The Monstera Deliciosa is among the most trendy houseplants, and it is easy to see why. They have lush, green foliage, grow to a massive size, and take little maintenance. On top of all of those perks, you may be asking what else they can do?
Can Monstera Deliciosas purify the air in your home and office? There is much debate about this question. Although there is evidence to back up both sides of the argument, when all is said and done, it seems doubtful that Monsteras can actually purify the air in an average home.
Some people believe that houseplants purify the air, while others doubt their effectiveness at doing so. I’m going to give you both sides of the argument and my opinions on the matter. Read on and then decide for yourself which side you fall on.
Why Houseplants Might Clean The Air
The most well-known study on air purification and houseplants was conducted back in 1989 by NASA. NASA was trying to determine ways for purifying the air in the space station, and houseplants were one of the methods they were researching.
In partnership with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, NASA created a project called the Clean Air Study. Amazingly, they found that some house plants really were able to remove cancer-causing toxins like benzyne, formaldehyde, and ammonia from the air. Plants with large leaves were found to be the most effective at this as there seems to be a relationship between leaf surface area and the amount of toxins absorbed by the plant.
Since 1989, several other studies have suggested that indoor plants can improve air quality in spaces. In fact, one specific study even suggests that the microorganisms found in potting soil remove benzene from the air.
But the jury is still out. Many people suggest that these studies merely proved that indoor plants can make improvements to the air in a small, controlled, and sealed environment. These same people doubt a houseplant’s ability to make a real difference in an average home.
Why The Jury is Still Out
At first glance, the results sound promising, but upon further investigation, applying the findings of the NASA study to our own home has a few fundamental problems.
Because they were looking for ways to purify the space station, the experiment took place in conditions that were very different from your regular home or office. The space was small and completely closed off, not to mention that the plants were exposed to the exact right amount of light to help them photosynthesize most effectively.
But in our homes, plants are rarely exposed to perfect conditions. Open doors and windows allow air to enter and escape, and HVAC systems completely turn the air over every few hours. An average home is nothing like the sealed, controlled environment of a space station.
And while some of us may be lucky to have sunrooms or other spaces with maximum light for our Monsteras, the majority of apartments and houses have barely enough light for a plant to photosynthesize.
Because of these significant discrepancies, many scientists today believe that houseplants will not have the same air-purifying effect in an average home as it did in the NASA experiment in 1989.
What Would It Take To Use Monsteras As Air Purifiers?
According to the findings of the 1989 NASA study, the large surface area of the Monstera Deliciosa does suggest that it would be able to remove toxins and chemicals from the air around us. But what would our homes and plants have to look like in order to do so?
Air “turn-over” is the biggest concern when it comes to genuinely purifying a space. Most homes have heating and air conditioning systems that cycle the air over and over multiple times per day. In order to let a Monstera truly purify the air, it would need to be in a sealed room without an HVAC system, which is utterly useless to most of us.
Since the initial experiment, others have tried to replicate the results and determine if there are ways to integrate these studies into our daily lives. When it comes to these experiments, the most significant influencer is the number of plants in the space.
In his book about the subject, scientist Bill Wolverton suggests that for purification, you would need at least two large plants per one hundred square feet. That would mean you would have to have approximately twenty large houseplants to filter the air in a one thousand square foot home.
More often than not, people may have a few small houseplants in their homes, but nothing that compares to Wolverton’s experiments. While there are other health benefits to consider from bringing nature indoors, it is doubtful that Monsteras make any real substantial difference in the air quality around them.
Do Monsteras Put Out Oxygen at Night?
Plants need light to undergo photosynthesis, which is where they break down carbon dioxide and create oxygen in the air. All plants create oxygen during the day while they are undergoing photosynthesis in the daylight hours.
Some plants take it a step further and undergo a unique nighttime photosynthesis called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). These plants emit oxygen at night. CAM photosynthesis occurs in plants that are native to arid locations (like snake plants and aloe vera) and in tropical epiphytes (like orchids and bromeliads).
Although Monsteras in the wild spend part of their life as epiphytes climbing up trees and other plants around them, I can find no evidence that they participate in CAM photosynthesis. That means that these plants only undergo photosynthesis during the day and do not release oxygen at night.
Final Thoughts
Research shows that houseplants improve mental health in people, keep them more productive at work and even increase humidity levels to keep us from getting sick. But, unfortunately, it is doubtful that they purify the air or remove toxins from it at any real substantial rate.
But don’t let that discourage you. A Monstera Deliciosa is a stunning houseplant that grows to a massive size and becomes the statement piece in any room. If you’ve been thinking of investing in one, go for it! You’ll be happy that you did.