[ProFlowers Office plant guide] Combat office pollution & back-to-work stress

Two biggest stress points in an urban’s life- work life & love life! While we can’t do anything about the latter, work life we can certainly help you with. One of the biggest stress triggers at work is low productivity and believe it or not indoor pollution has a lot to do with it. So for all of you workaholics, here is a remedy how to make at least the moments you spend in the office a little less stressful, more healthy and productive.
As follow up of our previous Room-by-room plant guide for your home, we are delighted to share with you in cooperation with ProFlowers an Office plant guide.
Our partners for this guide – ProFlowers from the US – are real Meisters of flowers and plants. Due to the quality of their products and services that have already received several awards. And they feel it is also important for them to share their passion and knowledge about plants to help their customers & other people profit from the positive benefits of plants for well-being and health.
 

Office air quality is not as clean as you think

As we have explained previously in our article on indoor air quality in office, the air in your office is not the healthy oasis you may think it is – while we spent 90% of our time indoors. In general indoor pollution is 2-5 times higher than outdoors. The sources of office pollution are super complex which makes it difficult to manage them: air-tight offices with poor ventilation, emissions from office equipment and machines, building materials, insulation and paint, cleaning products, office furnishing, indoor temperature regulation … and finally even office stationary like whiteners, markers, highlighters, air freshers contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which accelerate office pollution.
 

Not every plant does a good job

Having plants indoors is a great step because:

• They remove up to 87% of VOCs and other toxins every 24 hours.

• Employees performed much better along metrics like task orientation, crisis response, strategy formation etc in environments that controlled indoor pollutants and allowed for proper ventilation (Source). Some other study prove 13% more ideas in a room with two potted plants and a bouquet of flowers vs. a room with sculptures and also 70% greater attentiveness of students when taught in rooms with plants.

• Also the Agricultural University of Norway has found that using plants in interior spaces decreases the incidence of colds, sore throats and dry coughs reducing sickness rate by more than 60%.

But not all plants do the same job of detoxing air. Through studies conducted by NASA, scientists have identified 50 houseplants that are the best options to remove many of the pollutants and gases found indoors – like benzene, toluene, formaldehyde etc.
So it is essential to chose the right plants.
In our Green office guide we list with ProFlowers, 15 best plants for combating office pollution and organize them by categories like best for removing pollutants, low maintenance, and best for low light so each one of you can chose the appropriate solution depending on your office. We also give you overall golden tips how to make the plants more efficient with a unique air purifier that boost the power of your plants and overall greener office.
 

Office plant guide

 

Additional golden green tips

1. Only a healthy plant can do its job

If you start to notice any signs of poor health like browning or droopy leaves, consult our partners ProFlowers common plant diseases guide to help diagnose the problem and bring your plant back to good health.
 

2. Boost plan power with air purifier Airy

The plant-friendly AIRY pot is a pot with unique air cleaning system. It utilizes the bio-power of indoor plants. AIRY is the only plant-pot in the world that exponentially enhances the scientifically proven natural air cleansing properties of indoor plants. A single in-door plant growing in an AIRY is 8 times more effective in purifying your air than a plant growing in an ordinary plant pot. You can buy AIRY here. Contact us here for a special promo code.
 

3. Need help with taking care of your plants? Use SmartPlant app

Not an expert at taking car of your plants? Can’t even tell one from the other? We present the SmartPlant app that helps you take care of your plants & garden with a unique Care Calendar – from weather, nutrition to pest advice & solutions.
 

4. Do not pollute your indoor air

If in the first place you can control the very source of indoor office pollution, that’s even better. Follow some simple steps as far as office ventilation, printers, lighting etc is concerned. Here our tips for a greener more sustainable office.
Here’s to a green, pollution free office!