
Researchers develop a new houseplant that can clean home air (2018) - known
https://www.washington.edu/news/2018/12/19/new-houseplant-can-clean-air/
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jefflombardjr
I love pothos! They are really easy to propogate, not hard to take care of and
even without modification already pretty good at filtering air:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study)

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docgonzo
I have been skeptical about these claims in the past. I really like this tear
down of the previous claims[0]. Since this articles has some specificity,
chloroform and benzene, with a mechanism it seems like some more solid ground,
instead of the vague claims of pollutants. This may be a step in the right
direction though I must admit this is outside of my expertise. [0]
[https://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myth-born-plants-dont-
pur...](https://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myth-born-plants-dont-purify-air/)

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splittingTimes
This 10y old TED talk [1] did trails and claimed you need three plants for
clean indoor air:

Areca palm, mother in law's tongue and money plant.

===

[1] 4min
[https://www.ted.com/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_...](https://www.ted.com/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air/)

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digitalsushi
Floating around this week is this video
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nh_vxpycEA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nh_vxpycEA)
wherein a person sits in a sealed off cube full of plants and carbon dioxide
monitors, with an EMT on the other side for safety - the person claims that
300 ppm of outside air was fresh, and now 400 ppm is fresh - but that indoors,
it can easily climb to over 1000ppm and that there might be a significant
cognitive decline associated with it.

I was looking for a nice wall receptacle for a hallways that measures carbon
dioxide inside my house because I will go for weeks at a time without getting
a proper air-out. In northern new england, honestly, it could be months for
all I know. Only a few random door openings and the leakiness of the house are
my exchange.

I don't know how accurate their claim is, and it's certainly a universal
solvent to consider stale air is the reason a person is behaving a way.
Measuring the levels and being aware of it seems worth 60 bucks, if it's
actually a factor in our rationality.

~~~
dsr_
Even in a well-insulated house with all the doors and windows usually kept
closed, you're going to get a lot of air exchange with the outside world. Any
problems are likely to be very localized -- one room.

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lilbobbytables
Yeah, I don't think the "envelope" is considered well _sealed_ unless your
home is insulated via spray foam.

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JohnJamesRambo
When you read studies like this always make sure they did proper controls.
Studies in the past have done the same experiments again after removing all
the leaves etc. and get the same cleaning of the air. Turns out it was the
microorganisms and absorption in the potting soil transforming and absorbing
the noxious compounds.

This one seems to have been done right but they used levels of contaminants
much higher than would be found in a home.

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bradfa
It'd be interesting to compare using a plant like this and what the
concentration of various chemicals are in common homes against simply having
proper air turnover in the home. If you're turning over the entire volume of
the house every X hours by bringing in fresh air from outside, like modern
building recommendations suggest, then this should reduce any buildup of
chemicals much more effectively, at least to levels which are only slighly
higher than the outside air.

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eeZah7Ux
There are many websites claiming that various plants can clean the air from
allergens and pollutants while scrubbing co2 and providing oxygen.

Kamal Meattle even claims that a handful of large plants are enough to sustain
a person without any external input!
[http://greenspaces.in/blog/ted09/](http://greenspaces.in/blog/ted09/)

I cannot find metastudies and reliable scientific data on the topic. Most
sources cite only the same old NASA study.

Any help?

~~~
slavik81
> Kamal Meattle even claims that a handful of large plants are enough to
> sustain a person without any external input!

This is wishful thinking. If you run the numbers, it's clear that to produce
enough oxygen for even just one person you need a lot more plants than anyone
can reasonably grow inside their homes. You would need 8 lbs of new growth per
day to match the amount that a person consumes.

> The average adult, when resting, inhales and exhales about 7 or 8 liters of
> air per minute. That totals about 11,000 liters of air per day.

> Inhaled air is about 20-percent oxygen. Exhaled air is about 15-percent
> oxygen. Therefore, about 5-percent of breathed air is consumed in each
> breath. That air is converted to carbon dioxide. So, as far as how much air
> is actually used, human beings take in about 550 liters of pure oxygen per
> day.

[https://www.sharecare.com/health/air-quality/oxygen-
person-c...](https://www.sharecare.com/health/air-quality/oxygen-person-
consume-a-day)

> Plants produce 22 L for every 150 g of growth. They would need to increase
> in weight by 3.75 Kg (8 pounds), each day, to produce the oxygen used by one
> person.

[https://www.gardenmyths.com/houseplants-increase-oxygen-
leve...](https://www.gardenmyths.com/houseplants-increase-oxygen-levels/)

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deegles
How do I get a cutting of this plant?

