How to Decorate Your Home With Houseplants That Clean The Air

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If you are worried about Dirty House Syndrome (indoor pollution in your home) you don’t have to worry about buying an air cleaner. Mother Nature already produces her own natural air cleaners – houseplants. Some houseplants are very efficient at removing all kinds of toxins from the air including the formaldehyde fumes that are emitted from new carpeting. If you burn a lot of essential oils and are worried about the residual carbons that can linger in the air afterwards then air-cleaning houseplants might be in order.

Indoor air pollution is considered by many experts to be one of the main threats to health in the twenty first century. People are getting ill in what are called “sick buildings”. To make matters even worse, statistics show that most North Americans spend 90% of their entire life indoors in buildings that may be off gassing chemicals and particulates.

Many palms and tropical plants naturally purify the air. Among the two most effective are the Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), the Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii). Plants from the Ficus family are also pretty air purifiers and include the Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica) and the Weeping Fig.

The Lady Palm is also excellent for removing chemical vapors and it is every easy to take care of. The Bamboo palm is top rated by NASA for removing benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. with its attractive, broad shiny leaves survives in less light then most houseplants from the ficus family. It can also survive cooler temperatures (down to forty degrees.) It is very easy to grow and known for its ability to effectively remove all of the types of toxins but particularly formaldehyde from the air.

This is a beautiful South American plant that produces beautiful white shell shaped flowers called spathes. The plant sends up stiff white spathes and can reach a height of two to three feet. It excels when it comes to removing alcohols, acetone, trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde from the air.
\In the fern family, which is probably the least expensive, the top three air cleaners English Ivy, the Australian Sword Fern and the Boston fern. Other assorted plants that combat indoor air pollution are Posths (Epipremnum aureum), any of the many varieties of Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) and English Ivy. Just a note here about English Ivy – it is also used to draw prosperity into a home if you are into gathering lucky plants that also clean the air.

How to Decorate a Living Room in the Asian Way

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The Asian way of decorating can create a real sense of serenity in the home. It also works well in smaller spaces, like condo rooms because it is a style that does away with clutter.

Simplicity is at the heart of this style. Keep your lampshades as paper ones. You can get white ones or red ones which are the most authentic. However many China town stores have them in an attractive yellow color that can make quite a style statement. Places like Ikea also have paper hanging or free standing lanterns that add a real sense of atmosphere to a place. Bamboo place mats are also appropriate. Straw mats look very elegant in any room. You can use one to define the seating area of any room.

Oriental parasols can also make very elegant lampshades. You simply saw them to the right length and use them to cover the fixtures. This is a good way of covering over ugly pot hole lighting.

Another classic type of room divider is called a Shoji room divider and using one in a room can really give a room an Eastern flair. These are wood with bamboo paper.

Simplicity and harmony are also at the heart of the window blinds used in this culture. Opt for simple bamboo blinds to give your home a sense of airiness. Bamboo room dividers can also be used to separate one area from another.

To really give your home that Asian look try using an Asia Scroll painting. Hanging a large Asian scroll on your wall gives it a lovely counter point.

You can also make a big Buddha or a collection of Buddha figures the focus of your room. Deerknocker fountains and koi ponds, (fake or real) also make a beautiful addition to any décor.

Another Asian touch is to hang a pair of crossed swords on the wall. This is an ancient placement to protect against evil. Make sure the swords are not that sharp and hung securely on the wall.

Most Asian homes also have an aquarium or fountain of some kind in the room. These can be large or small. A poster of fish, mountains or peonies or a similar type of image printed on your linens can also help.

At tabletop Zen garden is the kind of decoration that also gives your room that Asian Flare. This is just a patch of sand with pebbles in it and a rake. You then use the rake to make patterns in the sand.