Myth debunked-Indoor plants aren't actually purifying the air.

 Everyone has become more health-conscious than ever amid covid-19 pandemic. Without a second thought, people are putting their money into personal hygiene. Following the trend, the demand for house plants has increased manifold.

 But, do you think planting so-called air purifier plants really get the job done?

The myth is still prevalent. This is the outcome of NASA's experiment on some plants conducted in the space station under controlled airtight laboratory condition and is way different from indoor air which is dynamic rather than stationary.

NASA's Air Purifier Schematic

This experiment took an exaggeration and there were articles and videos about the benefits of house plants and claims that these plants improve air quality significantly.

In reality, to detoxify a (10x10)m room, we would require around 1000 plants, which is infeasible at least for most of us. There is no denying the fact that indoor air is filled with massive pollutants like carbon dioxide, ozone and VOC(volatile organic compounds), which include benzene, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, toluene, etc. Also, household products consistently give off a low level of polluting chemicals, be it carpet, furniture, electronic appliances and even wall paint.

People usually  jump on the bandwagon  because of  two reasons:

• We blindly follow the media. The actual data was exaggerated and misinterpreted by the popular press at that time too.
• We never research articles, news, blogs. Results obtained in this test were limited to a confined chamber sealed off from the entire world.

This video demonstrates the experiment which was carried out by NASA in the late 1980s. It is called Nasa air purifying device.

Final Thoughts:

 Although house plants won't contribute much when it comes to detoxifying the air. It is quite evident that surrounding ourselves with greenery and nature offer a host of benefits. Therefore indoor plants should be kept for they bring happiness, reduce stress, improving mood, and cognitive ability.