Beautifying Your Bathroom While Improving Air Quality

When NASA conducts a study to figure out which houseplants best improve space station air quality, you can assume it's top-of-the-line research. Since no one knows space, and thus the necessity of oxygen, quite like NASA, the findings of the study have effects reaching much more close to home. What's good enough for astronauts must be good enough for your bathroom, after all.

Good air quality in the home is important. It keeps your lungs healthy, reduces the likelihood of asthma and chronic bronchitis and helps eliminate allergens. But good air quality also just makes a space more pleasant, fresher and relaxing. While all rooms could benefit from one or two of NASA's top plants, you might not enjoy them anywhere quite as much as the bathroom. Draw a bath with scented oils, dim the lights, stretch out and breathe in air so fresh it could come from the heart of the rainforest.

A comfortable bathroom accompaniment to potted plants might be radiant floor heating. Not only has radiant heat been proven superior to central heating with regards to air quality, it's carefully regulated smart controls will keep your plants comfortable without blasting them with gusts of hot air. Easily installed under most floor types, radiant heat systems are also eco-friendly, which means your bathroom will be several shades of green.

Wondering what some of those NASA-certified miracle house plants are? The list of all-natural air freshening options included English ivy, your average spider plant, bamboo palms, Chinese evergreens, peace lilies, weeping figs and heartleaf philodendron, among others. Interestingly, all are true houseplants - the sort you can pick up a local nursery.

Want to add some more air quality-improving touches to your bathroom? Instead of your usual scented candles, invest in some clean-burning soy candles. Soy candles don't give off any of the soot that paraffin wax candles do. Also make sure your cabinets and vanity are made from hardwood or sustainable sources and haven't been painted, glued or lacquered with any material containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which can contribute to health problems. Be sure to reduce mold and mildew by limiting lingering moisture. Squeegee shower doors dry and make sure your ventilation fan is in top condition.

When you're relaxing in the bath after a long day, the last thing you want to worry about is air quality. So let the plants do some of the work for you.