Researcher Kamal Meattle describes how an arrangement of three common houseplants placed in specific spots can measurably clean the air in a home or office. It is a short TED talk based on his work in a plant-filled building.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN commenters cite it in threads about indoor air quality, CO2 and houseplants as a cheap, low-tech approach.
“There is also a Ted talk about taking this to an extreme, which does seem to anecdotally work”HN comment, 2026
“Indian researcher describes side affects of indoor plants on health esp. air quality.”
Researcher on indoor plants improving air quality
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If you want to know more you may be interested in these: Japanese researcher describes (with control group) the interesting affects of walking in a forest. link Indian researcher describes side affects of indoor plants on health esp. air quality. this video I'm incorporating some of these concepts into my tiny house design e.g. a terrarium and an hinoki ofuro, together with natural daylighting.
RecommendspatrickkJul 2016
“Another, more environmentally friendly option”
More environmentally friendly option than air purifiers
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When I flew into Heathrow last year, I was amazed by how visible the pollution was- over central London, there were no clouds (there were clouds around the outskirts) but this vague, blue haze was quite noticeable. Although compared to Shanghai, London is really clean, if you live in Shanghai you keep your windows permanently shut and run an air purifier 24/7: link > I'd recommend anyone living in a city to invest in a good air purifier from BlueAir or IQAir (if you can afford it). Another, more environmentally friendly option: this video Also basil plants are a natural mosquito repellent, might not be an issue in the UK though.
RecommendsinternautSep 2016
“Indian researcher describes side affects of indoor plants on health esp. air quality.”
Researcher on indoor plants and air quality
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From this thread "How Trees Calm Us Down": link Japanese researcher describes (with control group) the interesting affects of walking in a forest. link Indian researcher describes side affects of indoor plants on health esp. air quality. this video I'm incorporating some of these concepts into my tiny house design e.g. a (truly ingenious design using mirrors!) terrarium and an hinoki ofuro, together with natural daylighting. A poster called mantesso offered up this interesting paper: Here's the original study from NASA, Interior Landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement : link
Cites itnelsonicOct 2018
“Relevant YouTube videos on this topic”
Listed among relevant videos on indoor plants
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Here is the list of house/indoor plants which promote cognitive function in order of ease of maintenance: Areca Plam (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens AKA Dypsis lutescens) link Mother-in-law's Tongue / Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) link Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum) link Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata) link Peace Lilly (Spathiphyllum) link Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) link Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) link English Ivy (Hedera helix) link Take the list of plants to your local plant nursery to see how many of them they have in stock. Buying them already established is much cheaper/easier than growing them from seed/cuttings. According to Allen et Al 2015 (see link below), having pure/fresh air in your working environment significantly improves cognitive function. i.e. having indoor plants makes you smarter! > Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments ~ link > Conclusion : Office workers had significantly improved cognitive function scores when working in Green and Green+ environments compared with scores obtained when working in a Conventional environment. > We’ve been researching this for: “home” link Relevant YouTube videos on this topic: this videolinklink
Cites itdiimdeepOct 2023Full comment
I meant high tech gadgets, but sure How to grow fresh air | Kamal Meattle this videolink On a second thought, indoor DIY growbox is probably can be considered as such device.
Cites itschainksJul 2026
“There is also a Ted talk about taking this to an extreme, which does seem to anecdotally work”
Takes houseplants to an extreme that anecdotally works
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Uh, do you mean house plants? There is also a Ted talk about taking this to an extreme, which does seem to anecdotally work: this video
