In the bedroom, we want to relax and breathe deeply. If you have trouble sleeping, you can effectively improve the quality of your sleep with the help of green plants. Plants not only provide oxygen, but also increase humidity and can absorb up to 90 percent of pollutants from the air.
Indoor plants influence the indoor climate
Materials such as paints, floors or furniture can emit pollutants that enter our lungs through the air we breathe and thus damage our health. Ventilation naturally helps to remove the pollutants. But plants can also help us to clean the air. Some plant species are particularly useful here, as they absorb toxins such as benzene, carcinogenic formaldehyde or trichloroethylene through their leaves. In their cells, they neutralise the pollutants and convert them into harmless components.
But it is not only the filter function that improves the indoor air. Thanks to photosynthesis, they convert the carbon dioxide (CO₂) contained in the indoor air into oxygen and biomass. Plants are also subject to a day-night rhythm. This is because they can only "produce" oxygen when there is sunlight. Therefore, the air-improving processes come to a standstill at night. Many plants even emit CO₂ at night. For years, this led to the assumption that plants were unsuitable for the bedroom. But plants are also very healthy in the bedroom! If you choose the right green plant. Because some representatives need very little oxygen, so they are no competition for us. Moreover, some species even give off oxygen at night. These are mostly succulent varieties.
We have received three plants suitable for the bedroom from our partner Feey - the online shop for houseplants from our partner: Dragon tree, arching hemp and green lily. We present the air fresheners in more detail in our air-Q Lab: first of all the bow hemp. We will show the other plant tests and their results in separate articles.
A brief introduction to the low-maintenance bow hemp
Bow hemp is extremely easy to care for - almost indestructible. The whimsical-looking trendy plant with the upward-growing, curled shoots also produces oxygen at night and also frees the air from pollutants. It is also said to be good against headaches and high blood pressure. The uncomplicated arching hemp likes it bright, but also tolerates low-light and cooler places. Depending on how bright the location is, the plant colour changes and sometimes shows lighter, sometimes darker expressions.
Indoor plant bow hemp in the air-Q Lab: Our test results
In our test, we investigated how the bow hemp affects the air quality. To do this, we placed the indoor plant together with our air measuring device in an airtight, transparent box about 50 cm high. We placed this box in our conference room near a window in the morning so that the plant received sunlight and could photosynthesise. Our experiment went on for the whole day and night until the next morning. During the 24 hours, the air-Q measured the air components and recorded their development. The following measured variables were examined:
At the beginning of our test, all readings are at a normal level. In the morning, the solar radiation increased and the temperature rose significantly. Around 12 noon, the highest temperature of the day was reached at almost 22 degrees. After that, the temperature dropped constantly and levelled off at slightly below 20 degrees during the night hours between 24 and six o'clock. The average temperature in our test box was 20.36 degrees.
The humidity values also increased in the morning. The absolute humidity also peaked around midday with a first high of just under 15 mg/m³. This value dropped briefly in the early afternoon, then rose again in the evening to reach its second peak of over 15.3 mg/m³ around three o'clock at night. The average absolute humidity was 15.07 mg/m³.
The experiment also shows that the amount of carbon dioxide in the box increases constantly during the day. Here, maximum values of almost 560 ppm (parts per million) are measured around 6 pm. At night, however, the value dropped significantly. By three o'clock, the carbon dioxide level had already dropped to below 430 ppm. We assume that this is a clear indication that the plant converts less oxygen at night and is therefore well suited for the bedroom.
The last value we observed was the VOC concentration. In our test, this was initially 140 ppb and increased significantly until midday. In two peaks, maximum values of about 170 ppb were measured and, after a short drop, 160 ppb. From the afternoon onwards, however, the values dropped. During the night, the VOC concentration was then almost halved. Accordingly, our results confirm the widespread characterisation that bow hemp has a strong air-purifying effect. We are curious to see what test results the other indoor plants will produce in terms of VOC values.
Our results in fast forward are available in our video.
Conclusion
Houseplants such as the bow hemp ensure better air - especially by positively influencing the proportion of absolute humidity. In addition, our test confirms a significant reduction of pollutants in the indoor air. Thus, the plant demonstrably ensures better air quality and brings a green freshness kick into the room.
(Contributed image: Prostock Studio from Getty Images/ Canva edit)
