Ep 67. Can plants really improve the health of your home?
In this episode, Michelle is joined once again by Jason Ratcliffe, The Wellbeing Surveyor and host of the Heal Your Home podcast.
Together, they explore the power of plants and how what you grow both inside and outside can significantly impact your home’s health, air quality, and even its structure. Whether you’re a proud plant parent or a serial over waterer, this conversation is full of practical insights to help you create a healthier, more harmonious living environment.
Here’s what you’ll learn from today’s episode:
Why some plants do more ham than good
The biggest myth about watering that’s killing your houseplants
Which plants are best for purifying indoor air
How trees and roots can silently damage your property
Smart tips for using plants to reduce noise
Speakers in today’s episode:
Michelle May - Michelle May Buyers Agents
Jason Ratcliffe - The Wellbeing Surveyor
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This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Please note that any views or opinions presented in this podcast are solely those of the speakers, and do not necessarily represent those of any business. These views and opinions are general in nature, and do not take account of your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. Please consider whether it applies in your circumstances and seek professional advice wherever appropriate.
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Michelle May
Welcome to another episode of the Buyerside Podcast. The property podcast to help you make smarter property buying decisions. My name is Michelle May and I am the principal of Michelle May Buyers Agents here in Sydney.
And as you can see for those watching the YouTube videos I am not alone today. We've got Jason Radcliffe, The Wellbeing Surveyor back with us because after our last episode, we continued talking about the great things you can do to improve your wellbeing in your home.
And so we thought we'd come back for another episode. And this time, we are going to be discussing plants and foliage in and around your house and how that can actually improve or actually be to the detriment to the health in your home. So, hi Jason, it's so great to have you back, welcome.
Jason Ratcliffe
Thank you so much. Hi, Michelle and hi everyone. Yeah, I absolutely love speaking with you. I think it's fantastic and I think the energy you bring is amazing and it's a great joy to be on your podcast. So thank you very much for having me back.
Michelle May
It's another sunny day in the UK. I can see the sun behind you there.
Jason Ratcliffe
You missed a couple of rainy days before, but yes, it is, we'll take it. Yeah, it's a sunny day today.
Michelle May
And I was just complaining about how cold it is in Sydney. It was literally 16 degrees today. And you mentioned that is usually like a sunny day in Blighty. But I remember those days well.
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, most people will be on the beach today.
Michelle May
I know, but like we last discussed, I swear, Australian houses are also the coldest I've ever lived in. So, but hey, I just got toughen up, I guess. But talking about plants, now I actually created this little setup for you behind me, because am huge plant lover. I love plants, different kinds.
And given how expensive flowers are here in Australia, I'm being Dutch as well, growing up with flowers always in the house, you know, for a few pennies, my mum would pick up the most beautiful, gorgeous arrangements from the markets. Flowers here are definitely a luxury item. You really don't buy much for a hundred bucks when you're sending flowers as a gift, which is a lot of money. And of course, they wilt so quickly. So I end up filling my house with plants. But I can safely say that I am not as green fingered as I would like. But I don't really know much about plants as such. I buy with my eyes. If I see a pretty one, I take it home from the garden centre and I've spent many dollars there. And then if I'm lucky, they live with me for a while.
But yeah, unfortunately, I've butchered quite a few in my past. So let's start with outside of your home, like you've got a bit of a courtyard, a balcony, a garden, where would you start as a homeowner?
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, I mean, that that is a really great question. I think no matter what outside space you have, there's always room for some kind of plant. And I think that it can work in very different ways.
So if you have a small courtyard or a patio area or a balcony, you may want to fill it with a bit more colour, a bit more kind of rich smells. So you can get some smelly plants, and some nice smelling plants…
Michelle May
Yes. Jasmine, that kind of thing?
Jason Ratcliffe
So you can have things like lilies and things like that which are really nice, but toxic so be careful. Which can really help but they need to be in a specific area you can't just have them kind of out, they're very susceptible to weather conditions so it's very important to make sure if you're keeping an eye on these. If you're in an area which you are, I suppose, in a noise pollution area. So if you're kind of right next to a road, right next to a train track or airport, things like that, thicker, denser, more all round plants, which are very hardy, are really, really worthwhile. So you've got different shrubs, but then also you have evergreen plants, which will do absolute wonders. So any kind of full foliage, evergreen, you know things like ferns and you know all of these kind of hardy, you don't really need to be a green fingered type approach is the best way, to be honest with you.
Michelle May
Well, I mean, here, obviously, we've got a lot of bamboo that you can grow very quickly and provide a great privacy screen as well as noise and sort of protection as well as they create their own noise as well, like with the wind, you know that's kind of rustling…
Jason Ratcliffe
Absolutely. Bamboo is amazing for that.
Michelle May
But you've got to be very careful that it doesn't overtake, right, the back garden.
I remember when I lived in the UK, Leylandis, is that how you pronounce them? The, you know, the big conifers, the huge, huge, where they would be neighbouring disputes about how high they're allowed to be because there's definitely rules and regulations around that, so you've got to really do your research when it comes to that. But tell me the lilies they're toxic, they're poisonous for humans as well?
