Via Ava Carmen 

According to a top NASA scientist, some house plants can filter many dangerous chemicals out of indoor air. One of the best air filtering scrubbers is a robust rubber tree plant.

Are you in favour of fostering indoor plants that do a good job of cleaning household air?

Some plants are exceptional in that capacity.

Improving air we breathe is possible with any of the following foursome:

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is a.k.a. yellow palm or butterfly palm.

Care includes keeping the root-ball damp, misting leaves often with water, feeding monthly with liquid fertilizer (except in winter) and pruning off dead material promptly.

Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) is one of the most effective for improving indoor air quality and is highly resistant to insect pests. It has shiny green fanlike leaves six to 12 inches wide.

Care includes watering generously especially during spring and summer but less so in late fall and winter. Feed it monthly from February to October with half strength liquid fertilizer based on label instructions. Cut off any leaf tips that turn brown.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp) This much-loved indoor bloomer is famous for producing beautiful white flowers. It’s less often seen with yellow and pink blooms. If you want a reliable smaller plant for indoors, Peace Lily is a good reliable choice.

Rubber Plant (Ficus robusta) with thick, leathery, dark green leaves. It requires very little care, tolerates low light, cool temperatures and is very effective at removing chemical toxins from indoor air — the best of this genus yet tested.

A rubber tree is about as easy-care “as they come.”

Water regularly between early summer through autumn, but allow soil to dry slightly between waterings.

Feed monthly with a touch of liquid fertilizer during summer months.

Cut back on watering during our low light time of year from November through February as rubber plant doesn’t appreciate over watering during short fall and winter days. In time, it’s known to touch the ceiling. Some form of staking or support may be required.

How many plants you ask?

One or two good-sized plants per 100 square feet of interior space will do, but more is okay if you choose.

Click to read more on the best plants to improve air quality by viewing the complete article via Portagedailygraphic.com.

The tendency of our lives, businesses, art, is to keep adding: more furniture, clothes, gadgets, tasks, appointments, features to websites and apps, words to our writing.

Continual addition isn’t sustainable or desirable:

• Too many things to do means we’re always busy, with no time for rest, stillness, contemplation, creativity, time with loved ones.
• Overwhelming customers with choices means they’re less likely to make an actual choice. They’d prefer that we curate the best.
• Too many possessions is clutter, visual stress, cleaning, maintenance, debt, less happiness.
• Too many tasks makes it harder to focus on any one thing or get anything done.
• Too many things we want to learn means we never learn anything well.

Subtraction is beautiful: it creates space, time, clarity.

Subtraction is necessary: otherwise we are overburdened.

Subtraction can be painful: it means letting go of a child.

Subtraction is an art that improves with practice. Subtraction can be practiced on your schedule, task list, commitments list, possessions, reading list, writing, product line, distractions.

What can you subtract right now?

Via Leo Babauta

~ Buddha