6 Surprising Ways Plants Create A Healthier Environment Inside Your Home
Plus, practical tips to transform any building into a healthier space with greenery.
Photo©KasperRavlo/123rf
Humans now spend the overwhelming majority of life inside buildings. Research cited in the journal Building and Environment reports that people spend up to 90% of their lives indoors — surrounded by artificial air, sealed ventilation systems and materials that quietly degrade the spaces where you work, sleep and breathe.1
If nearly all of your life unfolds indoors, then the quality of that environment directly shapes your comfort, cognitive performance, and long-term health. Yet most people give little thought to what they’re actually breathing at home or in the office. Modern energy-efficient construction seals buildings tightly for insulation, which traps the pollutants generated by furniture, cleaning products and cooking inside with you.
Over time, those conditions take a toll on your body in ways that are easy to overlook but difficult to ignore once symptoms appear. Because indoor environments shape health so profoundly, researchers now examine a surprisingly simple intervention: bringing nature back inside. Scientists have begun studying whether indoor plants and larger plant systems meaningfully improve the air and overall environment in buildings where modern life unfolds.
A recent analysis published in the journal Building and Environment investigated how indoor green infrastructure — meaning plants and plant systems placed inside buildings — influences indoor environmental quality, the scientific term for the overall health and comfort of indoor spaces.2
The researchers evaluated systems such as potted plants, vertical green walls, moss panels, and hydroponic towers, which grow plants in water instead of soil. Their goal involved answering a simple question: how much do indoor plants actually change the air, temperature comfort, and overall environment in the spaces where people spend most of their life?
1. Improves Indoor Environmental Conditions
Indoor greening affects several factors that shape how a building feels and functions for the people inside it. These include indoor air quality, humidity levels, microbial exposure and thermal comfort — meaning how warm or cool a room feels to your body.
Their analysis concluded that indoor plant systems influence these environmental conditions in measurable ways, especially when the plants are used intentionally as part of the building design rather than as simple decoration.
The researchers emphasized that plant systems don’t improve indoor environments automatically. Their effectiveness depends on several factors, including the number of plants present, the species chosen, the lighting conditions and the building’s ventilation system.
2. Space Feels Cooler Without Temperature Reduction
One striking finding involved thermal comfort. Larger indoor greening systems made rooms feel up to two degrees cooler even when the actual temperature didn’t change.
Plants release water vapor into the air through a natural process called transpiration, which means that plants release moisture through tiny pores in their leaves. That moisture changes how the air feels on your skin. The effect is similar to the relief you feel stepping into a shaded garden on a hot afternoon — the air around you feels cooler even though the temperature hasn’t actually dropped.
3. Regulate Humidity
Indoor greening systems also improve humidity levels inside buildings. Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. When indoor air becomes too dry, people often experience dry eyes, irritated skin and respiratory discomfort.
Plants continuously release moisture, which raises humidity in a gentle, natural way. This improves comfort and reduces the harsh dryness often created by heating or air-conditioning systems.
4. Remove Indoor Pollutants
Engineered indoor plant systems — such as biofilter walls or hydroponic plant towers — help remove fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. Fine particulate matter refers to microscopic particles that float in the air and irritate the lungs.3
Volatile organic compounds are invisible gases released from paints, new furniture, carpets and cleaning products — they’re partly responsible for that “new car” or “fresh paint” smell, and they irritate your lungs even when you can’t detect them. These pollutants accumulate easily indoors, especially in tightly sealed buildings.
It’s important to note that the pollutant-removal benefits documented in the research apply primarily to engineered plant systems — such as biofilter walls and hydroponic towers that actively draw air across plant roots — rather than ordinary potted plants sitting on a windowsill. A few houseplants in a living room improve humidity and comfort, but they typically don’t filter air fast enough to meaningfully reduce the concentration of fine particles or chemical gases in a real-world room.
5. Enrich The Indoor Microbial Environment
Another fascinating discovery involves the indoor microbiome — the collection of microscopic organisms that exist in indoor air and surfaces. Plants introduce microorganisms that originate from soil, leaves and natural outdoor environments.
These microbes interact with those already present indoors. Scientists believe that enriching indoor environments with more nature-derived microbes helps create a healthier microbial balance in buildings.
6. Psychological And Cognitive Benefits
The study also examined human well-being. Researchers reported that indoor greening produces psychological and cognitive benefits for building occupants.
Exposure to plants improves mood, reduces stress perception and increases the sense of comfort in indoor environments. In other words, the presence of greenery makes spaces feel more alive and less artificial, which influences how people think and feel throughout the day.4
Tips To Transform Your Indoor Environment With Greenery
TREAT INDOOR PLANTS AS ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT DECORATION. If you want plants to improve your indoor environment, you need enough greenery to influence the air around you. Place plants in the rooms where you spend the most time — your living room, workspace or bedroom. Grouping several plants together strengthens their impact on humidity and comfort. If you’re new to indoor plants, aim for at least two to three medium-sized plants per main living area as a starting point.
CHOOSE SPECIES KNOWN FOR STRONG TRANSPIRATION AND AIR-QUALITY BENEFITS. Peace lilies and Boston ferns release generous amounts of moisture and thrive in moderate indoor light. Pothos and rubber plants tolerate low light and inconsistent watering, which makes them forgiving choices for beginners. Snake plants are especially useful in bedrooms because they continue releasing oxygen at night through a specialized form of photosynthesis.
Snake plants are especially useful in bedrooms because they continue releasing oxygen at night through a specialized form of photosynthesis.
As you gain confidence, add more plants and experiment with groupings — the more greenery you maintain, the greater the effect on humidity and comfort. If you live in an apartment or house that traps heat, adding more indoor greenery helps soften that effect and makes the environment feel calmer and more comfortable.
SUPPORT YOUR PLANTS WITH GOOD LIGHTING AND AIRFLOW. Plants work best when the indoor environment supports them. Make sure your plants receive enough light and fresh air so they stay healthy and continue releasing moisture through transpiration. That process naturally raises indoor humidity and improves comfort. Healthy plants create a healthier indoor environment. When plants struggle, their environmental impact drops.
AVOID OVERWATERING. Water most indoor plants only when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch — overwatering is the most common mistake and creates waterlogged soil that breeds mold, which is directly linked to worse respiratory symptoms. Make sure every pot has drainage holes so excess water escapes rather than pooling around the roots. If you notice a musty smell coming from the soil, let it dry out completely and consider top-dressing the surface with a thin layer of pebbles or horticultural charcoal to discourage mold growth.
These simple tips will keep your plants healthy and prevent them from introducing the very indoor air problems you’re trying to solve.
This article was brought to you by Dr. Mercola, a New York Times bestselling author. For more helpful articles, please visit Mercola.com.
Sources and References
1, 2, 4 Building and Environment April 15, 2026, Volume 294, 114336
3 News Medical Life Sciences February 24, 2026
Find holistic Shamanic Healing in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.
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