Jason Ratcliffe
They are, yes. So again, it's so important to make sure that you get the right plants for your home. So things like lilies, if you're if you've got small children, if you have pets, they're not the best, but also you have to be a little bit more green-fingered with something like a lily because they'll die in my house, if I'm honest.
I'm not green-fingered, but what we consider... biophilic design so with with plant enhancements is amazing but things what's behind you for example is is a pothos so yeah which are awesome i have those in my house i've got them in my office everywhere because they're really hardy they don't need a huge amount of light or attention but they're really great at being able to get things like benzene and formaldehyde and all these nasty air pollutants out of your home or office. But then you have other things such as spider plants and snake plants, which they they're quite decorative as well because they're not just the standard. They don't flower necessarily, but they look quite spindly. So they give a bit of a contrast to your home or your office, which is great.
But then you have other things that are more pet friendly. So you've got kind of aloe vera plants and things like that, which obviously have medicinal purposes as well. So normally if you get a burn or something like that, you can kind of put aloe vera on it. I'm not a medical expert, by all means, if you get a burn, go to the doctors…
Michelle May
Do not stop going to the hospital because Jason said, if your finger's falling off, please go and see the GP.
Jason Ratcliffe
But no, I think one of my favourites is a cheese plant. I absolutely love cheese plants. I think they're really, yeah.
Michelle May
Cheese plants. I'll have to look that up.
Jason Ratcliffe
So they're big, big plants with big leaves and they can grow really tall. And they're amazing indoors. They don't need a lot of light or attention, just an occasional water. But I think this is it. It really depends on your home, your how much space you have, because things like a ZZ plant, for example, which is quite a cool looking plant that's quite upright, so it doesn't necessarily spread outwards. It can be quite good in a home that so has some nice high ceilings, for example, or you've got some again, pothos plants behind you, and that are more hanging draping plants which work really well in kind of cottages or you know low ceiling heights if you've got an apartment for example.
So there's all sorts of different types of plants that you can have. But again, it's so important to make sure that they are right for you because you can be so disheartened. When I first started getting into having plants around, but I literally did probably what everyone does and goes, oh, amazing, plants are good for you. Right, let's go to the plant shop and just buy loads of plants. That's great.
And then you spend probably £500 on them and then most of them die because you don't look after them or don't understand or even worse, they start rotting and or they they'd bring in kind of flies and things like that, which then start smelling. And then obviously you have a massive negative effect impact because you're going to have rotting plants and things in your house and lots of and lots of flies. But flies come with any plant really, if you have open soil things like that, so it's kind of like having deterrence and understanding that. So again kind of lean away from the chemicals and things that might harm you and you can get kind of those sticky pads which you can just put in the plant pot which does the job and it doesn't then affect you and family and occupants or pets and things like that.
But you know things like rubber plants are good because they're really good at kind of filtering the air but also they're really hardy. Because they obviously the name of them, rubber plants, they're quite rubbery. But things like that, they'll need kind of dusting every once in a while because they've got big kind of leaves, which look great, they cover a lot of area, but then obviously they'll be a bit dusty. So again, it defeats the object of having a plant in your home that is then going to potentially kick off dust allergies. So it's crazy stuff that you don't necessarily think of.
Michelle May
So here's a few things I've heard, and you can tell me whether they're myths or they're true, just off the top of my head. Do most plants die from overwatering as opposed to underwatering? Is that a myth or is that true?
Jason Ratcliffe
That is true. I think the thing is, a lot of plants, especially the ones you can have indoors, like the ones we've mentioned already, are quite hardy plants that don't necessarily need a lot of watering. They might need watering once a week, you know, once every other week, depending on where you are in the world, depending if you're near an area such as the coast, where you're going a lot more atmospheric moisture that it can absorb, or if you're in a lot drier areas.
So yeah, I think the problem is people then kind of go, oh oh, I need to water this plant every day, for example, or they water them at the wrong time of day. So if they're in direct sunlight, for example, and it's the middle of summer, and you water your plants and get the leaves wet and that can cause a lot of damage as well. So again, reverting back to that kind of rotting and flies and stuff like overwatering can cause those types of issues as well, which you know is it makes it smell, it makes you have loads of flies in your home. So it's important. And most plants, well before you buy them, they've got the labels in as well, which will tell you kind of how hardy they are, where you should have them, if they should be in a light area or a shaded area, things like that. But then, you know, to go kind of reverting back to the outside plants as well, you know, things we kind of mentioned about, evergreens. So, you know, you're looking at things like evergreen oaks and eucalyptus trees, stuff like that, which, and bamboo. Bamboo is a fantastic one because exactly that, it makes its own resonating sound, which can then counteract any kind of noise, pollution, things like that, breaks that sound waves up.
But just having dense foliage and different heights, so you can have taller plants and then kind of smaller plants integrated with some shrubs maybe, even you know delving a little bit more into landscaping rather than plants, but if you had a water feature as well, just to kind of bring that natural sound waves through, which can potentially help break up the the sound and also the air pollutants from a busy airport or a busy motorway, for example. So all of those can then filter.
