Houseplants That Fight Mold
Did you know that several common houseplants can actually fight mold growth in your home? Plants help purify the air while balancing humidity levels. They can remove mold spores and other airborne toxins and help create an indoor environment that inhibits mold growth. If you want to improve your indoor air quality, adding a few houseplants could make a significant difference.
In a study conducted by NASA, researchers found that certain houseplants can remove many dangerous toxins from the indoor air environment. The study measured the quantity of air pollutants (smoke, solvents, chemicals, and pathogenic microorganisms like mold spores) that certain types of plants could destroy. Some of the highest-performing plants are common indoor favorites.
3 Easy-to-Grow Houseplants That Fight Mold
English Ivy
One of the best houseplants for fighting mold, English ivy works like a natural air purifier to significantly reduce mold spore counts. This plant likes consistent light, humid air, and dry soil. The leaves and berries of English ivy are toxic if eaten, so keep your plants out of reach of kids and pets.
Spider Plants
Green spider plants can also help remove mold spores from the air and they are very easy to grow. Like English ivy, spider plants prefer dry soil. Wait until the top inch or so of your plant’s soil is completely dry before you give it a drink—overwatering could actually encourage mold to grow.
Boston Fern
This houseplant soaks up humidity and doesn’t need a lot of light, so it’s a great choice for your bathroom. Boston ferns could get white powdery mildew when their environment gets excessively humid. If your fern’s leaves look gray, take it outside and trim away any affected leaves, then leave it in a room with good ventilation so it can dry out.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Although houseplants that fight mold can help improve your indoor air quality, there could still be mold growing behind your walls or ceiling where you can’t see it. Mold in your home or work environment can have a serious impact on your health. If you are experiencing symptoms like itchy eyes, runny nose, and shortness of breath, it could be due to hidden mold in your home or office.
The experts at My Pure Environment want to improve the health of our local communities by removing mold and pathogens from our neighbors’ homes and offices. Our demolition-free, patented dry fog technology works quickly to remove mold in just hours. To schedule a free, onsite air consultation in the Santa Clara area, call us today at (408) 549-8926.
Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash used with permission under the Creative Commons license for commercial use 11/07/2021.
