Essential Oils as Air Purifiers

Here is an interesting concept. Diffusing essential oils into the air can help improve the air quality.

Some things diffused essential oils can do

• Inhibit growth of infectious microbes - used in hospitals in France and England
• Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial
  
• Remove odors - alters structure of odors making them harmless
  
• Removes metallic particles
• Removes chemicals from the air
  
• Increases negative ions
• May stimulate and oxygenate your brain
• Neutralize mildew
• Neutralize cigarette smoke

Which Oils?

Some of oils to consider using for diffusing are:

• Lemon
• Tea Tree Oil
• Eucalyptus Oil
• Rosewood
• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Frankincense
  

How to Diffuse

The common aroma oil burner, heated by a tea light candle, is perhaps the method most well known. While this does work, some suggest that if the reason for diffusing the oils is therapeutic then it is better to use a method that does not use heat. The basis of this is the possibility that heat changes the chemical make up of the oil.
Some cold methods of diffusion include glass nebulizers, vaporizers, humidifiers and evaporation devices.

A glass nebulizer is the most effective as it will properly ionize and microscopically size the molecules of the essential oil. This ensures suspension of the droplets in the air for longer.

Misting the oil is an easy and inexpensive way to diffuse the oils into the air. Fill a 1 oz spray bottle with purified water. Add 10-15 drops of essential oil. Shake the bottle vigorously before misting the contents, as the oil does not mix well with water. The other alternative is to add a bit of vodka to the oil before adding to the water.

Inhalation is another way of dispersing the essential oils. Put 1-2 drops on a tissue, cotton ball or handkerchief. Place it in your pillow case, in front of your heating/cooling vents, in your car or other place where you want the effects of the essential oil.

Whether you want to improve the air quality or just enjoy the aromas experiment and see what works for you.

Have fun and enjoy the experience of essential oils.

Jocelyn

20 of the 50 Plants To Purify Your Air

More on Plants and Air Quality

Last post I shared some more about plants improving air quality. A German study investigated what happened to things like formaldahyde after the plants removed it from the air. They wanted to know whether the plants stored the chemicals and whether they later re-released them back into the air.
What they found was that enzymes in the leaves of the plant break the toxins down into non-toxic components that the plant can use. It is a little like the way the human liver cleanses the body of toxins. The chemicals then move into the root system and the soil and micro-organisms break it down even further.

A Larger List of Plants

I came across the complete list of plants, from the NASA study, sourced from the original author.

Best plants that remove chemical vapors from indoor air.

• Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)

• Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis")

• Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)

• English Ivy (Hedera helix)

• Florist's Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)

• Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii)

• Kimberley Queen (Nephrolepis obliterata)

• Rubber Plant (Ficus robusta)

• Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

• Corn/Happy plant (Dracaena fragrans "Massangeana")

• Dracaena "Janet Craig" (Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig")

• Schefflera/Umbrella Tree (Brassaia actinophylla)

• Peace/Madonna Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)

• Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)

• Dendrobium Orchid (Dendrobium sp.)

• Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia "Exotica compacta")

• Ficus Alii (Ficus macleilandii "Alii")

• King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii)

• Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa)

• Lily turf (Liriope spicata)

Source: Dr. B. C. Wolverton, Eco-friendly house plants, 1996

Dr Wolverton wrote a book, "How to Grow Fresh Air :50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office". If you are interested in learning more about how to rid your air of toxins this could be a great read.

It is fantastic that there is such an easy, natural way to improve the air that we breathe. While plants are not the only thing that we might need to to to ensure that our indoor air is as good as it can be, it will certainly help in our efforts to improve our health.

Be healthy and happy

Jocelyn

Plants for Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality and Plants

Spider Plant

I thought I would give you with some pictures of some of the plants that help improve the quality of the air through removing toxins.
This first one, the spider plant, is one of my favourites. They are very common and easy to grow. That means that even if plants normally die on you this one will probably be okay. They don't mind much what conditions they have.

They are also known as Ribbon Plant or Airplane Plant

Aloe Vera

Not only will aloe vera, also known as Aloe Barbadensis, help improve your indoor air quality but it is useful for healing burns, bites and skin problems.


In the NASA studies of plants and air quality, they studied 19 different plants. They found to improve the air quality in a 1,800 square foot house, you need about 15-18 good sized plants in 6 to 8 inch diameter pots.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum's, along with the bamboo palm, are good for eliminating benzene. These are out gassed from things such as perfumes, scented candles, plastic and washing powders.

The other flower that was tested was the gerbera. This is effective in reducing formaldehyde from the air.


Other plants beside the nineteen tested by NASA may be useful in this regard as well. However the tests did show that not all plants were equal. Some were better against some pollutants than others. So even if you are not a green thumb having indoor plants is good for your health.

I am the world's worst gardener and I have a bamboo palm that does quite well in my house even though the gardeners in my family have been telling me for two years that it desperately needs re potting. Ah well one day it might get done.

Be healthy and enjoy your house plants

Jocelyn