We hear from country friends that city living is dangerous in part because of air quality. Given that the air on some days is chewing with a tangy finish and undertones of underarm, I agree. It can certainly be a funky town during a heat alert. However it’s not the only problem – indoor air quality can be quite bad too. With winter coming, the time of year Canadians traditionally shut our homes from cold to conserve heat, it can get right toxic. Here’s some of the stuff we can have floating around us and their sources in the home:

Benzene based gunk, found in: Detergents, Inks and Dyes, Petroleum products, Plastics, Rubber products, Synthetic fibers, Tobacco smoke

Formaldehyde based shite, found in: Carpeting, Cleaners, Foam Insulation, Furniture, Paper products, Plywoods and Particle board

Trichloroethylene, the scariest of boogans, found in: Adhesives, Dry cleaning, Inks and Dyes, Lacquers and Paints, Varnishes

Well, we can eliminate some of the sources, have only the easily spelled chemicals in our homes. We can clean with baking soda and invest in all natural wood instead of press board. But your average solid wood, natural fiber organically made peace love and eternal grooviness sofa? I have it on good authority such a device costs nine million trillion dollars, and eighty three cents. My sofa costs twenty five dollars and came with a free filing cabinet set. That’s really more my speed. So else can we do? According to a study with NASA many years ago, houseplants can help. In fact some have shown to be really effective at removing airborne hooligans in laboratory settings. Philodendrons, Spider plants, and Pothos were found to be the most efficient in the removal of formaldehyde, with Ficus Trees, Snake Plants and Bamboo Palms also ranking pretty high. Gerbera Daisies and English Ivy were found to be effective in the removal of benzene, along with Peace Lilies, Chrysanthemums and Striped Dracaena which also help remove trychloroethylene. As a rule of thumb, the suggestion is to allow one houseplant per 100 square feet of living area. The more vigorous the plant, the more air it can filter. The downside part? You do have to take care of the plants, take the time to water and feed them. It’s a bit of a meditation, taking care of a docile living thing, that modern life doesn't compliment. And there’s the arguments that houseplants can bring mold and insects into the home and isn’t that as dangerous, the NASA study is flawed because xyz scientist says so and it’s all a bunch of hippy malarkey, might as well walk around with a crystal up your yin yang. This is kind of a “look at the silly monkey” style argument. My thought is this: t if they can improve our quality of life at all by cleaning the air in our homes even a smidgen or making us slow down (or, hey, both) it’s a good thing. And it's why (along with the fact that they’re inexpensive and “Hot Fuzz” made it hilarious) I’ve been giving out Peace Lily’s as gifts this year. You might get one too. Other down side: lots of plants are poisonous to cats. If you have a cat that's more energetic than ours, take care to research what you bring into your home and keep it out of reach. Lilies are bad, Peace Lilys are very bad, Aloe is bad etc. We have lots of poisonous plants but our girl isn't interested. You know your feline best and can determine if they'll let well enough alone. Having a really chewy cat may mean that your placement of plants gets festive as they eat anything - some friends have lost quite a few spider plants (safe yet strangely yummy) to the way of the meow.
Finally, maybe you feel like you're a big spaz and can't take care of a plant or four. Maybe that's true, but my old friend Bernita always maintained there's a plant for everyone. Here's a few that are useful and challenging to kill under normal circumstances:


Good plant to have in the kitchen or bath if you're a big spaz like me. The inner guk of the leaves makes an excellent second aid treatment for small burns (first aid is placing the burn against and iron weight or interior of a metal sink to draw the heat out - trust me), and can also help with skin blemishes. Will tolerate some negligence.


I've heard it's easy to grow, never had any luck. Mostly my trouble with English Ivy revolves around the wee mites and webbing bugs that love to cocoon and kill them. While said beasties can be removed by running the plant under cold water...I often forget until it's too late and a sad day. Not so much with the negligence tolerance.


Striped Draceana. Not what you were expecting, was it? Often seen in offices, tolerates some negligence and low light, wouldn't mind one for yule if anyone is shopping.


Oh THAT'S Pothos. You've seen it before, you'll see it again, sometimes called Malasian or Devil's Ivy, really negligence tolerant. Grows best downward, although some people have luck trailing it up walls this activity has always resulted in a de-leafing of my samples. Has the advantage of being free as it's sometimes found in offices and malls away from security cameras. Wait until no one's looking and snip off a sample about 3 inches long. Stick it in water when you get home and pretty soon - plant. It's not stealing, but don't get caught just in case. If caught, this blog is for entertainment purposes only.


Snake Plant, sometimes has the unflattering nick name of "mother in law's tongue". Good floor plant, would also like one for whatever holiday excuse is coming, found out this year the fucker blooms. Had no idea, have had these in family homes for years. Not sure what the store did different, checked to make sure it was attached and real - and it was. See how you do.


Ye olde standard peace lily. Easy to care for and easy on the eyes, it's a nice impressive looking starter plant. Available in china town for about four dollars, larger samples are available for more in other stores. Also, if you haven't seen Hot Fuzz you should. Is so germane to the topic.