cleans the air Archives - I'd Rather Walk

Most recently updated April 19th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Indoor plants are growing in popularity in American homes and workplaces, and also in places like hospitals, shopping malls, and hotels.

National Indoor Plant Week (September 16-22) was established to promote and increase public awareness of the importance of live plants in interior spaces.

Anyone can participate in this holiday. You can do your part with something as simple as giving a plant to a friend, or picking up a new houseplant for your kitchen or living room.

Some of my potted plants spend the summer on the deck outdoors.

Houseplants and other indoor greenery improve your mental and physical well-being in a host of ways you’ve probably never thought about.

These days, with more people working from home, we’re spending more time inside our own homes than ever before.

By now maybe you’ve realized there’s a funky smell you’ve never noticed before, or the decor could use a little brightening – or maybe you’re just tired of watching screens and need to create something!

Plants can help clean indoor air, enhance your mood and create a soothing and cheerful living space.

Caring for another living thing, even a plant, can be very rewarding. — Caring for a plant can be very rewarding.

I knew a guy who grew 200 potted marijuana plants in the attic of his apartment building… But that’s not the kind of “mood enhancement” we’re talking about here 🙂

Growing indoor plants can really help alleviate loneliness and depression.

Caring for another living thing is very rewarding, especially when you see that living thing bloom and grow, all because of you!

No matter what your indoor space is like, there are many plants that would thrive at home with you – and be useful, too.

Continue reading Clean Your Indoor Air With Houseplants for National Indoor Plant Week!

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Spring!

It’s the time of year when trees in the South release massive clouds of yellow pollen into the wind, to be distributed to allergy-prone noses and lungs everywhere.

Around here, it’s known as “The Pollening”.

Pine pollen is a huge problem in the South

Even if you don’t live in the South, it isn’t unusual to find your allergies heating up along with the air temperature.

The horrors of pollen season are so well-known that years ago, when my boyfriend told me he’d be unavailable for a few weeks due to severe allergies, I had nothing but sympathy for him.

Much later, I realized that my boyfriend’s allergies struck at exactly the same time as the “March Madness” basketball playoffs. Hmmm…

Basketball and pine pollen season arrive together

I’m not as gullible now, but I still have nothing but sympathy for people with allergies 🙂

If you have allergic asthma symptoms throughout the year (like I do), or even seasonal allergies and asthma, you can’t do much about what’s floating around in the air outside.

What you can do is take steps to control allergens inside your home, so you can breathe and rest easier year round.

According to the The American Lung Association, the air quality inside your home could be 2-5 times worse than the air outdoors. Continue reading 10 Tips to Control Indoor Allergens – and Stop the Madness!