Mustiness, dampness, and winter mold in the home are caused by too much humidity, which can have health consequences. Solutions like dehumidifiers could be effective, but there could be a better one—plants.
Houseplants are a more beautiful, natural way to remove some of the damp ambiance and clammy air inside your home. Humidity-absorbing indoor plants serve a dual purpose through harvesting their required moisture from the air and bringing the outdoors in.
How plants help reduce humidity
Using houseplants can be really useful in a lot of ways. One of the most interesting benefits we get from them is that they serve as natural dehumidifiers. Most plants get moisture from the air by their leaves, but some of them are extremely efficient at the process and harvest much of their moisture through their leaves.
This is really good news since a high level of moisture indoors can be associated with respiratory problems and can threaten your house’s structure.
Maintaining an ideal humidity inside your home is important for healthy living. Start bringing in these eight houseplants that can help reduce humidity levels and improve your health and wellbeing.
1. Peace Lily
This plant will help reduce the level of humidity as it is a type of plant that, despite being watered, will absorb moisture as well from the air through its leaves. It needs little sunlight to flourish, so it’s no challenge to keep this plant healthy indoors. Peace lily will help purify certain contaminants of your indoor air at the same time.
2. Boston Fern
This is another well-known houseplant that can thrive in more moist climates, and because of this, it will naturally absorb the air moisture, balancing out humidity levels and making your home more comfortable living space. Boston fern needs just moist soil and indirect sunlight to survive inside your home. You might need to mist the plant if your air dries out quite a bit during the winter months to keep it from perishing.
If you don’t want real ferns indoors or out, you might like this fake fern we bought.
3. Palms
Palms grow in more humid, tropical areas and will absorb a bit of moisture through their leaves. Whether you opt for lady palm, areca palm, bamboo palm, or reed palm, they are all great at helping get rid of air pollutants indoors, formaldehyde in particular. Palms are easy to care for as well.
But the most ideal if compared to other types is the reed palm as it can survive in lower light and can grow indoors. You just need to keep the soil moist all the time.
4. Orchids
Epiphytes, such as orchids, are plants that thrive harmlessly on other objects or plants. They are definitely the types of plants that help reduce humidity indoors as they get nutrients and moisture from the air surrounding them.
5. Spider Plant
Spider plants have become very popular as indoor plants for their low maintenance and impressive appearance.
The gracefully arching leaves make a spider plant look elegant, but it’s more than what it can offer. What makes it stand out from other household plants is its capability to survive in neglect and low light. Apart from that, it removes up to 90% of harmful air pollutants inside the house.
6. Tillandsia
A tillandsia flourishes best when it is kept indoors, on a sunny windowsill, in order for it to receive lots of filtered sunlight.
It can live off the nutrients and moisture in the air by absorbing them through its leaves. This means tillandsia can be used as well as a very effective natural humidifier inside your home. Make sure to water it at least two to three times a week because it still requires regular watering to survive.
7. Cactus
Xerophytes like cactus are plants that can thrive in deserts and require low-liquid water. They are known for their capability to grow in harsh temperature areas. These plants are commonly known to have thick stems and waxy or hairy leaves. They are very useful for catching and keeping water from the air and reducing humidity.
8. English Ivy
English Ivy is fantastic if you have pets, as it can help decrease the amount of airborne fecal matter. Apart from that, it can help absorb formaldehyde that, is more known than you think it is, and can be found in furniture, household cleaning products, and carpeting treatments. English ivy can also remove molds that are common in humid areas. It’s easy to care for and needs little sunlight.
All you need to do is keep the soil moist. It would be best to keep it in hanging pots so it can absorb humidity that rises.
Inspiration for this post: Natural Living Ideas (with permission)
