Many people suffer from the effects of dry indoor air, especially in the winter when the weather is at its harshest and your split air conditioning unit is working hard to warm up the room.
The lack of moisture around the home can cause your skin to dry out, which in turn leads to irritation. Cracked lips, sore eyes, and dry sinus passages are just a few of the negative side effects. However, using indoor plants can help to increase the moisture levels within the home, much like trees and plants fulfil a similar purpose in the outside world and improve your indoor air quality.
Do indoor plants help with dry air?
The short and simple answer is yes, indoor plants can help to combat dry air, but only if you select the right kind of plant.
Nearly all plants provide some level of humidity and moisture to the surrounding air, but some are far more effective than others.
When the indoor air is dry, particularly during the winter months, a plant can act as a straw. It sucks the water up through the soil, passes it through the stem, and stores it in the leaves before evaporating back into the air. This is referred to as transpiration and is the process that benefits us, humans, as it creates moisture in the air around our skin, eyes, and sinus passages.
Plants with larger leaves often provide better humidity effects than those will small surface areas. These larger leaves absorb more light and CO2, as well as evaporating more water into the air.
Top 15 house plants for re-humidifying your dry indoor air
1. Acreca Plant
This has been named as one of the most efficient air purifying plants for indoor use by none other than NASA, as well as being labelled an effective humidifier. These are also low maintenance in terms of care.
Photo Credit: trees.com
2. Boston Fern
Adds humidity and moisture to your home without requiring complicated care. The Boston Fern needs only frequent watering/misting to remain healthy and effective, kept in indirect sunlight.
Photo Credit: trees.com
3. Spider Plant
Not only is this plant great at keeping the air moist within your home, but it also boasts beautiful long leaves and white flowers. Let them dry out between each dose of water and keep them in medium/bright light.
Photo Credit: trees.com
4. Peace Lily
Much like the Spider Plant, the Peace Lily grows beautiful white flowers. Not only does it boasts a high transpiration rate, but it also removes indoor toxins from the air. However, it is not always ideal for pet owners as the plant is toxic to cats and dogs.
Photo Credit: trees.com
5. Rubber Plant
These plants are effective air purifier and humidifiers and can grow up to eight feet tall. Keep them in partial sunlight and water them sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out between each helping.
Photo Credit: trees.com
6. Chinese Evergreen
These are very low maintenance plants and can survive with low light and sparing watering, just make sure that the soil has the opportunity to fully drain. It can purify air toxins and helps to humidify the air.
Photo Credit: trees.com
7. Snake Plant
Very difficult to kill, even for the forgetful and inexperienced gardeners among you. These plants can survive low light and infrequent watering, but bring moisture to the indoor environment.
Photo Credit: trees.com
8. Dracaena Marginata
The glossy leaves with red edges certainly stand out from other plants. However, beyond the external beauty, these plants also filter out toxins from the air, humidify, and remove both formaldehyde and benzene from your home.
Photo Credit: trees.com
9. Bamboo Palm
This plant looks to remove toxins from your indoor air, including benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Not only that, but they add moisture to the air and create clean oxygen for you and your family.
Photo Credit: trees.com
10. Jade Plant
These thrive in the dark, meaning that they do their best work at night and in the winter months. They increase the humidity in the room and add moisture to the air.
Photo Credit: trees.com
11. English Ivy
In terms of care to output ratio, few plants can beat the English Ivy. They are very easy to maintain and have one of the best transpiration rates on the market, making them perfect for increasing humidity and removing CO2 from the air.
Photo Credit: trees.com
12. Lady Palm
These plants thrive in bright light but are also adaptable and low maintenance. They are effective at combatting dry air but need to be watered regularly and thoroughly to keep the soil damp to the touch.
Photo Credit: Plants in a Box
13. Golden Pothos
These plants are almost impossible to kill, even if you forget to provide it with water and light for long periods of time. However, the Golden Pothos can also be toxic to dogs and cats.
Photo Credit: trees.com
14. Pygmy Date Palm
These are essentially like mini palm trees and are great at keeping the air in the room clean, as well as increasing the humidity. Not only that, but they are also very easy to look after.
Photo Credit: tutuguru.com.au
15. Corn Plant
These plants remove toxic vapours in the air and humidify the room, while also being low maintenance. Just let the top inch of soil dry out before watering each time and keep them in a well-lit room.
Photo Credit: trees.com
How many plants do I need to humidify a room?
If you are looking to humidify a home using house plants alone, then you need to densely populate it, depending on the plants that you choose.
Of course, each plant has a different humidification and transpiration rate depending on its species and size.
isotretinoin with no rx In general, a 165 square metre house would require between 15 and 25 plants in order to sufficiently humidify it.
This works out to roughly one plant for every 6.5 to 11 square metres, depending on the size of the house or room in question.
Make sure you think of how you’d like to style your space with these indoor plants before you press buy!
Where Can I buy indoor plants online in Perth?
We wouldn’t dare to list all the nurseries you can buy from in Perth. However, we can give you some pointers if you want to buy some plants from the comfort of your home.
Good online shops that deliver around Perth are:
