Nephrolepis exaltata aka Boston fern is the best plant for removing Formaldehyde from the air and removed significantly more per hour than the rest of plants examined. Apart from Formaldehyde it can aslo remove xylene and toluene. It is an non toxic plant, so it’s baby and pet friendly.

It requires moisture and humidity to thrive, so the first thing you need to do is to make sure that it is in the right kind of environment. Boston fern needs a cool place with high humidity. If your house is dry add some extra humidity by setting your pant’s pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water. The best light conditions to provide is indirect sunlight, also filtered sunlight through net curtains works well too.

The Boston fern will grow fast in temperatures of 16-30°C (60- 86°F). No lower than 13ºC (55ºF).

This is what happens when you cook without extractor hood. In the graph below you can see a huge spike on the PM sensor, this is because my extractor hood in the kitchen has broken and I had to cook without it. Immediately the air quality went down.

The air quality monitor was 2 rooms away from the kitchen, so always ventilate the kitchen by using an extractor hood. Tip by closing the lid of the pot/pan you decrease dramatically the release of PMs into the atmosphere.

When indoor relative humidity is higher than RH:65% this will allow bacteria and mold to grow. You can always purchase a dehumidifier and it works like charm but it will cost you a lot on electricity, so plants come to the rescue. Some plants are capable of absorbing indoor humidity and use this kind of moist for their own good.

Tropical plants called epiphytes like Tillandsia, Boston Fern, English Ivy and Peace Lily are plants that get some or all their water from the air instead their roots.

Tillandsia: A plant that can survive without roots, so it can absorb water from the air.

English Ivy: It can remove the airborne mold typically found in humid areas.

Boston Fern: Thrives in more moist climates, so it will naturally absorb some of the humidity in your home.

Peace Lily: The least potent plant for humidity because it is a watered plant, but it will also absorb moisture from the air through its leaves.

A few plants won’t solve the problem of too much humidity in your house, but they can help and alleviate some. Please don’t over do it on the other hand, and try to find a balance between them.

I had the opportunity of getting the Nosk Nasal Filters and of course I couldn’t resist not writing a review about my personal thoughts and impressions.

As I have already mentioned in my preview article effectiveness and elegance are the key points of my evaluation.

Characteristics

It has been certified efficient at 100% for PM10 filtration, 96.3% for PM2.5 filtration and 96.1% for PM1.0 filtration. Each filter last up to 100 hours, it is made of SMS fabric (Spunbond/Meltblown/Spunbond) and the clip is made of Polyolefin Elastomers which is hipoalergic.

Elegance

Yes it is elegant, you can wear it without people noticing it thanks to its discreet invisible design. It doesn’t produce heat or moist like a face mask, so it doesn’t make you sweat either. You can speak, eat or drink freely. Each time I use it I sneeze once or twice because it tickles my nasal hair but this is a normal reaction of the body.

Effectiveness

In my case it didn’t shield both nasal cavities well. It comes in one size only so it couldn’t fit well enough to shield the left or the right nasal cavity at the same time correctly, so pollutants could bypass the filter and enter in my respiratory system. Then as I had more filters available I shared them with some friends just to try and see if the filter could adjust on their nasal cavities better. Indeed the filters fit most of them perfectly. I would surely recommend this kind of filtration for pollen, dust and mold. As a result people who work in construction sites and need protection from dust mostly PM10 and then PM2.5 or people allergic to pollen during Spring time they will likely benefit from the Nasal Filter.

Conclusions

All in all it is an innovative product which will allow you to interact with your daily tasks without any problem and it will protect you from basic air pollutants. The company needs to come up with more sizes but you should give it a try as it is available in different packages of 2 or 6 or 10 or 20 filter plugs (More info at https://filtrosnosk.com). In case you purchase this kind of filtration remember to handle it always with clean hands and store it in its case because you don’t want germs in your nasal cavities.

Cyclists, motorcyclist and pedestrians but even people inside their houses (depending where they live) get exposed to direct air pollutants like Hydrocarbons (HC), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Particulate matter (PM1.0-PM2.5-PM10), Carbon monoxide (CO) and Sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the vehicles’exhaust fumes everyday.

The solutions can be limited. A half face filter mask for example is the only solution for those that move around the city. Two are the factors that will determinate if the mask is worth using it. Firstly if it is efficient enough to block all the harmful pollutants out of our lungs and secondly if it is elegant enough to use it in public.

Right now there are many masks in the market that offer these kinds of protection, for now I will list some on them below but later this year I will review some of them here on #seetheair blog and I will let you know if they are efficient and elegant for your everyday usage.

List:

• Respro Pollution Maks Link
• Airinum Mask Link
• 3M Respirators Link
• O2 Canada Mask Link
• Nosk Nasal Filters Link Spain – Link UK
• Totobobo Mask Link
• Vogmask Link
• Cambridge Masks Link
• RZ Mask Link

In case there is someone who would like a review on a specific pollution mask please let me know below on the comments. Thank you

Our lives dependent upon our breath but many people including myself don’t know how to breathe properly.

• Clean fresh air is an important key for a better breath. There are hundreds of studies about the importance of fresh clean air. In cities with high air pollution, people struggle with asthma, infections and breathing difficulties and they are quite common issues. We need clean air for our health.
• Be aware of each breath, which mean to breathe into your abdomen using deep, rhythmic belly breaths. Many people including myself are surface breathers, meaning that our inhalation of air is shallow and it isn’t even noticeable, as a result not efficient. Deep belly breathing calms the central nervous system right away. The breaths help in establishing the connection of our mind to our body.
• Focus on your breath. Breathe in and breathe out. Notice your belly filling with fresh air, and exhale. Stay present. Knowingly sending the breath deep into your belly then fill up the lungs. Feel the air inside you. Experience the exchange of gases (O2-CO2) inside you, and witness the calming down of the body. That’s it, you did it. Now remember this steps each time you catch yourself breathing shallow and of course practice.

There are some apps for smartphones and smartwatches that can help and remind you to breathe properly. For example, Apple watchOS 3.0 includes an app with breathing techniques. Available Fall 2016 for free

Search for a “breathe or meditation” app on iOS or Android store. You can find free and paid ones like:

Stop, Breathe & Think  |  Breath  |  Headspace  |  Calm