There is significant scientific proof that indoor plants can help to alleviate stress and purify the air. A recent review of over 100 research studies found that placing even one plant in a small room increases air quality by about 25%. The addition of two plants can result in a rise in air quality of up to 75%, with a 45% boost in mental wellbeing. This is more than enough reason to encourage us to keep living plants in our homes, but now there is even more good news about house plants. A new study from Australia has found that they may also have the ability to remove viruses from the air that cause colds and flu. 

When plants absorb sunlight they produce hydrogen peroxide - a biochemical that we are all familiar with for its use in disinfecting wounds and bleaching hair. The study found that in rooms with house plants there are microscopic water droplets floating through the air that carry the hydrogen peroxide that was produced by the plants. When these droplets bonded with floating water vapour containing a flu virus, the virus was killed. “This is a very good proof-of-concept study on whether plants can help disinfect air,” said Kristian Dubrawski of the University of Victoria. “Our results have potentially major implications for the role of plant-mediated atmospheric cleansing and indoor air quality.”