5 houseplants to improve wellbeing
Houseplants are a fantastic way to brighten your home but did you know they can also improve your overall health and wellbeing? Whether you need help taming your anxiety, getting more sleep or boosting your productivity, there is a houseplant that could help you! In this article, we explore 5 houseplants to improve your wellbeing while keeping the air you breathe clean and your home looking fabulous.
Spider Plant to ease allergies
If annoying allergies are spoiling your day, the spider plant is great for easing those common frustrating symptoms. If you suffer from itchy eyes, an irritated nose and throat, wheezing, fatigue or even uncomfortable skin rashes this could be caused by the common indoor allergen formaldehyde.
Thankfully the hardy spider plant is great at removing harmful allergens and toxins from the air within your home. In fact, the NASA study concluded that spider plants can remove up to 95% of harmful air pollutants, making them a great addition to any room in your house.
With striped leaves that can grow to 18 inches long, this popular perennial is great for adding some greenery to your surroundings. Surviving well even with minimal sunlight, the spider plant is almost fail-proof, even if you do not naturally have a green thumb, making them a fantastic beginner’s plant with allergy-fighting benefits.
Aloe Vera to improve sleep
Another houseplant that can help you get a good night’s sleep is aloe vera, its use has even been promoted by scientists at NASA! Of course, aloe vera is already well known for the healing properties within the juices of its leaves that can help to treat wounds, scars, burns and acne. But this nifty little plant promotes benefits to your wellbeing that reach far beyond the surface of your skin.
If you need to catch up on some lost Zz's, simply pop an aloe vera plant somewhere in your bedroom where it can receive plenty of indirect sunlight. Your aloe vera plant will remove toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide and throughout the night it will continue to take in the carbon dioxide you breathe out and emit oxygen into the air.
If you suffer from insomnia or sleep apnea then aloe vera is a fantastic choice of houseplant to ensure the air you breathe overnight is as clean as can be. They are also incredibly easy to grow, so you could soon fill your home with these fabulous air-purifying plants or even gift them to friends and family who need to catch up on some shut-eye.
Snake Plant for all round goodness
The snake plant is the mother of wellbeing plants (we wonder if that’s why it’s also nicknamed Mother In Law’s Tongue!) This plant is able to handle high levels of neglect with a minimal watering schedule and a range of light settings, from low light right up to direct sun. Colder temperature settings are also fine, right down to 5 degrees celcius.
With more of us now working from home these days, it has never been more important to make sure our home office environment promotes focus and productivity. Snake plants will add little stress to your work routine and also makes an effective air purifier, removing toxins such as formaldehyde, toluene and xylene.
Peace Lily to clean the air
If you are searching for a houseplant that is as beautiful as it is functional then you need to check out the peace lily. This low maintenance plant is also fantastic for purifying the air around you and can absorb a number of harmful substances including benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide.
Although the peace lily can add charm to any room, it can be particularly beneficial when placed in your bathroom. The damp air within your bathroom is the perfect breeding ground for mould and mildew. Thankfully the peace lily thrives in such humid conditions and can actually absorb the excess moisture in the air keeping your bathroom free from unwanted spores!
And there’s good news for any nail technicians or manicure enthusiasts, the peace lily can even absorb the vapours emitted by acetone and alcohol, common ingredients in nail varnishes and removers. Overexposure to these vapours can lead to harmful side effects on the body, so keep a peace lily nearby to help keep the air you breathe in nice and fresh.
Aspidistra Elatior for peace of mind
If you are looking for a low maintenance plant which doesn’t add to your busy schedule then the Aspidistra Elatior (Cast Iron Plant) is a brilliant choice. It has a reputation for being a hard to kill plant which can withstand a lot of growing conditions that a lot of other houseplants wouldn’t do so well in.
Firstly, this plant prefers the soil to dry out a fair bit before being watered, if you happen to miss a watering now and then it wouldn’t go amiss! Another helpful note is that it can handle lower light and wants to avoid any direct sun, north facing rooms will do very well with the cast iron plant, which can also withstand colder, drafty rooms.
The cast iron plant was a popular choice in Victorian times and with its simple elegance we feel it is still a timeless beauty, a low maintenance wonder.