Indoor Plants That Help with Asthma and Improve Indoor Air Quality (Part 2)

Spider Plant

Spider Plant

Pros:-

Another easy to maintain and popular houseplant is the Spider Plant. It can remove airborne irritants such as formaldehyde and other air toxins with a 95% removal rate. This is considered to be the best indoor plant for asthma due to its air-purifying prowess. They need bright lighting but does well under artificial light as well.

Cons: –

Spider plants tend to wilt fast, and this is due to incorrect care. If this happens to your plant, you need to troubleshoot and check for the following:

Water – It needs a lot of watering during summer. You need to make sure that the soil won’t dry up during dry seasons including winter. During winter, you need to dry it out in between watering.

Light – Low amount of light and heat can cause it to wilt as well. Too much sun exposure will wilt it.

Soil – If your plant is still drooping, you might need to change the soil and add fertilizer.

Re-potting – If you see its roots growing outside its pot, you need to re-pot your plant to prevent wilting.

Dracaena Plant

Dracaena Plant

Pros: –

This plant is highly recommended for anyone with asthma. Its specialty is removing benzene from cigarette smoke and other household chemicals. But it also removes formaldehyde, xylene, and trichloroethylene. It requires a brightly lit spot in your house but again, no direct sunlight. No need to water it regularly and just like the Peace Lilies, you need to keep the soil moist, but too much water can kill it.

Cons: –

Not a con but this plant has 80 species that comes in different varieties. One problem with this plant is that it can’t tolerate cold temperatures so don’t let it drop from 10-13°C.

Boston Fern

Boston Fern

Pros: –

Like the Areca Palm, this plant can release ample amount of oxygen and moisture in our home. But unlike the Areca, Boston Fern is best as a bedroom plant, as it not only purifies our room but it also helps us sleep due to its high oxygen content.

This plant requires a cool place and high humidity with indirect sunlight. If you have a dry and low humidity indoor place in your house, make sure to mist it once or twice a week. It doesn’t need much fertilizer either.

Cons: –

You need to make sure that the plant’s soil is moist and if the humidity is low, its leaves will turn yellow. It can be susceptible to pests like spider mites and mealy bugs so if it gets infested; you need to treat it immediately.

Things to consider before getting your first indoor plant:

Mold is a known stimulant or trigger for asthma. Seeing as indoor plants need moist soil, this can be a problem if you don’t take extra care of your plants. Make sure to not over water your plants and allow the soil to dry out first before watering, especially during the humid, summer months when the soil is less likely to dry out.

Pollen is another issue but can quickly be resolved. By choosing female plants and heavy pollen-bearing plants, there won’t be an issue as they won’t get airborne.

Not all indoor plants are made equal which means that there are indoor plant varieties that can help purify indoor air and may be more decorative than what we have listed. However, make sure you ask your local nursery or do further research first before putting it in your home. They might carry triggers and make your asthma worse.

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