Nature is fierce, incredible, logical, unforgiving, and loud. We are awed and endangered by a storm at sea or a mountain blizzard.
It is also beautiful, evocative, healing, transcendent, and quiet. We are captivated by waves lapping a sandy shore or birds singing in wind-rustled trees.
Nature is both our friend and a force to be reckoned with. The industrial revolution wrought much havoc on it and started the ongoing environmental impact that we see world-wide today. However, there is a renewed public knowledge of and appreciation for nature’s fragility and its gifts. People understand the many benefits of spending time outside and amidst natural surroundings. People pay outrageous real estate prices for homes with a panoramic view of nature.
Those of us living in developed countries with the infrastructure in place to ensure a comfortable lifestyle for most people have come around to see nature as a desirable amenity instead of something to be contended with. In other words, because many of us are not at the mercy of the outdoor elements and can take shelter in insulated homes constructed of waterproof materials and which are heated or cooled to our comfort, we enjoy nature on our own terms. And it may seem ironic that though we do want to stay safe, warm and dry, many of us still want to incorporate nature into our homes as much as possible. We want to bring the outside in.
Why Our Homes Are Healthier When We Bring the Outside In
It turns out that even while we are safe and protected from nature’s elements, being indoors most of the time is not as healthy as being outside. There are many reasons for this, including the effects of airborne toxins released by household furniture, housing materials, cleaning products, and other synthetic products composed of chemicals that are harmful to human and animal health. It is wise to opt for natural options when you can for any given product, but sometimes this is neither possible nor affordable. In those cases, the best way to mitigate indoor toxins is by opening windows as much as possible to allow in fresh air, clean frequently (and carpets and rugs store way more toxins from lawn chemicals and furniture off-gassing than does hard flooring), and incorporate as many house plants as you can keep alive.
Spending time outdoors is important for our health thanks to the emotional and physical benefits of direct sunshine (vitamin D production and mood enhancement), immune-enhancing microorganisms found in soil, and fresh air that is purified by plant life everywhere.
It is a well-known fact that plants clean the air – helping to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases outside and purifying the air inside. If we live in an Arctic climate where it is not always comfortable (or safe!) to spend much time outside, or if we find ourselves stuck indoors more often than we would like due to our job or due to living in an area with a lot of smog immediately outside of our home, one of the best things we can do is to incorporate houseplants.
Bring in Houseplants to Live in Your Home
Not only do houseplants help to purify the air we breathe and benefit our health, but plants are beautiful and calming. Nature soothes. This is the reason why we see trees planted along the medians of highly trafficked roads. City planners know that trees have a calming effect on drivers and tend to reduce speeding. Cultivating houseplants is the best way to bring the outside in and reap its benefits.
Plants require light to survive, but not all varieties need as much as you may think. As fellow sun-lovers can attest, we try to maximize natural light and therefore choose homes with many windows. Not everyone is lucky enough to live somewhere with many windows, but there are thankfully several plants that are hardy enough to live with minimal light. Snake plants are some of the most reliably hardy and also some of the best to clean the air. I keep houseplants in nearly every room of the house, excluding functional rooms such as the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom (they would just be in the way).
If you are low on space or low on plants and you want to maximize your health benefits from your plants’ air purification powers, the best home for your plants is the bedroom. Unless you are working from home and spend eight or more hours a day in one room, your bedroom is the single area of your home where you will spend the most time. You are not awake for this time, of course. You hopefully sleep roughly 7-9 hours a night and that is one third of your life. That is a lot of time to breathe the air, so do what you can to make this the cleanest air! In addition to keeping plants in your bedroom, this is also the place where you want to prioritize cleaning if you cannot clean your entire home in a timely manner (that would include me).
Choose Hardier Plants for Less Maintenance
Plant upkeep need not be overwhelming. I know many plant owners who are much better than I am at plant upkeep and who go to great lengths to ensure that their plants are as healthy as possible. While that is ideal, I am one who has neither the time nor the expertise to do the same and so my plants get by as best they can with the attention I give. I try to water them all every week or two, though sometimes it stretches to several weeks in the winter and not all plants like this. We do our best, though, and most of them do just fine most of the time.
Besides repotting plants that look like they need repotting any given summer, I don’t do much else. Plants really are quite simple: they need decent soil, adequate water, and adequate light. As long as you are not overwatering (that is much worse than underwatering) and the plants have sufficient light, they will usually do fine. That being said, I don’t own very exotic or delicate plants that require a more strenuous upkeep simply because they never last very long in my care. Most of mine are snake plants, airplane plants, wandering Jew and other vine plants, dracaenas, and aloes. These are all ideal for novice plant owners and, conveniently, many top the list for air purification, too!
We Are Drawn to Nature Because We Are Part of Nature
Ever since I was a small child, I have been happier outside than I have inside. Maybe this is because I am a HSP (highly sensitive person) and so environment has always affected me more dramatically than others. Maybe this is because there were too many stale, dark rooms in the houses and buildings I was in as a child. I intuitively knew what we as humans instinctively know: we belong in nature. We do need to be protected from nature’s elements in order to survive, but humans are neither above nor separate from nature – we are a part of it and we feel that in our bones. This is why children often gravitate toward trees and make little homes under them. It is why we give flowers to the bereaved when no words will do. Nature comforts.
The Takeaway: Houseplants Are Worth the Upkeep
Over the years, I have accumulated a handsome collection of plants. After having my son, it has been a challenge to keep up with weekly (or even biweekly) watering. I’ll admit that it feels like too much of a chore at times (and my plants will show me they get too thirsty!) but it is well worth the thirty minutes or so to be surrounded by such beautiful living things. In addition to providing health benefits, plants make the most gorgeous home decor. There is something so much more refreshing and invigorating about being in a room with plants.
While we may not have the liberty to spend as much time outdoors as we would like, the best thing we can do to benefit our physical health, mental health, and home’s visual appeal is to bring the outside in by means of natural light, fresh air, and plants. Even if our home’s construction or the weather eliminates the first two options, we can nurture as many plants as we can afford to fit into our sunlit areas (including indirectly sunlit areas). As long as you tend to your plants’ needs, they will return the blessing beautifully!