We spend more than 90% of our time indoors, where the air is as much as ten-times more polluted than outside. Toxic compounds emitted from car exhausts, building materials and home furnishings are a more serious issue in cities than in suburban areas.
As well as bringing a touch of nature into our homes, plants have a remarkable ability to filter out these compounds to create a cleaner, healthier environment. They’re actually the most effective way of reducing levels of toxic compounds in a domestic setting.
We put together a collection of air-purifying plants to make choosing the right ones for your space as easy as possible. For example, Rapunzel, our Golden Pothos, can remove formaldehyde and benzene from the air, all the while being wonderfully low-maintenance.
In addition to cleansing the air of toxins, certain plants can transform your sleep thanks to their remarkable ability to release oxygen at night, said by some to improve sleep quality. For all the succulent fans out there, our Aloe Vera (we call him Franky) is one such plant - he both removes toxic compounds and produces oxygen at night rather than during the day.
As well as purifying the air of toxins and oxygenating your room, plants can control dust, preventing coughs and colds, and increase household humidity, which is great for your skin and respiratory system. Simba reports that a Peace Lily (Pippa) can increase the moisture levels in a room by 5%, helping to suppress the airborne bacteria and microbes that keep allergy-sufferers awake. They’ll work hard at improving your health, all while you comfortably snooze away.
Simba’s sleep psychologist, Hope Bastine, tells us why sleep is so important for our wellbeing: “Sleep is the bedrock of all health and wellbeing. Enough good deep sleep flushes our brain of toxins which then helps with our memory, creative thinking, and stabilising our mood. It heals our body, maintains our immune system, lowers sugar and carb craving – thereby warding off obesity and diabetes. Our eight hours also wards off cancer, lowers our risk of heart attacks and strokes. And finally, it makes us look more attractive and healthy!”
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Combine good sleep with the benefits of plants and you’re in for a success. We believe that by bringing plants into your home, life can be so much calmer, healthier and joyful. We’re on a mission to help Londoners reconnect with nature because we believe it’s fundamental to the sustainability of urban life.
Our selection of plants will work well for any bedroom, no matter how much space or light you have. The perfect mix of the decorative, such as the heart-shaped Philodendron (Phil) and the Peace Lily (Pippa), and the beneficial, thanks to the magical Susie the Sansevieria.
Thanks to Simba for the images used in this post. For a chance to win a Simba mattress, plus £600 of Patch plants, enter our competition here.
