Think about what a normal workday looks like. You get to the office, sit down at your desk, move from one meeting to the next, grab lunch and head home in the evening. For most of us, almost all of that happens inside. In fact, we spend around 90% of our time indoors, and for anyone with an office job, a big part of it is spent at work.

When people talk about air quality, the conversation is usually about what's happening outside: traffic, smog or pollen season. The air inside our offices rarely comes up. Since we can't see it and we hardly notice it, we tend to assume it's fine.

But our lungs don't take a break when we walk through the office door. We take around 17,000 breaths a day, and with every one of them, our lungs take in whatever is in the room. That's why the air at work deserves just as much attention as the air outside, and why it's worth looking at what we can do to make it better.

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What are the 3 main problems with the office air?

Indoor air is often more polluted than we think. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), concentrations of some pollutants indoors are often two to five times higher than outdoors. In offices, three things usually come together.

The first is carbon dioxide. Every person in a room breathes out CO₂, and in busy meeting rooms or open-plan spaces it builds up quickly when the windows stay shut.

The second is volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. They are released by furniture, carpets, paints, printers and cleaning products. We rarely smell them, but we breathe them in all day.

The third is dry air. In winter, heating lowers the humidity indoors. This dries out the mucous membranes in our nose and throat, which are our airways' first line of defence.

Together, these factors can lead to what is known as Sick Building Syndrome: headaches, coughing, irritated eyes and tiredness. And yet many offices are ventilated too little, and most have few or no plants at all.

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How do plants improve the office air we breathe?

Plants may look like they're just standing still, but they are constantly interacting with the air around them. Four processes play a part.

The best known is photosynthesis. The underside of a leaf is covered in tiny pores called stomata. Through them, a plant takes in carbon dioxide from the air. Using the energy from light, it combines the CO₂ with water and turns it into sugar, which it needs to grow. Along the way, it releases oxygen back into the room.

At the same time, plants release water. They draw moisture up through their roots and give it off as vapour through the same pores in their leaves. This process, called transpiration, gently raises the humidity in a room. In winter, when heating dries out the air, this helps keep the mucous membranes in our nose and throat from drying out.

Some of the work also happens below the surface. Research suggests that microorganisms living in the soil around a plant's roots can help break down certain airborne pollutants. The plant supports these microbes, and in return they help clean the air.

Finally, leaves act as small dust catchers. Their surfaces can trap fine particles from the air, which are removed each time the plant is wiped or watered.

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How can office plants protect your lungs?

Plants do more for our health than many people expect, and their effect reaches all the way to our lungs. Dry office air, especially in winter when the heating is on, dries out the mucous membranes that protect our airways. Research from Yale University shows that this makes it harder for the body to clear germs, so we cough more and catch colds more easily. By releasing water through their leaves, plants make the air less dry and easier to breathe. In a Norwegian study, office workers reported around 25% fewer complaints such as coughing and sore throats when plants were present.

They are also good for our minds. Looking at something green helps us relax and feel less stressed. When we are less stressed, which can help us sleep better, stay healthier and even breathe more calmly. Tiredness and headaches may also decrease.

In short, plants protect our airways, reduce everyday complaints, lower stress and help us stay focused.

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How can office air be monitored?

Indoor air quality is difficult to assess without data. To make it measurable, we use sensors designed specifically to complement our office greenery. The sensors are installed directly in our clients' offices, where they continuously monitor CO₂ levels, humidity and temperature. This provides a clear picture of the indoor climate and shows the measurable contribution our plants make to a healthier workplace.

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Creating a healthier office

We spend too much of our lives in the office to treat its air as an afterthought. Plants will not replace an open window, but they measurably improve how we feel, how well we focus and how comfortably we breathe. With the help of office plants and our sensors that monitor the condition of the air that we breathe, we can improve these office spaces and make them healthier places to work every day.

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