Sitting in a closed space for eight hours a day is no joke, especially when the airflow is not as natural as it should be and as much as you may not realize it, breathing in stuffy and stale air isn’t good for your health and it can lead to a number of respiratory complications. Setting up a home office is one thing; making it conducive for work is another story and one that requires much more than state-of-the-art furniture.
So how exactly do you ensure that the air you are breathing is as fresh as the one outside?
With an air conditioner out of the question due to the huge cost of running them all day, the best option for you would be to go natural, and the air purification plants are your best bets. Not only do you get to bring your home office alive with good-looking plants, but you get fresh air at no extra cost. The following are the best ten air purifying plants you can have in your home office in 2021.
Devil's Ivy
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Devil’s Ivy, also called the Golden Pothos, is a famous plant known for its waxy leaves, and it makes for an excellent indoor plant that would do very well for your home office space. It is a miniature crawler type of hardy plant and doesn't have a lot of needs. You only need to water it regularly and have it placed in spots that receive sufficient natural light, preferably a window.
As far as the soil requirements go, the plant can survive in just about any type of soil that can retain moisture for long, but you have to be a little cautious as it is an invasive plant; pruning will be needed to stop it from overgrowing the plant pot. All parts of the plant are toxic, so be sure to keep it far from the reach of children and pets.
Peace Lily
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The Peace Lily plant is a common garden plant that loves to grow near large water sources but can also thrive indoors, providing your home office with fresh air, thanks to the huge leaves it spots. Growing the plant indoors is easy, but its survival depends on the satisfaction of the right conditions. They need sufficient light, and when the conditions are right, they can grow pretty fast to the point they sprout beautiful white flowers.
The most common mistake that people make with this plant is overwatering; they don’t need that much, and keeping to a weekly schedule would be the best course of action for you. As for maintenance, ensure you wipe the leaves regularly as they are dust magnets, thanks to their big sizes. Just ensure you use normal water and avoid commercial leaf shine products as they tend to clog the leaves’ pores, which could suffocate the plant to death.
Corn Plant
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Also called the Dracaena, the Corn Plant is a common feature of indoor spaces, and there are records that date back to the 1800s where it gained prominence in the United States. It has a thick stem that comes with nodes that produce narrow leaves that sprout from the sides like those from corn, growing upwards the bigger it gets. The corn plant is a very hardy plant that doesn’t require too much attention and can grow fairly tall if left to its devices.
The Dracaena does very well in moist and well-draining soils, and on maturity, they sprout beautiful yellow flowers that can add that needed aesthetic touch to your home office. You need to have them near the window but avoid direct sunlight. You have to keep them as far as possible from kids and pets since their leaves are toxic, and they may cause problems if ingested by accident.
Spider Plant
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The Spider Plant could as well take the crown for the best-looking office plant on this list, that on top of being one of the leafiest plants you can ever have, which means it has an excellent fresh air output that most of the others on this list lack. The plant features long leaves that have a yellow stripe in the middle that blend well with the green on the side to give it a very beautiful appearance. Once the plant has grown long enough, the leaves start hanging on the side like falling hair.
The Spider Plant, despite its intimidating name, is non-toxic and requires very little attention. It thrives well in moist soils, medium to bright indirect sunlight, and temperatures that range between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It can survive well in any size of the plant pot, but you will be well served to go for a slightly bigger one that will be able to still accommodate the plant once it grows big.
Bamboo Palm
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This oriental plant of the grass family has been a mainstay feature in many compounds around the world, thanks to the many beautiful variations that exist. Although they grow better outdoors, they do have the fortitude to survive indoors, and they make for some of the most reliable and low-maintenance plants you can ever have for your home office space. The plant has a graceful growth pattern, spreading outwards without falling to the ground the bigger it gets. It produces a lot of leaves in the process that helps get rid of carbon dioxide from closed spaces efficiently.
Bamboo Palm plant only requires regular watering in the early stages; the need reduces gradually the bigger it gets, and you are advised to let the soil surface dry out before adding more water. It requires sufficient sunlight so ensure you have it placed in a well-lit location.
Rubber Plants
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The Rubber Plant is another hardy office addition that never grows too big but has sizable leaves that help clean a stuffy room faster than most other plants on this list. It is what you would call a natural humidifier as it also releases water moisture into the air, cooling things down when the temperatures get a little too high in the summer months. The plants do well in low light; therefore, you should avoid placing them in the path of direct sunlight. The leaves are toxic, and care should be taken when pets and children are around the room.
Chinese Evergreen
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This is a tropical foliage plant that has lush leaves that can regulate the humidity of the room and clean the air of any carbon dioxide. Managing it is very easy, and you don’t even require to be an expert on plants for it to survive. It requires very little water and can withstand direct sunlight, although it is best to keep it a shaded corner once in a while. The plant thrives in well-drained soils that are a mix of perlite, potting soil, and sand. The normal room temperature is more than enough for the Chinese Evergreen, but you should keep them away from cold drafts during winter as that can turn the greens brown, interfering with their ability to filter the air in the room.
Weeping Fig
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The Weeping Fig is another plant that has been used as a house plant for years, dating back to the Victorian era. It is loved for the bushy growth it assumes the bigger it grows with a dense concentration of leaves towards the top. The plant is good at getting rid of all kinds of toxins from the environment they are placed in, and this includes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, toluene, formaldehyde, and xylene. However, they are delicate plants and require proper maintenance for them to survive. Keep them away from direct light and drafts as this causes them to wilt.
Aloe Vera
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The list wouldn’t be incomplete without mentioning one of the most versatile and valuable plants on earth, the Aloe Vera. Known mostly for its medicinal properties, the plant also makes for very good air purifiers and aesthetic pieces indoors. This is the perfect plant for your home office because it can handle just about anything. All you have to do is to ensure it gets enough water and sunlight, and it will serve you well. It is especially effective in getting rid of formaldehyde and benzene, two compounds that are present in paints, varnishes, floorboards, and detergents.
Chrysanthemums
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Chrysanthemums are among the most liked flowers, thanks to their bright colors and bushy appearance. But what many people don’t know is that it is a very good air purifier. On top of turning your home office into a beautiful and scented space, it makes the air cleaner by getting rid of benzene, ammonia, and other toxins that are found in paints, glue, and detergents. As far as maintenance is concerned, the plant only requires sufficient water and sunlight, and you are set for a long time. Make sure you place it in a spot that gets bathed with the direct rays of the sunlight.
Conclusion
Besides having air-purifying plants around your home office, you can also do your part by investing in eco-friendly furniture and their accessories. One particular furniture piece that would fit right into such a space is the Bamboo Standing Desktop from Flexispot. This is an eco-friendly working desk that is created using recyclable bamboo. It has the following features.
Source: Flexispot
- Environmentally Friendly: The material used to construct this desktop is renewable bamboo that is coated with eco-friendly lacquer coating that is in strict compliance with the E0 standards. Combining this with the plants in the home office gets you the highest quality of air possible.
- Highly Durable: The bamboo used in the construction of this masterpiece is of the highest quality and boasts of high maturity and elasticity, and these attributes ensure the desktop stays with you for a very long time. The three-layered top is coated with a water-resistant coat that prevents any liquids from leaching into the wood, causing damage.
- Elegant Appearance: The table features the signature bamboo grain, thanks to the use of lateral compression technology that retains the natural qualities of the bamboo, adding much-needed beauty to the space, especially when you combine it with the bamboo palm plant.
If you are planning to set up your home office, then this guide is what you need right now. There are many other great office plants you can go for, and this is a good starting point for you. So, get out there and get a nice plant for your home office right now.
