Why plants can make you better at your job.
Written by Rachel Heward
Illustration by Kate Costigan
As thousands of people have quickly come to realise, the ideal home office is far from achievable at short notice. While coffee, a good wifi connection and (if you’re lucky) a half decent chair can get you some of the way there, it’s easy to feel confined, unmotivated and anxious. Especially when your workspace is also where you eat/sleep/spend-every-waking-moment.
It sounds dubious, but sticking a plant or two next to your laptop or in your eye-line can actually bring real benefits to your working day. It’s been scientifically proven that plants have a restorative effect on your brain. As well as being something nice to look at other than your screen, they provide us with oxygen and can also remove certain chemicals and pollutants from the air.
A whole load of studies* have proven that with a flash of green, stress goes down and productivity goes up. And some plants are better than others at doing it.
Here are our recommendations:
Areca Palm:
Extremely effective at removing toxins from indoor air, the Areca palm also emits large amounts of water vapour— brilliant for indoor locations with dry air. It’s tolerant of most indoor environments though prefers a humid area to avoid brown tips, so make sure you mist regularly.
Rubber Plant:
The rubber plant is especially effective at removing formaldehyde (present in anything from paints to some flooring & fabrics or even big bags) from indoor air. They have been an indoor favourite since the Victorian era, and while rubber plants prefer dappled sunlight to semi-shade, they will tolerate dim lighting, making it extremely easy to find a place in your home.
Boston Fern:
The Boston fern ranked the highest out of all plants tested in its ability to remove formaldehyde from the air. Whilst they can be fussy, as long as they are put in a cool environment, with bright but indirect sunlight, and higher levels of humidity, they will be perfect for your at-home office.
Ready to add to your collection? Our partners Leaf Envy have fantastic Working From Home packages, including the “Breathe Easy Bundle” so you can start creating your more effective working environment today. Once they arrive we will be more than happy to be on hand with any tips, so make sure you share your home offices with us via Instagram.
*The actual science:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419447/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-probe-indoor-work-spaces-for-clues-to-better-health-1445879811?tesla=y&alg=y
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_409094_en.html
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930072988