Overview
Green plants, through a process known as photosynthesis, use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. They can also remove carbon dioxide and formaldehyde from the air.
Deoderizing Effect
Well-sealed buildings don’t replace the inside air frequently. This can cause your house or room to smell stale or stagnant. A flowering plant or fragrant evergreen acts as a natural air freshener.
Minimizing Pollution
Healthy Green at Work, an organization that campaigns for plants in the workplace, lists plants as a good source of air cleaning and purification in buildings with higher pollution levels. Placing plants around an office may help to reduce symptoms of “sick building syndrome,” the group says. You can learn more about Healthy Green at Work here.
Reducing Noise & Controlling Heat
Indoor plants can help reduce noise. Plants interrupt the path of sound waves, preventing them from reflecting from hard surfaces. This helps to lower indoor sound levels. Indoor plants can also help to absorb heat in the summer.
Boosting Oxygen
Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This has a positive effect on oxygen levels and can help to clear the air of carbon dioxide produced by stoves, candles or other sources of combustion.
Lowering Stress
Environmental psychology students from Surrey University studied the effects of indoor plants on stress and found decreased levels in rooms and offices with indoor plants.
