WELL THAT'S SAD

So houseplants don't clean our air after all

File this one under disappointing news: It turns out that while your houseplants are lovely to look at and may help your mental health, they're not actually doing anything for the air quality in your home. They're not filtering out pollutants, nor are they absorbing toxins. That's a myth perpetuated by well-meaning plant shop employees and trendy sites, among others.

All myths start somewhere, and this one came from NASA

In 1989 a NASA scientist was looking into ways to remove specific air pollutants known as VOCs from spacecraft, laboratories, and other hermetically sealed environments. His study, which was funded by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, a trade group, found that plants were a "promising" solution to indoor air pollution.

Aside from the conflict of interest with the funding, the problem is that the study was specifically looking at airtight, sealed environments. Your home—with its doors, windows, drywall, carpets, pets, and more—doesn't even compare. The results from this study aren't necessarily inaccurate, they're just not transferable to a normal home.

**You could still make it work, but you would need a lot of plants**

In order to experience even a tiny increase in air quality, you'd need 10 plants per square foot of floor space. That's 1,000 plants in a small, 10-by-10 room. Not only is that essentially impossible, but some experts say that many plants could come with its own set of issues, like an increase in humidity.

The good news is plants aren't bad

And they do have other benefits. Just not this one.

(The Atlantic)

Try this

🚨Skin-care tip: Stop overusing your central air and heating system! This sucks the moisture out of the air in your home, making those fine lines and skin imperfections more noticeable. If you need to crank it up, consider getting a humidifier to balance out the water content in the air. Greatist

You too can finally understand WTH those businessy types are talking about all the time

As boring as it can be, business news is important to keep up with. All those acronyms and stock percentages may sound like nonsense, but they kinda keep the world going round, so it'd be wise to finally get a hold on what they all mean. Trouble is, that's easier said than done. At least before we found Morning Brew.

Morning Brew makes business news easy to understand

It's a daily newsletter that’s digestible, simple, quick to read, and, dare we say, fun? Sign up for free and see why more than 1 million readers start their day with The Brew—you'll be nodding along with all that talk of IPOs and COOs in no time.

Two great mattress recs comin' in hot

1. Nectar, the mattress that is both extremely comfortable and extremely affordable (because we all know that's hard to find)

I know what you're thinking: There are a lot of “affordable” mattresses these days. And that’s true. But an affordable mattress that's made with quality materials and isn't a literal pain in the back? I thought it was impossible until I discovered Nectar.

Thanks to the mattress's alluring price tag, perfect firmness, and (most importantly!!) cooling top layer, I was fully in love after just three nights (even though you get a full 365-night trial). Now I'm sleeping better, longer, and cooler. It's the best thing to happen to me in a while, and I want everyone to feel the same.

-- Jade Psiaki, senior account executive, brand partnerships

CHECK OUT NECTAR

2. Mlily, the mattress that saved my relationship (only half joking)

They say if you really want to test your relationship, you should go canoeing with your significant other. But I'd wager buying a mattress is a better bet.

We had a laundry list of different needs: I wanted memory foam that would cradle me like a baby and help me roll out of bed ache-free. He wanted springs that would keep him supported and cooling fabric to keep his temperature regulated all night. Luckily, the Mlily Fusion Luxe ticked all our respective boxes. It came in a box (don't they all these days?), filled itself up to its full poofiness in no time, and didn't give off any weird off-gassing smells. It's the perfect blend of foamy, supportive, springy, and cool, so we each get our own version of a perfect night's sleep.

-- Jamey Powell, fitness editor

CHECK OUT MLILY

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