Natural Air Purifiers-Plants

Interviewer: Welcome to the next edition of Healthy Living. Today we are focusing on how to green your home and make it more environmentally healthy and we welcome back Dr. Diana Blicharski.

Diana: Thank you!

Interviewer: Dr Blicharski, why should we be concerned about environmental pollutants in the home? 

Diana:  The Environmental Protection Agency states that the levels of pollutants in indoor air, can be two to five times – and in extreme cases -- possibly even more than 100 times higher than outdoor pollutants. 

Interviewer:  One hundred times?  That’s a pretty alarming number! 

Diana:  Yes, it is.  It is thought to be attributable in large part to volatile organic chemicals,  known as (VOCs), or "off gas".  These can come from home decorating and cleaning products.   Originally, these products were meant to make our life easier, but now we are finding out that they are possibly causing health challenges. 

Interviewer: Well, how do these VOC’s impact our lives? 

Diana:  Well, one in every three households are experiencing health issues with asthma, and allergies.  It is possible that these health problems are linked to VOC’s , off-gasing and other chemicals.   

Interviewer: What is the best way to get rid of these gases? 

Diana:  One of the best and most cost effective means to remove harmful gases from the home is to use indoor plants.  NASA was investigating a number of different technologies to remove toxins from enclosed environments.  They concluded that plants were the most efficient means of cleaning the air.  As a matter of fact, plants can clean up to 87% of indoor pollutants, given the right circumstances.

Interviewer:  Really?  I would have thought that getting a really high tech HEPA air purifier would be the most efficient. 

Diana:  I probably would have thought the same thing, if I hadn’t read the research.   Plants are cheaper and they are more pleasant to look at.  Air purifiers and humidifiers are noisy.  In addition, most houseplants will outlive an air purifying machine, cutting the cost even more.

Interviewer:  Yeah, and they won’t be adding to your electric bill, either. 

Diana:  That’s right!  And not only do the plants absorb chemicals from the air, they balance the humidity and increase oxygen levels. However, you want to make sure that you don’t use plants that you are allergic to. 

Interviewer: So what houseplants would be really good to use?

Diana:  Actually, any houseplant will help reduce indoor air pollution, but some are more effective than others. A good comprehensive resource for the plants studied by NASA is a book called “How to Grow Fresh Air.”  It lists the plants according to how efficient they are at cleaning the air and what pollutants they are best at cleaning.  It also lists how easy they are to maintain and whether they are good for sunny or shady environments.

Interviewer:  Could you give our viewers a partial list of some really good plants?

Diana:  Yes, sure.  You might want to consider:  

Indoor Air Purifiers - Plants

• Dracaenas
• Palms
• Ferns
• English Ivy
• Peace lily
• Mums and daisies
• Spider plants 

Interviewer:  That sounds great.  I have new found respect for my houseplants. 

Diana:  And for those who REALLY lack a green thumb, you can also try zeolite granules.

Interviewer:  Zeolite granules?  What are they?

Diana:  They are a volcanic material, that has been used in Asia for centuries to assist in detoxification of the body and environment.  It is one of the substances which was used after the Chernobyl incident to help remove radiation from the people who were exposed.  The reason it seems to be so successful is that it has a multi-faceted, honeycomb-like structure which is capable of trapping and bonding with various potentially harmful substances.  If you put these in your home, within about three days, they can absorb all the off-gas from a new paint job.  Then you can bring the bags of granules outside into the sun, and the fumes will diffuse into the atmosphere.  Then you can bring the bags back in and re-use them indefinitely.

Interviewer:  Wow, that sounds really cool. 

Diana:  And it’s inexpensive, too. 

Interviewer:  So what other options do we have for creating a healthier environment in the home?

Diana:  Well, there are many simple products you can make at home to clean your house.  These are mostly made of very common ingredients that you probably already have stocked in your pantry.   

Interviewer:  So what are some examples?

Diana:  Well, one of the simplest and oldest items is vinegar.  The number of things you can do with vinegar will surprise you.  A hundred or so years ago, the French would use apple cider vinegar as a deodorant.  It is also effective as a deterrent against insects, like ants and mosquitoes.

Interviewer:  Really?  Now that we are in the rainy season here, the ants are starting to find their way into my house. 

Diana:  Yes, so one thing you can do is to make a mixture of 50% water & 50% vinegar.  This will wipe up the odors which attract the ants into the house in the first place.  You should spray around the door & window frames about once a week. And you can combine this with a harmless insect repellant such as orange oil, to further act as a deterrent. But we really prefer to create a clean environment that they will not attract insects in the first place. 

Interviewer: So what other things can we use a vinegar solution for?

Diana:  Well, you can use it to clean your floors, windows and countertops.  You can even use it to clean your pets when they come inside.  This is a really safe way to keep both your pets and house clean.  If you do this, though, you want to be very careful not to get the vinegar on sensitive areas like the eyes where it will burn and sting.

Interviewer:  Wow, thanks Dr. Blicharski!  This has been really informative.  I have been meaning to get some new houseplants and now I know which ones to choose.

We really hope you have enjoyed this edition of Healthy Living, and have found this information useful.  See you next week!     

Script from an episode of Supreme Master Television 

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