Mold commonly develops on indoor plants due to adequate sunlight, over-watering, poor ventilation, or your plant's pot or container has inadequate drainage. Mold is often treatable in houseplants by removing the offending soil or cutting the affected plant parts off.
A lot of plants can also raise the humidity levels of your home to the point that it causes black mold to grow in places like your kitchen and bathroom.
Organic Matter. Mold and other types of fungi feed on decomposing organic matter, so it's important to regularly remove fallen leaves from plant soil. "Leaves or plant debris provide a source of nutrients for mold to grow," says Brown.
Spider plants, orchids and leafy palms can all help to remove mould spores in the home.
Put your plants in areas that have good ventilation. Remove dead leaves, blossoms, and other material from planters. Sprinkle some baking soda, cinnamon, or apple cider vinegar on the soil for natural mold prevention.
Overwatering. If you find mold on the soil in a potted plant, that typically means you're watering the plant too often and the soil is persistently moist. Keep in mind that most indoor plants require less water than outdoor plants, in part because they receive less sunlight to evaporate excess moisture.
Peace lily, Boston fern, ivy, spider plant and orchid are just some of the recommended mould-beating plants.
English Ivy: A Christmastime favorite that's a year-round keeper because it filters 78 percent of airborne mold in 12 hours. Dwarf Date Palm: Loves xylene and other pollutants. Boston Fern: Who hasn't owned a Boston Fern? Time to get another — its specialty is formaldehyde removal.
Plants with waxy or hairy leaves such as cacti or those that have large surface areas are the best to lower indoor humidity. Most plants that like moist soil in humid areas are more likely to evolve this adaptation, but some plants in arid areas with little rainfall may also be able to process moisture in this manner.
Mold hates light. Other than moisture there's nothing mold loves more than dark places.
Unfortunately the answer is yes. Not only are some houseplants poisonous (such as lilies and philodendron) the moist soil inside planted pots can also be a breeding ground for mold, a common allergen that can cause allergy or hay fever symptoms.
Cinnamon contains a natural and very effective fungicide which will kill any remaining Fungus. Be sure to allow the top soil to properly dry out before watering again, and preferably only water from below eg. directly to the reservoir of a self watering planter.
Juniper tree pollen floats like a feather, and even from a small bonsai it can wreck havoc on your sinuses. Say no to all grasses, daises, mums, and most sunflowers. Flowers in general are OK and won't trigger allergies or asthma, unless the scent is something you simply don't like.
Sell, donate, or gift. Having too many plants won't result in anything terrible, and in fact, growing several plants in your home has plenty of benefits. One upside is that they help to purify the air during photosynthesis, when they take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, according to The Mode Mag.
There is some research that houseplants can improve your health: Plants help you breathe. Plants get their food from sunlight through a process called photosynthesis. During this process, plants take in carbon dioxide, convert it to oxygen, and then release it into the air for you to breathe.
Not only do plants look beautiful in your bathroom, they can also offer a lot of benefits for you and your home. They can improve air quality, they can reduce stress and anxiety, and certain plants in particular can help to absorb excess moisture, and therefore reduce mould in the bathroom.
Areca Palm is a perfect humidity-lowering houseplant.
They like medium to low light conditions making them ideal houseplants. This palm does not just have style, according to NASA this houseplant is one of the best for air purifying!
While technically both plants and purifiers clean the air, air purifiers are the obvious winner for literal air cleaning purposes. Considering the sheer amount of plants needed in your space to appreciably reduce VOC and indoor pollution levels, they can't be recommended.
Yes Clorox products such as Clorox Disinfecting Bleach and Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover both use bleach (sodium hypochlorite) as the active ingredient, which is effective at killing mold. Just like with generic bleach, these products are most effective for removing mold from hard, non-porous surfaces.
Wolverton says that, absent expensive testing, it's impossible to guess how many plants might be needed to clean a room of its contaminants. But he usually recommends at least two “good sized” plants per 100 square feet of interior space.
Warm rooms, like bathrooms, are at particular risk. Using plants to help keep mould at bay is a practical and natural way to control humidity and moisture in your home. "How good a plant is at reducing humidity is all to do with its ability to absorb dew, fog and other moisture through its leaves.
Improving ventilation in living areas may provide some quick relief if the mold spores in your home are a result of moisture issues or visible mold growth. The principle behind this is to allow dirty indoor air to flow outside while allowing fresh air to flow inside.
Vinegar is a proven method for destroying mold and eliminating pesky white spots from your plants. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a quart of water, and spray onto your infected leaves and stems. Repeat every few days until all traces of mold are gone.