Indoor plants have a lot of useful properties, especially to their surroundings. They purify the air in the room and they can make any room look more vivid and alive for instance. But one question, that always comes up is if plants can also cool down the room they are in.
So Can Indoor Plants Cool a Room? Yes, indoor plants can cool down a room. During transpiration ( The process where plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves), plants lose water into the atmosphere, thus keeping your house cool. When a plant transpires, the air around it cools down giving the surroundings purified, fresh air and cool air.
Plants also absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Most potted plants can remove harmful toxins from the surrounding air.
They can bring down temperatures while making your room look pretty. These plants can also control humidity inside the room within an optimum range which is beneficial for human health.
If you have plants in your offices, the air temperature can be decreased by as much as ten degrees if the plants are used properly.
With the moisture released by these plants, indoor humidity is maintained in the human comfort zones. This can help improve concentration and productivity.
Benefits of Indoor Plants
If you have outdoor plants, they can help your house get cooler in warm weather. If there are trees outside your home, they can cool your home as if you are using an air conditioner. But having indoor plants will not have that same effect. Still, they add humidity to your rooms which can help keep your cooling and heating costs down.
Moisture is released into the air when your indoor plants transpire. This moisture evaporates from their leaves. A room can be cooled and warmed with this moisture in the air. If the room is warm, the moisture released into the air can reduce room temperature by some degrees. But if the room is cold, like during winter, the moist air will hold heat better and so you will feel warmer. You can then lower your thermostat during winter with indoor plants that will give you humid air. This can help reduce your energy costs.
Plants can help reduce illnesses in hospitals, schools, and businesses by a certain percentage. This is not really proven jet but the effects of plants on their surroundings are undeniable. More and more hospitals and schools have plants indoors. And even some businesses found a positive effect on their employees after introducing some plants to the office.
With indoor plants, you can reduce the levels of stress, worry, and depression, and increase the levels of positivity. Breathing healthy air can improve your overall feeling of well-being.
Good air quality from indoor plants can give you better concentration which can make you more productive.
You will have faster recovery from sicknesses and mental tiredness with good air quality.
Space inside your home will be used more if there are indoor plants. Studies show that people prefer to occupy rooms with plants. So, if you put plants in every room of your home, these spaces will be used more on a daily basis.
Your home will look wealthy with indoor plants. It is shown by research that homes with indoor plants are perceived to be more wealthy than homes without them.
Ways to Use Indoor Plants to Cool Down Your Home
You can have shade inside your home without blocking out the light completely by placing a large plant by a window. For this, you should use hardy plants that love sunny spots.
You can cool down your home with scented herbs. Scented herbs can help boost your mood and improve your memory and mental awareness. Herbs with oils can also be used. Apparently with these types of plants, your pulse rate can be lowered if you are undergoing a stressful situation.
If you want to have a good air filter that can help suck up toxins in the air like ammonia, formaldehyde, and more, choose plants with large, dark leaves.
Scent your home naturally by using perfumed plants. Some plants with perfumed flowers are natural dehumidifiers. They suck moisture out of the air with their leaves that are coated with specialized water-absorbent cells. They also don’t need much care and watering.
Indoor Plants That Can Help Cool Down Your Home
Aloe Vera
The leaves of the Aloe Vera have very high water content. When it transpires, cool evaporated moisture is released into the air.
Aloe Vera can also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air at night. Keeping this plant in your bedroom will let you sleep better. Formaldehyde and benzene can also be removed from the air by the aloe vera plant.
You should plant Aloe Vera in soil that is well-drained and allow for the soil to dry in between watering.
Palms
One type of palm is the Areca Palm which acts as a natural humidifier.
A mature tree will transpire a liter of evaporated moisture daily. Your home can be cooled off and it can help remove benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the air.
An Areca palm with a thick trunk at the base is ideal. It can be quite tricky to maintain plants with small trunk diameter.
Other Palms Including Fern Palms, Livistona, Fishtail Palm, and Lady Palm
These palms have small stomas that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
It can produce more oxygen if the leaf surface is larger. If you have an arrangement of palms it is like having an indoor rainforest. This will give your home a tropical feel during the summer.
Another palm that acts as an excellent humidifier is the Bamboo palm. It is also good at filtering toxins from the atmosphere.
Ficus Benjamina (Weeping Fig)
This leafy tree helps to keep the air moist and the temperature cool.
If you spend time indoors, this plant can provide relief from the heat. It also helps reduce indoor air pollution and improve air quality by absorbing any heavy metal particles that are present.
If you want to have a little forest canopy for other plants below or around it, choose one with a tall trunk with a bushy top. During the summer months, water it regularly and position the plant in medium light so that it gets enough sun.
Ficus elastica (Rubber plant)
A cooling effect is achieved by improving a room’s humidity, and this house plant is very effective in replenishing the moisture in the air.
If the plant has more and bigger foliage, then it will release more moisture back into the air. In a humid environment, this plant takes in water through its roots and release moisture through the pores on the underside of their leaves.
Ferns
Like Aloe Vera, this plant not only cools and humidifies the air but also cleans formaldehyde out of the air. According to scientists at NASA, ferns are the most effective air-purifying plants.
One of the most decorative interior plants is the Boston fern. It naturally humidifies and purifies the air around it.
It is also one of the best air purifying plants of the lot. It can flourish in bright light and damp soil but it can also tolerate poor light and drought.
Snake Plant (Mother-In-Law’s Tongue)
This sculptural succulent is one of the best plants for removing pollutants aside from releasing oxygen during the night to refresh the atmosphere.
The water content of its leaves is very high so that when it transpires, cool evaporated moisture is released into the air. You can put this plant in your window since it can handle sunny spots. With this, excessive sun going inside a room can be blocked. This will help cool the room and give shade to other plants.
You can also put this plant in your bedroom to let you sleep better. It also helps keep the temperature of your room cooler during the night.
Golden Pothos
This plant is very easy to take care of. If you are someone who does not really like taking care of plants then this one is for you. It requires little light and little care. But it can keep your room cool and the air around you purified.
Because of its lush mass, heart-shaped, evergreen leaves and multiplying stems, it can easily outgrow its original container.
Yet, it can greatly improve your home’s air quality. It is a winner when it comes to removing air pollutants like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and others.
This plant, however, has toxic leaves.
