Health And Hope

The air in a building needs to be changed regularly. In our homes the obvious way is to open a window or a door and exchange the inside air for fresh air, although in a city there will still be pollutants in the air. Double glazing firms offer trickle vents so that there can be exchange of air without draughts.

These problems are being recognised. Again, at home we can help ourselves, by throwing open the windows wide for a few minutes once or twice a day and then always keeping a window on each side of the house slightly open, so that even a small current of new air can circulate.

In a modern secure office you have little control for often everything is computerised. If you work in a modern building that is virtually sealed, you will have to try to go out at lunchtime or break times for a breath or two of different air.

PLANTS Is there an alternative? One simple way is to place living plants in the building. The well-known spider plant has excellent qualities as an air purifier. There are others like English ivy, peace lily, Boston ferns, weeping figs and rubber plants. These plants have so many benefits. It is almost as if we are intended to have plants around us. In fact we recognise about 2000 different shades of green but only a very few red shades. There are a collection of about ten well known houseplants of which the ones above form part that are beneficial to us. They absorb different toxins and substances, they filter dust out of the atmosphere of our homes, and they dampen sound. They also have the wonderful quality of reducing our stress levels as well as giving us something to nurture and care for, which is uplifting for us. They lift our moods and have a cooling effect, as well as increasing the humidity around us. Of the water that we give to plants about 95% of it is given off by the plant into the atmosphere of our buildings. And as well as all this they increase the oxygen levels of our buildings which refreshes the air we breathe.

It has to be said that the spider plant is probably the best of all these in a very practical way, as it is so tolerant. It copes with heat and neglect, and still works for us. For a large room we would need about three plants to do the work efficiently.

IONISERS In a building or room with mostly man-made fibres and furnishings plus computers, photocopiers and other equipment the electrical charge is often positive leading to mood changes and feelings of being unwell. A portable ioniser can change your personal space into one of negative ions. This is refreshing, like being beside a fountain of clear, splashing, bubbling water. It can help considerably to avoid some of the headaches and ‘shut-in’ feelings of muzzy-headedness that come from being in a positive ion environment.

Perhaps you can understand why there are people who are choosing to move out of the cities and live in a country atmosphere, even if they have to travel some distance to a city to work, or even to work from home.