How does nature purify the air?

Trees are an integral part of nature and a major component of many ecosystems on the planet. Their main function is air purification. It's easy to see this: walk into a forest, and you'll feel how much easier you breathe among trees than in the streets of the city, in the desert, or even in the steppe. That's because wooded forests are the lungs of our planet.

How does the rainforest clean the air?

Tree leaves are small laboratories where sunlight and heat convert the carbon dioxide in the air into organic matter and oxygen.

Organic matter is processed into the material from which the plant is built, i.e., trunk, roots, etc. Oxygen is released from the leaves into the air. In one hour, one hectare of forest absorbs all the carbon dioxide that two hundred people can produce in that time!

The leaf surface is capable of trapping airborne particles and removing them from the air (at least temporarily). Microscopic airborne particles can enter the lungs, which can lead to serious health problems or tissue irritation. So it's important to reduce their concentration in the air, which trees have been successful at doing. Trees can remove both gaseous pollutants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide) and particulate dust. Cleansing mainly takes place by means of stomata.

Stomata are small pores on the leaf through which water evaporates and gas exchanges with the environment. Thus, dust particles, not reaching the ground, are deposited on the leaves of trees, and under their canopy, the air is much cleaner than above the canopy. But not all trees can tolerate dusty and gassy conditions: ash, linden, and spruce are very much affected. Dust and gases can lead to blockage of the stomata.

Why plants are considered natural air filters?

Air is purified during the process of photosynthesis, which takes place in the leaves of plants. They recycle the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans into organic elements and oxygen, which then take part in the growth of various plant organs, under the influence of solar ultraviolet light and heat.

By purifying the air, plants remove sulfur and nitrogen dioxides, as well as carbon oxides, dust microparticles, and other elements. The process of absorption and processing of harmful substances takes place with the help of stomata. These are small pores that play a crucial role in gas exchange and water evaporation. When microdust particles hit the surface of the leaves, they are absorbed by the plants, making the air cleaner.

At least three substances that are harmful to the body are constantly present in any dwelling. These are formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. They are used in the production of textiles, plastics, cleaning products, and other familiar items. Indoor plants are natural filters that absorb harmful compounds from the air and return pure oxygen.

Some green helpers are better than others to clean the air from unwanted impurities. These are ficus and dracaena, which are completely unpretentious and do not require special skills in care. Scheffler's "eat" tobacco smoke with gusto. Spatifillum - a record-breaker in the effectiveness of absorbing the widest range of harmful impurities. It is also effective at destroying volatile compounds. And the striped leaves of chlorophytum will long purify the air in the apartment, even at the most irresponsible owner.

The flora not only filters the air but also relieves stress, calms, and improves well-being. Asthma, allergies, cancer, psychological disorders, depression - this is an incomplete list of illnesses with whose manifestations the green healers fight.

For qualitative air purification in the room, there should be one adult plant for every 10m². It is better to arrange them in groups of 3-5 units. It seems that the bigger the home garden, the better, but that's not quite true. All plants breathe, but in the daytime, under the influence of natural light, they consume less oxygen than they produce. At night they produce mostly carbon dioxide. So in a small, unventilated room, it is better not to put a lot of flower pots.

What clean air gives us?

Why is something as simple as fresh air so important to your health? You should not take it for granted. It has been proven that once the air is inhaled, it enters the lungs and is then transported by red blood cells to all organs of the body, increasing their oxygen levels.

A regular supply of oxygen is important for cellular metabolism as well as energy production in the body. Your systems really need fresh air, which will give your cells enough oxygen, and you will always be in good shape and not complain about your health.

Healthy blood flow

When breathing in and out occurs, the body releases toxins. These toxins are a byproduct of the body's blood flow. This is another reason why we should breathe fresh and clean air. If you are constantly breathing stale or dirty air, your cellular functions can be damaged. This is very bad for your overall health.

Natural fresh air is vital for supplying oxygen to the brain. Every cell in the human body needs clean and fresh air to survive. That's why it's not advisable to constantly be in rooms with poor ventilation, with you constantly inhaling and exhaling bad air over and over again.

The fresh atmospheric air we breathe is saturated with negative ions and oxygen and is free of toxic elements. Fortunately for us, it ensures the health of our bodies. Generally, the negative charge is carried by oxygen molecules and the positive charge is carried by carbon dioxide molecules. Air that is saturated with oxygen has a more negative charge than air with CO2.

How can I improve the air quality in my home naturally?

The easiest and most familiar way to remove dust and harmful particles, which are floating in the air, is to open a window and ventilate your room more often. In summer and autumn this recommendation is feasible, but what about winter? Or what about big city outdoor air’s quality, that can be more harmful for our bodies than your indoor air? In this case, you can use other ways to clean the air, and there are plenty of them.

Natural methods

Natural methods include standard ventilation of the room. Regular wet cleaning (gets rid of a lot of dust). Correctly chosen furniture (the one that would emit less toxic substances). The use of houseplants is also considered an effective way. They absorb harmful substances from the air, using them for their nutrition. That is why it is recommended to have potted flowers in apartments and houses - and the more of them, the better.

Artificial methods include household air purifiers. It does an excellent job, effectively removing substances that are harmful to human health. Domestic models were created on the basis of industrial filters, which were previously used for different tasks. For example, mechanical models were installed in cotton spinning factories to clean the air of coal dust and fibers. And in the paint and varnish production - the chemical counterparts. Household air purifiers combine the best qualities of their predecessors. And they come in many varieties that allow you to buy exactly the solution you need.

Artificial methods

The basic artificial methods of air purification: mechanical filtration (removes dust and aerosols); charcoal filters (absorbs gas molecules); ozonization (neutralizes bacteria, viruses, fungi, restores the balance of ions, decomposes chemical toxins); air washing (moistens it and removes dust); UV irradiation (destroys bacteria and viruses). When choosing a purifier, you need to consider the total area of the home and the types of substances to be removed. The most common are air filters. Their main task is to qualitatively clean the air in the house from dust and carbon monoxide. For this reason, such devices are most often installed in the kitchen.

The most common artificial methods of air purification: mechanical filtration (removes dust and aerosols); charcoal filters (absorbs gas molecules); ozonization (neutralizes bacteria, viruses, fungi, restores ion balance, decomposes chemical toxins); air washing (moistens it and removes dust); UV irradiation (destroys bacteria and viruses). When choosing a purifier, you need to consider the total area of the home and the types of substances to be removed. 

If you’re looking for one air purifier, that could combine all or most of effective technologies of modern air purification, we recommend you to draw your attention on filterless air purifiers. They are devoid of filter systems’ disadvantages, such as the need for regular replacement of expensive filter elements, the risk of pollution of your room respiratory zone with the particularly dangerous fine particles, which could be sourced from an overfilled filter, an increase of the electrostatic charge on suspended airborne contaminants, which occurs due to its friction during interaction with filters, etc.

Complex powerful whole house filterless air purifiers do exist. You can try to find them by yourself or use the link check the variety of filterless air purifiers models on EcoQuest website. Ask the support to help you choose the right device for your house or room, or to satisfy your interest in the technologies used in the company's devices. You can get the maximum advantage and lowest price offer using combo offers, get free shipping or even get any device for free trial test, so you’ll be able to feel the difference and alpine fresh air in your home before your purchase decision is made.