The Fiddle Leaf Fig is a staple in modern home decor, celebrated for its dramatic foliage and ability to bring a sense of natural tranquility to a space. It’s often hailed as one of the best houseplants for air purification, but while it’s a great addition to your home, it’s not a complete solution. The reality is, your beloved Fiddle Leaf Fig needs a partner for truly clean air.
The belief that plants are powerful air purifiers to achieve truly clean air comes from a widely cited NASA study that showed plants could remove certain pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene in a very controlled lab setting. While this is true, the conditions in a typical home are vastly different.
Your Fiddle Leaf Fig, beautiful as it is, would have to work tirelessly and in enormous numbers to make a dent in the pollutants of an average-sized room. And even then, there are many common household pollutants that your plant simply can’t fight.
Consider the following:
- Invisible Gasses: Modern homes are filled with invisible gases from a variety of sources. Your furniture, carpets, and cleaning products off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Your gas stove can release carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These gases are silent, odorless, and can be harmful, and your Fiddle Leaf Fig is not designed to remove them in meaningful quantities.
- Particulate Matter: Every time you cook, burn a candle, or even vacuum, you release tiny particles known as PM2.5 into the air. These particles are a serious health concern, as they can get deep into your lungs. Plants have no mechanism to capture and remove them.
- Excess Humidity: While plants release moisture, which can be beneficial in a dry climate, in a humid climate like the Philippines, too much moisture can lead to mold and mildew. Your plant doesn’t know when the humidity levels are too high; it just keeps transpiring, potentially creating a new air quality problem.
For truly clean air, you need to take a proactive approach that goes beyond the aesthetic. You need to be able to see and measure the things your plant can’t. You need a reliable source of information that tells you what’s really in your air, so you can take action when needed.
This is where an air quality monitor comes in as the perfect partner for your Fiddle Leaf Fig. A device like uHoo measures nine different air quality parameters, including PM2.5, VOCs, CO2, and humidity. It gives you a clear picture of your indoor environment, alerting you to potential problems before they become a health issue.
For example, if you notice a spike in VOCs after cleaning, uHoo can tell you, prompting you to open a window. Or if you see that your humidity levels are getting too high, you can run a dehumidifier to prevent mold growth. By combining the natural beauty of your plants with the scientific data from uHoo, you can create a home environment that is not only beautiful but also has truly clean air.