If you’ve ever admired someone’s collection of house plants, the proud owner likely mentioned that they cleaned the indoor air. You’ll also hear this claim often when shopping for house plants. People like to call them nature’s air purifiers. This is true, but a few potted plants in your house only have a tiny effect on indoor air quality.
Plants Can Mitigate Volatile Organic Compounds
You don’t have to spend much time investigating indoor air quality before you hear about volatile organic compounds. VOCs leak into the air from materials like drywall, paint, and almost all scented household products.
Indoor air polluted with VOCs can irritate your respiratory system and eyes. You may feel nauseous or get frequent headaches. Excessive exposure can damage your nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
Plants earned a reputation for reducing VOCs after a NASA scientist reported that plants in small and sealed environments removed the compounds from the air. However, those experiments do not translate into meaningful results at home. Additional research has shown that you would need about 10 plants per square foot to achieve air purification.
To really solve indoor air quality problems, your home needs air purification equipment. A consultation with the professionals at Hammack Service Company, Inc. in Richardson, TX, can provide you with precise information about improving indoor air quality. We install highly respected Lennox systems that filter air, bring in fresh air, and adjust humidity.
House Plants Are Nice to Have
Just because you can’t pack a room with enough plants to address all indoor air quality concerns does not mean that you should not have them. They produce oxygen, which is certainly a positive influence on your home environment. They also please the eye and bring many people daily pleasure.
Breathe Easy and Stay Comfortable
In addition to indoor air quality services, Hammack Service Company, Inc. services all makes and models of air conditioners and heaters. You can depend on us when you need to install new heating and cooling equipment and for all your indoor air quality solutions. We’ve been in business since 1972. Contact us today.
