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How often have you heard, “It’s not the heat — it’s the humidity?” While sticky weather isn’t comfortable for anyone, climate change makes it increasingly dangerous. Furthermore, high moisture levels inside your home can damage your health and property.
The solution to keeping levels in check depends on working in harmony with the natural world instead of against it. Since life first arose on Earth, plants have played an integral part in maintaining a healthy balance of the conditions that allow other living things to thrive. It’s past time to learn more about how the right foliage can manage humidity levels and keep humans safer.
Plants use two processes — transpiration and foliar absorption — to influence humidity levels. Transpiration refers to plants drawing water up from the soil through their roots, releasing it into the surrounding atmosphere. Doing so increases humidity levels from the exuded water vapor.
However, foliar absorption occurs when plants take in water and nutrients from the surrounding air through their leaves instead of their roots. The leaves of many plants contain special microscopic pores called stomata that open to allow this intake. They also allow carbon dioxide to enter the plant for photosynthesis.
Therefore, using houseplants to modulate your home’s humidity level requires you to prevent the soil from becoming overly moist, assuming you want to reduce the stickiness. It also entails selecting plants that do a superior job of foliar absorption for maximum water wicking from your indoor air.
High home humidity levels cause significant problems beyond your legs adhering to your faux leather couch and leaving sweat stains on fabrics. For one, it can cause you to turn down the AC in an attempt to get comfortable. While doing so isn’t as problematic if your home operates on alternative power like solar, most areas still source most of their energy from fossil fuels, the burning of which contributes to climate change.
Additionally, high home humidity levels spur mold and mildew growth, which can harm your health. It can aggravate your throat and nasal passages and spur more frequent asthma attacks in those prone to them. Humid air makes it harder to breathe, especially for folks with COPD or other upper respiratory conditions. The healthiest indoor spaces never exceed a relative humidity level greater than 60% to minimize these risks.
Finally, high humidity levels threaten your house’s structural integrity. Over time, excessive moisture can rot drywall, warp your framework and even erode your foundation. Things inside your home don’t fare much better. Fabrics resist drying and retain moisture and bacteria, making them smell funky. Condensation on metal surfaces encourages rust and can cause your HVAC components to fail, leaving you without climate control.
The problem of excessive humidity extends beyond your home. You might have heard recent news reports regarding the dangers of “wet bulb” temperatures. This term refers to conditions where the air becomes so moisture-laden that your sweat will not evaporate to cool you down. It significantly increases your risk of heat-related illnesses, which can be fatal.
Wet bulb temperatures have become problematic as humans remake the natural landscape, removing native vegetation to make room for industry and mass agricultural operations. While a single person alone cannot solve the climate crisis, everyone can do their part by making wiser landscaping choices.
For example, xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that relies on native plants, groundcovers and decorative stone instead of water-intensive lawns. It reduces freshwater use and encourages foliar absorption, which reduces atmospheric humidity levels. As a nifty bonus, it frees you from having to do lawn work every sunny Saturday — most designs are low maintenance, requiring only weeding and raking a few times a year.
Selecting the right plants for your interior decor and exterior landscaping does your part to mitigate atmospheric humidity levels. While the precise species that work best may vary slightly depending on your climate zone and elevation, certain general rules can help you get the greatest bang for your nursery buck.
The first rule to remember is this — the bigger the plant, the greater its impact on surrounding humidity levels. Therefore, trees are among your best bets for indoor and outdoor climate control. Rubber trees can thrive in pots or outdoors and are amazing for water-wicking. Although you shouldn’t wet them down, they thrive in high-humidity areas, and using a humidity tray makes the leaves a deeper, more emerald green.
The Meyer’s lemon tree is another excellent plant to cultivate indoors and out. It readily catches humidity outside, although a tray may help it thrive in your living room. Money trees are another species with versatile indoor-outdoor growing power, and who knows? Maybe one will bring good luck and fortune to your doorstep!
However, don’t overlook slightly smaller species for absorbing humidity. For example, philodendrons require high humidity or the occasional mist to keep their leaves from turning yellow and drooping. Too much soil moisture will likewise harm them — this tropical plant prefers to absorb moisture from the air. Pothos is another popular species that looks elegant draped over bookshelves or dangling over your mantle.
Although they’re notoriously tricky for novice indoor gardeners, orchids offer unparalleled beauty and thrive best with dry soil and just the right atmospheric humidity. Ferns and peace lilies are ideal for low-light areas such as your bedroom or bathroom, while various cacti and succulents thrive in direct sunlight.
Decorative planters immediately come to mind for showing off your moisture-wicking houseplants in style. However, you can further increase your overall sustainability by repurposing old items into creative displays.
For example, hanging an old wine rack vertically and lining each circle with a conical planter creates a gorgeous living wall hanging that won’t tempt you to fall off the wagon. Old wooden pallets and wooden crates are likewise perfect for transforming into planters, creating an indoor “spice rack” replete with fresh varieties. A basket hanger is another lovely way to display multiple plants, each of which sucks humidity from your indoor air.
Maintaining balanced air moisture levels depends on humans working in tandem with the natural world, not against it. The right plants can absorb humidity and mitigate atmospheric levels. The above tips can help you keep yours in check while beautifying your home and landscape.
Jack Shaw is a freelance writer specializing in home improvement, gardening, and caring for the outdoors. He’s the senior writer of Modded and has contributed his advice through sites like Green Living Journal, House 2 Home Organizing, Log Cabin Hub, and more. You can reach him via LinkedIn.
