Is it true that pothos absorbs formaldehyde? A full analysis of its effectiveness

I. Can it absorb it?

Undeniably, it does have a certain absorption effect on formaldehyde:

1. On one hand, it can use formaldehyde as a raw material for photosynthesis to produce the nutrients it needs.

2. On the other hand, its leaf surface also has a certain adsorption effect, and can adsorb some formaldehyde molecules in the air.

So it does indeed have some effect in absorbing formaldehyde, but this effect is not strong, and it is generally only a supplementary means of removing formaldehyde.

II. Why is it not strong?

1. We mentioned above the principle by which it purifies formaldehyde, and from that we can also imagine that this effect is actually very limited. First, although formaldehyde can also serve as a raw material for photosynthesis, its main raw material is still CO2 after all, so the amount of formaldehyde consumed in this way is actually very limited. Second, the leaf area of a single plant is also limited. Unless you make your home like an ancient jungle and let it cover the entire house, the amount of formaldehyde it can adsorb is also limited.

2. However, although it does not have much effect on removing formaldehyde, it does have some effect. We can keep it at home to supplement our formaldehyde purification, but we cannot treat it as the main means of purifying formaldehyde.

III. How to remove formaldehyde

1. Many plant lovers may be stumped again: then how should we remove formaldehyde? Here the editor recommends that everyone use the method of opening windows for ventilation. It can be said that all other methods are side doors and crooked paths, and timely window ventilation is the true way. Because compared with the outside, the formaldehyde concentration in the house is relatively high, and after opening the windows they will gradually diffuse and flow outside.

2. However, using this method will leave some formaldehyde remaining in the house. At this time, we can keep some plants such as pothos and ivy in the house to supplement the absorption.