Why Houseplants Are Key to a Healthy Home

Photo by Huy Phan

Feeling down, tired and “wilted?” It’s time to turn a new leaf with a few houseplants to green “up” your home and improve your health. Adding a few houseplants to your home space is a beautiful, intelligent decor move that benefits you and your family. With the right sprouts greening your home, you may find that the key to better health, inner peace and renewed mental energy is a few plants away.

5 Health Benefits of Indoor Plants 

Knowing the basic beneficial truths of houseplants, it’s only fitting that you discover the reasons plants improve your home. You can now decide if you should rush out for some indoor plants. 

Houseplants have several beneficial traits that make them essential to a healthy home. Here are some of the main ones, as explained by science.

1. Calm Stress Responses

High blood pressure is a common indicator of increased stress levels. Researchers found being around houseplants lowered it, as well as slowed participants’ pulses and reduced anxiety, so a view with a leafy plant in your home may help you feel more restful.

2. Stabilize Indoor Humidity 

Houseplants can transform your home from a desert to a rainforest. A recent study found plants can help increase indoor humidity by as much as 58 grams. If your home feels dry, adding some plants can freshen it up and bring moisture back into the air. 

3. Purifies Air

There’s a reason people like to go outside for “fresh air.” Plants reduce the amount of toxins in the air and will have you breathing cleaner in your home. Some plants, like peace lilies, can improve indoor air quality by as much as 60%. They’ll reduce mold spores and many other harmful vapors from your home. 

4. Provides Aromatherapy

Plants release scents into the air, especially if the variety you get flowers. Choose any of these houseplants with aromatherapy benefits:

• Lavender: The perennial herb adds tranquility to your bedroom or office.
• Mini citrus fruit trees: These are ideal plants for sunny spaces like your living room or kitchen. The citrusy scent can help kill bacteria, while the oil can reduce pain. 
• Mint: This herb is a great addition to your office or living area for anxiety and migraine relief.
• Eucalyptus: The eucalyptus plant is ideal for someone who deals with frequent congestion.

5. Improve Mood

If you keep your houseplants for a long time, you may find yourself a little happier. One study found adults who spent years taking care of their plants had greater mental well-being. It’s wise to start with one, but the researchers did note having more around created the same effect.

9 Must-Have Plants at Home 

Find the nearest gardening and plant shop — you’re sure to take several of the following plants home.

1. Snake Plant 

The other, wittier name for a snake plant is mother-in-law’s tongue. This tall green plant is a favorite houseplant. The scientific name — Dracaena trifasciata — fits the sword-like leaves quite well. Seeing the lush but pointy leaves, you can almost imagine a planted version of Game of Thrones’ throne of swords. 

The snake plant is an excellent air purifier. The dark green leaves increase your home’s oxygen levels. It’s also easy to care for and grows well in sunny windowsills.   

2. Spider Plant

The Chlorophytum comosum — or spider plant — is a dense bush with smaller, spider-like plants attached to it. It’s easy to grow as a trailing plant in a hanging planter. Since the spider plant is safe for people and pets, it’s ideal for pet-friendly homes. 

Spider plants excel at air filtration, but it is best to keep them out of direct sunlight. Hang them in bathrooms, kitchens, and living spaces. 

3. Dracaena 

Several varieties of the Dracaena — or dragon plants — make good indoor plants. The shrubs are from the same family as asparagus. Like the snake plant, the Dracaena is great at air filtration and increasing ambient humidity. 

There are a variety of colors and shapes for dragon plants, making them easy to cultivate. No home should be without a Dracaena houseplant.  

4. Peace Lily 

The peace lily, with its spear-shaped white or yellow flowers and juicy, green leaves, is an office favorite. These plants are popular gifts for the bereaved and those recovering from illness. The dense foliage makes them great air scrubbers and oxygen producers. 

5. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is great for sunburns and other skin ailments. It’s also straightforward to grow, as it thrives on neglect.

6. Queen Fern

Sticking with the sword theme, the queen fern is a houseplant staple. The large sword-like fronds have many leaves on each, making the plant easy to grow. The small leaves turn brown when humidity levels drop in your home, so it’s a natural humidity meter. 

7. Rubber Tree

The rubber tree — a member of the Ficus family — may grow massive in nature, but it’s an ideal houseplant. Its large, waxy leaves are excellent for air purification and oxygen production. The large leaf size also makes it a superb choice for blocking noise pollution. Keep rubber plants out of direct sunlight. 

8. Philodendron Heartleaf

Many of the Philodendron varieties are ideal houseplants. The heartleaf variety features soft, heart-shaped leaves. These leaves are great at purifying air and increasing humidity. The creeping stems thrive on a trellis. They make for an ideal sound barrier if you use an in-window sun filter to ensure partial sunlight exposure. 

9. Chinese Evergreen

The Chinese evergreen — or Aglaonema — is an ideal houseplant for a dense indoor planter box and makes an excellent room divider. Various colors and leaf shapes are available. The lush bush is an ideal air filter and oxygen producer, so add it to your list. 

Houseplants That Are Dangerous for Children and Animals 

If you have kids or pets in your home, you must be extra careful about your indoor plants. You may be unlikely to chew on that aloe vera leaf, but your child or cat could. Make informed decisions to protect your family. 

Popular houseplants to avoid when you have pets and kids include:

• Amaryllis
• Lilies 
• Monstera deliciosa 
• Pothos
• Mint
• Philodendrons
• Jade plant 
• English ivy
• Chrysanthemums 
• Aloe vera

Where to Place Houseplants for a Healthy Home 

The space for each houseplant depends on your decor preferences and the individual plant’s growing requirements. Most indoor plants prefer indirect or filtered sunlight, so placing them in windowsills isn’t advisable. 

Varieties that need misting do well in bathrooms and kitchens with higher ambient humidity. However, adding these plants to a room with dry air is a great way to track the ambient humidity. When the plants wilt, the air is too dry. Misting them will increase the humidity and ensure you stick to the recommended 30%-50% humidity levels.

Houseplant Health and Safety Considerations 

Your goal is to improve your home health with houseplants. Ensuring your choice of plants doesn’t include toxic plants is a good starting point. When choosing a houseplant at your local shop, it’s best to ask these questions:

• Poison control: Are this plant and its leaves, roots, flowers, berries, and stems safe for people and pets?
• Allergy control: Does this plant produce a flower or fruit that could trigger allergies?
• Humidity control: While plants need humidity and produce their own humidity, some can cause excess humidity. Ask the plant salesperson: Is this plant a big humidity producer?
• Growth requirements: Is this plant difficult to grow, or will it thrive in your home? Imagine getting a plant for emotional support only to have it die because you live somewhere with too low of humidity.
• Home health: Some plants help improve your home’s air quality, while others indicate what that air quality is like. Is this plant sensitive to air and humidity changes? What are the signs that it’s too dry or cold in my home?
• Pest infestation: Does this plant attract allergy-causing pests like aphids and plant lice?

The Last Leaf 

Now you know why giving a houseplant is a popular housewarming gift or “get well soon” thought to share. Have you made the most of your houseplants? Consider where you can add a beneficial indoor plant so you and your family can enjoy the fantastic benefits of a houseplant. 

Creating a herbarium of amazing houseplants can increase oxygen, remove allergens, and improve air quality. Houseplants can also create a peaceful space you’ll want to return to daily.