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 7 2007 at 11:43am by Hi, it's great that you shared this information. When I lived in Florida I could grow anything, living in Las Vegas can't seem to keep anything alive(probably the water).My house is relatively dark to save on electric bills and the building I work in does not have windows, can any of these plants live in that kind of environment? Honestly, I don't know how I survive in that environment, I am an outdoor person,but there are bills to pay(mortgage for example:) ).Any suggestions would be greatly appreciate
KrisRE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 7 2007 at 6:17pm by Hi
I can think of 2 plants that would fit the bill. One is a snake plant - Mother-in-Laws-tongue (sanseveria) and the other is a Ficus Syvie or Ficus Elastica both are Rubber plants. They dont take much water and thrive on on low light. Water them about once a month!
Good luck
Bob Bostinto
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RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 1 2007 at 1:27pm by Hi, I am working on starting a business in the Austin Tx area and want to market several green products and services. I am researching indoor house plants and ran across your blog. How"s business? if you don't mind me asking. For my new business I will have to start small and then add products and services as the incoming permits. I thought that on my property I could grow spider plants and such. Your testiment that they improve your air quality is inspiring. My daughter told me about indoor plants and air quality improvement although it makes perfect sense that nature will filter the air in this way. Hope business is great and green. bye cindy -
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 1 2007 at 10:42pm by Hi CIndy
I applaud your efforts in starting a new business, especially in plants that help clean the air. We opened our door November 18th 2006, so it will be our 1 year anniversary soon. To say the least we made a bunch a mistakes initially. We have tried very hard to keep the original 50 plants that NASA tested. We have acquired some other plants that fall outside our core business but they are labeled as such - like Agave, and Succulents. The big question is: Are we making money? Honestly, we are making enough to run our store and thats about it. I commute to NYC every day by train in order to pay the monthly bills like the mortgage utilities etc... Now keep in mind the town we live in is small, and I truly believe had we opened in a large town or city we'd be doing just fine.
My wife and I still have no regrets and we can see a slow but steady growth in our business. The satisfaction we get is having our customers coming back for more. We have also found out the best advertising is thru word of mouth. We have mothers bringing their adult daughters in for plants.
One plant we do carry in particular is one of our best sellers as it was shown by NASA to be best at removing Ammonia is called a HOMOLOMENA. We carry the Emerald Gem variety of it. I call it the "Pee-Pee" plant because if you have a dog or a cat that has accidents, it really helps remove the odor! I tell folks if it doesnt work bring it back!
I yet to have a person being one back...in fact they bring in other folks as well. I have also had health care workers come in and purchase them when they are caring for the infirm or elderly. The HOMOLOMENA is a truly amzing plant.
Well I hope I've answered your question.
Here is our email address at the store: BOFA@PTD.NET
Good Luck
Bob Bostinto-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 11 2007 at 3:44pm by Hi Bob,
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge about how indoor plants can help purify the air. I knew plants were good for air circulation but I had no idea how powerful they actually are. I live in a teeny apartment in New York City so being able to create a purer, less polluted home environment (in an eco-friendly way!) is especially important to me. That it's so simple and cheap is a huge bonus.
I have a few questions:
1. Do you have a website with more details?
2. Do you have a marker on the ECO-MMUNITY Map? I'm sure lots of other people who are searching the map would be grateful for this knowledge.
3. Can you recommend a place here in New York City that specializes in indoor plants for purifying the air?
Thanks in advance!
t-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 11 2007 at 10:41pm by Hi T,
Let me take a few moments to answer your questions.
1. Do you have a website with more details?
Not yet but that is in the works to do for 2008.
2. Do you have a marker on the ECO-MMUNITY Map? I'm sure lots of other people who are searching the map would be grateful for this knowledge.
Just added the Marker! Thanks!
3. Can you recommend a place here in New York City that specializes in indoor plants for purifying the air?
Although my wife and I use to live in NYC I cannot really say what plant store sells what. But I can state the perfect plants for NYC would be the following:
Peace Lily - that plant helped remove 8 of the 9 chemicals NASA tested
Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica) - pretty good apartment plant easy care and maintenace
Snake plant - Ditto in terms of easy care and maintenance.Its also a great plant for the bedroom as that and Aloe Vera were the only two plants that NASA tested that put out oxygen at night. While is the exact opposite of what the typical plant does.
The big tips - DONT OVER WATER!
DONT PUTIN DIRECT SUNLIGHT!
USE WARM OF TEPID WATER! - REMBEMBER THEY ARE TROPICAL PLANTS!
Hope this helped T.
Regards
Bob
BOFA@PTD.NET-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 12 2007 at 2:01pm by Hi Bob,
Thanks so much for all this very helpful information, personalized to my location! Going out and buying these plants is now on my weekend to-do list. I'm excited to see what effects I'll notice after I get the plants. Any idea how long it typically takes?
-t-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 13 2007 at 9:27am by Hi T
Certain plants like the Homalomena work overnight! Now NASA recommends 4 plants (in 6 inch pots) per 100Sq feet - Thats a 10X10 foot room. Now the rule is the more the merrier!.
Remember dont overwater! I tell folks to use one of those small 3 ounce plastic cups - fill them up twice once a week or every 10 days and use no more water than that. If the plants start to wilt they will you they're thirsty.
Good luck and let us know how you make out!
Bob
A Breath of Fresh Air, Ltd.
BOFA@PTD.NET-
RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 19 2007 at 1:06pm by We currently have a Ficus Elastica and are very interested in keeping it for the benefits of the plant but we recently got a puppy and I'm nervous if it is poisonous to the dog. I've done some research and it appears on a number of poisonous plant lists for animals but it never appears to be severe. I'm trying to decide if this is something we can take a chance with teaching him not to eat it or if we should just remove it from the environment. Does anyone have any information? RE: Indoor House Plants That Clean the Air Posted on Oct 20 2007 at 11:49pm by Hi chicagowcrjsr
We checked with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicne a while ago about the plants we carried at our store and their toxicity to cats and dogs. Based on their response Ficus Elastica (Rubber Plant) were Ok as well as Liriope, Neantha Bella Palms, Homalomena, Maranta Red (Prayer Plant) and Calathea (Peacock Plant) There may be others but we have not checked with Cornell,again we only checked with the ones we carry.
I hope this helps.
Best regards,
Bob Bostinto
A Breath of Fresh Air, Ltd.
BOFA@PTD.NET
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