Good indoor air is a basic requirement for good sleep. However, dry heating air, lack of air circulation and vapours from furniture, wallpaper and floors worsen the air quality in the bedroom. Indoor plants - especially succulent species - provide a remedy.
Houseplants improve air quality
The special advantage of succulents is their air-purifying effect and, of course, their low maintenance requirements. Some green representatives are particularly suitable for this. This is because their leaves absorb toxins, neutralize them in the cells and release purified oxygen back into the environment. Some plants can even absorb and convert pollutants such as benzene, carcinogenic formaldehyde or trichloroethylene. In addition to this air purification, houseplants have other positive properties for the indoor climate: they increase humidity and convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into oxygen and biomass.
For our practical tests our partner provided us with Feey - the online shop for houseplants provided us with three green houseplants: Dragon tree, arching hemp and green lily. We took a close look at the air fresheners in our air-Q Lab. Today we show you the test results for the dragon tree. You can find the results for the bow hemp here.
Why is the dragon tree particularly suitable as an indoor plant?
Like the other houseplants in our practical test, the dragon tree is an easy-care houseplant that likes the sun, but can also grow in partial shade or shade from 15° C. The African dragon tree filters many pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene from the air.
The dragon tree houseplant in the air-Q Lab: Our test results
In our air-Q Lab, we placed the dragon tree together with the air measuring device in an airtight but transparent box about 50 cm high. The box was placed near a window to ensure sufficient light supply and to allow the plant to photosynthesize during the experiment. We looked at the development of the data over a period of about 24 hours so that we could make statements about the air quality during the day as well as at night. Throughout this time, the air-Q recorded the air components. We were then able to read off the development in our web application. The following measured variables were examined:
At the start of the experiment, all measured values showed a normal level. As the sunlight increased in the morning, the temperature also rose steadily. In the afternoon, values of just under 22 degrees were measured in the box. After 3 pm, the temperature dropped and fluctuated between 20 and 21 degrees between 9 pm and 9 am. The average temperature during the test was 20.05 degrees. The absolute humidity in the box rose in the morning of the practical test in line with the temperature. Also at around 3 p.m., the values reached a peak at the first maximum level of just under 18 mg/m³. This meant that the humidity increased by approx. 10 mg/m³ within six hours. In the early evening, the humidity value fell slightly, but rose again around midnight, reaching a second peak of just under 19 mg/m³ at the end of the test. During the test, the air-Q recorded an average absolute humidity of 17.67 mg/m³.
As in the test with the bow hemp, we also noticed a constant increase in the carbon dioxide concentration in the box in the test with the dragon tree. The measurement curve resembles an ascending line that almost triples from an initial value of about 600 ppm (parts per million) to a maximum value at the end of the experiment of about 1,700 ppm. We interpret the values as an indication that the plant produces oxygen very effectively and converts extremely little oxygen even at night.
In addition to humidity and carbon dioxide content, we also analyzed the VOC concentration in the room air. A concentration of 440 ppb was measured at the start of the test. These values halved within six hours and reached a low of around 290 ppb at around 3 pm. By the evening, however, the values rose again significantly and almost reached the initial level again around midnight. By the end of the test at nine o'clock, the VOC concentration had fallen again and, at just under 310 ppb, almost reached the low of the previous day. The results indicate a strong air-purifying effect of the dragon tree.
In our video you can watch our experiment in fast forward.
Conclusion
Dragon tree influences the humidity in the room very strongly. In our test, the values increased by 125 percent. During the day, the VOC values also dropped significantly by 35 percent. So we can confirm that the indoor plant reduces pollutants in the room air very well. During the day, the CO2 values in the box dropped by 64 percent. This is an inference of increasing oxygen saturation in the box. Therefore, we can assume that the green plant produces oxygen very effectively as soon as it performs photosynthesis. With these values, the dragon tree is ideal for the bedroom. You will by no means compete with the plant for oxygen shares in the room air. Rather, the indoor plant contributes to good indoor air and supports healthy sleep. Dragon tree thus demonstrably provides better air quality and is therefore also excellently suited for your bedroom.
(Contributed image: Canva)
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