Cool Your Home With Houseplants

You know it’s coming, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. The Texas heat is just around the corner, bringing its infamous triple-digit heat index with it.

Air conditioning is a way of life in Texas, but did you know certain houseplants can also work to keep your home cool while saving you money on energy in the process? They do it by emitting oxygen and moisture. The bigger the leaves, the more oxygen and moisture released into the air. Here are just a few.

Snake Plant (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue)
The Snake Plant stores up lots of water in its leaves that evaporates into cool moisture into the air. As a bonus, these plants are known to be one of the most oxygen-producing houseplants and can even absorb certain toxins from the air.

Ficus Benjamina (Weeping Fig)
The Ficus tree is also good at cleansing the air of pollutants, and because of its bushy top of glossy leaves, it also works to cool the surrounding environment with oxygen and moisture. Try creating a mini-cooling ecosystem by placing other plants on this list underneath or nearby the Ficus.

Ficus Elastica (Rubber Plant)
This plant is great if you’re limited on space. The Rubber Plant is known for releasing high levels of oxygen and purifying the air of toxins.

Palms
They’re not just for the beach anymore. Bamboo Palms are small and have large leaves that emit more oxygen and moisture than smaller-leafed plants. Like the Ficus and Snake plants, they too help to clean the air around them of toxins.

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Yet another toxin busting, moisture producing plant. The Chinese Evergreen has a high transpiration rate, giving them the power to release a lot of moisture into the air.

Cooling your home is just one example of the power of plants. They have so many other benefits to offer. If you think you might want to invest, do a little research before you make the purchase. You might be surprised all the ways plants can be a great addition to your home.