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noxxten
Go to a local Walmart/Target/Lowes etc. Hardware stores and even some
supermarkets have them. If not, literally just post a photo on facebook asking
friends for some or ask around at work. It's extremely common because you
really can't kills it unless you actively try usually. I water mine once a
month usually and it's happy. The only thing I would say is if you get a
cutting, try to multiply it as fast as possible so you can experiment with
which windows/light will help it grow the best.

~~~
existencebox
It's funny you say that. I've killed two in the last few months. I've tried
super low light, normal light, and my succulent shelf. I've tried watering
regularly, and never watering. The leaves just reliably turn this soft brown
and then it dies back to the vine itself then entirely dies off. (Seattle,
indoors)

Nothing makes me feel quite as incompetent at gardening as when I'm able to
kill the plants everyone else says should be foolproof ><

~~~
Vrondi
It is impossible to over-water this plant. It will grow in only water, without
soil, provided the water is rich in nutrients. I stuck a tiny sprig in the
corner of my aquarium, hanging over the top edge, and it has now grown almost
across the entire room (
[https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvN2CzyomlrtiddUmysi3I51CdE39A](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvN2CzyomlrtiddUmysi3I51CdE39A)
). Make sure there are several sets of "nodes" or bumps on the stem that are
under water or soil level, and keep soil really moist in general.

~~~
existencebox
Ugh that looks amazing, I'm so jealous. Looks like you get more light than I
do, but I'll try on the "more water" side, as well as fertilizing. Thanks for
the tips!

~~~
winslow
Just to clarify are you getting cuttings that are dying or established plants
in a container? If you are getting cuttings make sure that you are cutting
nodes and not just the leaf steam if you are trying to propagate. I've added a
video that I've used to know where to cut the vine for propagating.

[1] [https://youtu.be/xpmdo_0CZrU?t=110](https://youtu.be/xpmdo_0CZrU?t=110)

~~~
existencebox
I'm getting established plants in a container, from a local garden place.
Small (2-3 inch) pots, but established.

The _ONLY_ thing I can think of after watching your video is that the house
gets cold at night, since we only keep the bedroom fully heated, so my current
attempt is on my cactus shelf which I keep warmer.

(The link is appreciated regardless, if I ever got one to "stick" I'd love to
propagate it)

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pvaldes
Chills can easily kill it. In winter's Seattle, try non-tropical species
first. Could suit you much better.

~~~
existencebox
I've generally avoided tropical species exactly as you say, but after having
decent luck with some of the "you can't kill this" plants (zz plant,
sansevieria, some ferns/aloe/simple cacti) I figured I'd throw a wider net.

Unfortunately our house both gets _very little_ light and is often quite cold
so that already precludes a lot of options. Some day I'd love to live
somewhere that allows the "room full of giant bushy plants indoors" setup.

~~~
pvaldes
Aspidistra elatior could work. A modest (boring) slow-growing creature. After
some years can produce small and very alien flowers eventually.

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leifmetcalf
I'd be interested to see how effective algae and mosses are at cleaning air,
too, since they are so easy to grow and propagate.

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technotony
This group is working on that. You can currently buy a moss engineered to put
fragrance in your home:
[https://www.mosspirationbiotech.com/shop](https://www.mosspirationbiotech.com/shop)

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kwhitefoot
How much chloroform and benzene is there in the air? The article doesn't say
(or did I miss it?). It seems to imply that the concentrations are high enough
to be a problem but avoids saying so outright; so is there any point to having
these plants?

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garmaine
Depends on the house, and what molds are living within it.

~~~
Cthulhu_
And whether you've got a petrol lawnmower nearby and your water is
chlorinated.

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pvaldes
"Researchers notice that Araceae clean home air, as is known since thousands
of years" would be a more accurate title

~~~
pvaldes
And you don't need Scindapsus necessarily. You can have a more compact
Spathiphyllum in your working lab. It can help removing benzene and also
formaldehyde from the air.

[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13091...](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1309104217305779)

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slavik81
The paper is behind a paywall, but my question is how much gas can the plant
remove? How many plants would be required to have a meaningful effect on a
room?

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vectorEQ
fun fact. if the plant dies it will release it's gas again like other plans.
seems kind of futile 'solution' just dumping the problem on future generations
.. as always

~~~
sp332
This is incorrect. Formaldehyde for example is broken down into CO2 or at
least to formate which is non-toxic.

And while benzene might accumulate in normal plants, this one has an enzyme
which oxidizes benzene so it does not get released later.

