• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Reviews of Air Purifiers

Find the right air purifier for you

  • Top Rated
    • Levoit Core 300
    • Levoit Core 400S
    • Coway Airmega 300
    • Blueair Blue Pure 211+
    • Medify MA-40 v2.0
    • Rabbit Air MinusA2
    • Alen BreatheSmart Flex
    • Bissell Air320
    • Molekule Air Mini
    • IQAir HealthPro Plus
    • AirDoctor 3000
    • Dyson Pure Cool TP04
    • TruSens Z-3000
  • By Concern
    • Smart Sensors and App Control
    • Low Noise
    • High CADR for Large Spaces
    • H13 HEPA for Highest Purification
    • For Classrooms in School
    • 100% Ozone-Free (no electronic add-ons)
    • VOCs & Chemicals
    • Smoke form Tobacco or Wildfire
    • Kitchen Odors and Pollutants
    • UV with HEPA
    • ENERGY STAR-Certified
    • Small Desktop-grade
    • Suitable For Car Cabins
    • Traffic Pollution
    • HEPA Air Scrubber for Commercial Use
  • By Brand
    • Blueair
    • GermGuardian
    • Honeywell
    • Levoit
  • Combo
    • Air Purifier + Fan
    • Air Purifier + Humidifier
    • Air Purifier + Heater
    • Air Purifier + Essential Oil Diffuser
    • Air Purifier + Dehumidifier
  • Tools
    • CADR Calculator: Find Clean Air Delivery Rate
    • Air Changes Per Hour Calculator: Find ACH
    • Air Purifier Electricity Consumption Calculator in kWh & Cost($)
    • Air Purifier Calculator for School
  • Air Quality Monitors
    • The 7 Best Air Quality Monitor
    • The 7 Best Radon Detector
  • Blog
    • How to Choose an Air Purifier
    • Best Ways to Use an Air Purifier
    • Common Issues in Air Purifiers with Fix
    • How to Deep Clean an Air Purifier

Ad-free. Influence-free. Reader-supported.

You are here: Home / News / Houseplants do not improve air quality: Explained

Houseplants do not improve air quality: Explained

Updated on December 7, 2019 By Musfikur Rahman · Leave a Comment

Share

We have long been known that the houseplants are an excellent addition to home air cleaning, especially for removing toxic gases and VOCs from the air. The concept is based on a study by NASA, which was published in 1989. Even we have a blog post about top air-purifying houseplants that remove toxins from indoor air based on the NASA report. But a recent study shows that the houseplants are not cleaning the indoor air. Let’s find out what does that means.

The original NASA research on houseplants was intended for space exploration on how potted plants can remove VOCs from a small closed space capsule, like today’s International Space Station. They observed on houseplants in a sealed chamber about how much different types of VOCs the plants can remove from the chamber in a specific time. The result was outstanding, and they concluded that about 70% of toxin compounds were extracted by those plants in a day.

The new research on houseplants published on Nature, which focused on real-world application of potted plants on residential buildings for VOCs removal. The study found that the chemical purification process per plant is so irrelevant that it might need 10 to 1000 plants per square meter to meet up the buildings’ standard VOC removal by its ventilation. In other words, you will get 14 cfm of clean air that is suitable for a 100 square feet room at one air exchange per hour, and you will need almost 1000 houseplants. The average cfm per houseplant is only 0.014 cfm. If you are curious about how many plants needed for your room, you can find out from our CADR calculator. Although, this is not a good use of your space, by the way.

Houseplants are great in boosting our mood and energy. Also, they are decorative and radiate green vibe. But, in terms of VOC removal, they are not efficient based on the new study. So, if you want to clean the VOCs from the air, then you can open your windows and doors to let the fresh air come in. Ventilation and source control is the best practice to improve indoor air quality. When the options are limited, you can use a good air purifier to remove VOCs and other pollutants to purify the indoor air.

Share

Filed Under: News

You May Also Like

Bleach Cleaner may Produce Harmful Indoor Air Pollutants
Bleach Cleaner may Produce Harmful Indoor Air Pollutants
Air Pollution is Equivalent to Cigarette Smoking
New Study: Air Pollution is Equivalent to Cigarette Smoking

Musfikur Rahman

A former smoker, who has become a clean air enthusiast, created this blog to review different types of air purifiers so that you can make an informed decision.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

Air Quality Index (AQI)

Primary pollutant:

Temperature (°F):

Humidity (%):

Updated on:

Courtesy: World AQI Project

0-50 51-100 101-150
Learn more about the AQI
How to select an air purifier CADR Calculator Best Ways to use an Air Purifier

Home · About · Contact · Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 · ReviewsofAirPurifiers.com

ReviewsofAirPurifiers.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. ReviewsofAirPurifiers.com also participates in affiliate programs with CJ, Impact, ShareASale, and other sites.