Can Houseplants Prevent The Spread of COVID-19 Indoors?

Everyday I watch the Coronavirus news coverage on TV and each day it seems like the number of COVID-19 infections double and the virus continues to spread rapidly. That makes me think that Coronavirus is much easier to catch then what officials are telling us. And that leads me to wonder about how I can better protect myself while I am quarantined in my home.

Selfie on my balcony with some of my houseplants behind me.

I have a few houseplants; about 10 actually. I enjoy having them inside because it does seems to help brighten up the inside of my apartment and I enjoy looking at them thru the day. But another reason why I have houseplants inside my home is to help improve the air quality.



A few years ago I read online about a study that NASA did back in the 70's. Basically, they tested a a lot of different houseplants in the Space Station and created a top 10 list of houseplants that actually clean and filter the air inside! I have many of the same houseplants on their list.

These houseplants remove toxic chemicals from the air that get produced from plastic, press board, various types of material used in furniture, etc. So that got me to wondering if these houseplants can remove toxic chemicals from the air, can they also remove COVID-19 particles from the air also?

Just a random thought.... I'm sure that the few houseplants that I have in my home will offer any protection. But what if my entire apartment was simply filled with houseplants. Ferns hanging from every available spot, covering the entire area of the ceiling. What about having all the walls with hanging ivy? And what about the floor... what would happen if I poured about 6 inches of top soil on all the floor and allowed grass to grow?

What about sunlight you may ask? No problem! Let's assume also that I have all the artificial lighting required to make this indoor "outdoor" apartment flourish. Picture converting your home into a terrarium! Anyway, I'm just having one of those "think out-blog" moments. You're welcome to post a comment sharing with me and the world what you think! :)

Edit: 8/2/2020 -- I originally published this article on 4/10/2020 and a lot sure has changed since then with the Coronavirus. I would have to do some fact checking to look back on the number of infections back in April but I can tell you right now as of this moment the number of infections has now climbed to 17.8 million worldwide and 4.7 million in U.S.A alone! These numbers are skyrocketing and changing everyday! 

These numbers are insanely high. And it's predicted to get much worse! And it's predicted that Coronavirus isn't going to go away any time soon. People are forecasting this virus outbreak can last years! So protecting yourself as much as you can is very important. And that has lead me to come back to this post and provide some updated information about whether common houseplants, such as spider plants, snake plants, peace lilies, or english ivy can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

The answer is YES! Having house plants inside your home can help prevent spreading the virus. The reason is because houseplants improve indoor air quality and help increase humidity. House plants act as natural, organic HEPA filters. Increased humidity helps because the virus prefers dry and hot weather. So if having house plants in your home is something you already have been doing -- such as a hobby -- then you're totally 100% on the correct path towards helping keep yourself safe.