The Benefits of Office Plants
Decorate Your Workspace With Nature’s Air Filters
A daisy on your desk and a philodendron on the filing cabinet will do more than just brighten up your cubicle. Adding plants to your office can also help clean the air.
You spend 90 percent of your time indoors. Poor indoor air quality can cause health problems ranging from headaches, dizziness, and fatigue to eyes, nose, and throat irritation.
The furnishings, upholstery, building materials, and cleaning products used in an office can emit several indoor air pollutants. Indoor air quality is also negatively affected by outdoor pollutants, such as pollen, bacteria, and mold. The indoor air may quality be worse in an office because of inadequate ventilation, especially if it’s located in an older building.
In 1989, NASA published a report, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, stating that plants acted as humidifiers and air filters, helping absorb pollutants like formaldehyde, benzene, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and thus improving indoor air quality.
Houseplants clean the air by taking in carbon dioxide and particulates and releasing oxygen. The microbes in potting soil also play a role by breaking down toxins in the air.
Picking the Right Plants
Not all plants thrive in all environments.
Some plants, such as succulents, daisies, palms, and birds of paradise, need a lot of sunlight, so they are better suited to offices with south-or west-facing windows than windowless cubicles.
In contrast, the leaves on houseplants such as philodendrons, golden pothos, and ferns will burn if the plants are placed in direct sunlight; these plants prefer low light or filtered light, making them good choices for cubicles.
Look at the care tag that comes with a houseplant to learn about its care requirements, and pick plants that are best suited for your office environment.
NASA research showed that you need to use one potted plant per 100 square feet to effectively clean the air, which means that just one plant in a 10’-by-10’ cubicle will improve air quality in your corner of the office.