And if you've got things like, depending on your home and your budget, if you can do things like earth banks around your home as well, they're fantastic. So basically like a pile of earth. So if you were landscaping and you had loads of soil that you didn't know what to do with, you can actually put them into earthbanks, which because they're quite dense, or they're very dense, they they can absorb those sound waves to help kind of reduce the sound in, you know, the noise pollution in your home and in your garden.
But then also, those are really, really good for being able to then plant in because then you can then have a sound bank with shrubs and evergreens on top and it's like a super barrier for any kind of noise pollutant.
Michelle May
Hang on, so you're talking about creating artificial hills in a way. Dykes, I'm familiar with dykes and dams. Being Dutch, you know, we have a few where I come from. Okay, obviously that requires a fair bit of a garden. Most of us in Sydney have small blocks, you know, Victorian terraces on 112 square meters of land kind of thing. When I look at properties, I always look at the trees in the gardens because there are quite a few trees that have invasive roots that can really mess with the sewage, but also the foundations of your home if they're too close.
Have you got any suggestions in terms of distance from your home for things like, even like bamboo, for example, or that isn't there a noxious one that has roots that are almost impossible, once it's in your garden it's almost impossible to get rid of, like it's illegal to plant it as such.
Jason Ratcliffe
Do you mean Japanese Norweed?
Michelle May
That's the one, yes, that's the one.
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, so in the UK, it's a bit of a bizarre legislation around it because it's not illegal to have it in your property or on your ground, but it is illegal for it then to encroach onto somebody else's land. So it's a bit of a grey area really, but you don't want it anyway. It's not a great plant to have at all. It was actually introduced into residential areas through landscapers and things like that. It was actually actively promoted as something that was aesthetically pleasing, easy to grow, quick to grow.
So, yeah, that's why it was introduced originally. But Yeah, it's exactly right. I think it's the root system is really where the issues lie. And you know trees, it really depends on the size of the tree, the type of tree, but again, the type of land, the subsoil it's in. If you've got things like clay subsoil, which I believe is a big thing, especially around Sydney as well, you've got seasonal variations in the subsoil. So what it means is it can expand and contract at a rapid rate and quite significantly.
If you get a sudden dry spell, it can then cause it to shrink and if you get a sudden downpour, it will then expand quite quickly, which then causes a lot of structural issues.
So if you've got a tree, for example, as in quite close proximity, say within 10 meters, for example, of your home, and you suddenly go, oh I'm going to cut that down. If you do it at the wrong time of year and you don't have the right expertise to do that, what tends to happen is then all of that water that's reserved in that tree then dumps straight back into the ground and then it can have a massive expansion on the subsoil, which that in itself can actually cause pretty nasty structural movements of properties.
So it's a very careful type of approach that you need because root systems typically, yes, are kind of going on to drainage. They cause fracturing and if you've got things like clay pipework, for example, they normally have mortar fillet at the junctions to join the different sections. That tends to then cause fracturing and erosion of those areas, which then causes the foul drainage to then leak and seep out into the subsoil. So you've got contamination issues, but then also you've got something called a tipping point.
So they may not have, if you don't look at your drains and don't have them checked regularly, especially if you've got trees around, and if it's a Victorian property as well, because they'll probably have clay pipework, which is then susceptible to this, you may not see any issues at all. Then you may go on holiday for a couple of weeks and then come back and half your house has moved and you think, well, how has that happened? But it may well have been kind of 20, 30, 40 years of fractured pipe work that's then caused erosion of the subsoil and all of a sudden there was a tipping point where it's gone, oh, okay, perfect weather conditions or too much subsoil and then all of a sudden you have a shift within your foundations of your property. And then that causes movement and it can be quite significant all of a sudden. So it's really important to keep on top of.
Michelle May
Yeah, well, I'll tell you a story. My colleague Nicola had a client and they were looking in the Inner City area of Sydney called Surry Hills, which has lots of teeny tiny Victorian terraces, you know, old, old properties, little courtyards kind of thing. And initially she flagged the tree in the backyard. It was a native tree. I can't remember what it was, but it was a native tree. And in Australia, we're very protective about our native trees and rightly so.
So you normally can't get them cut. And if you do need to get a cut, you need your special permission. And it's a really lengthy process that can take many, many years and it can go way into the High Court, and Environment Court.
And so we got the arborist in. Because she was a bit concerned about the roots that, you know, some of the tiles in the courtyard were already moving. And so the arborist comes and goes, well, yeah, I can see that you're concerned about that one. But actually, there's an even bigger, bigger tree, native tree, all the way across on a different property, like two or three properties across. He's like, that's going to be the bigger problem, you know. And he's like, it was me, I would walk away from this. And we did. because you know we thought it was one thing but it was actually another and both would have been a problem down the track and given how difficult it is to sort of fight that with council,l even if you've got pre problems with your property, it was best to walk away so yeah it's it's definitely something that if you are looking to purchase property don't just look at the house look at the trees in your garden as well and neighbouring gardens that may be an issue for sure.
Hey and so another myth I want to see if that's something that you can help me with. So I've heard that you also need to wipe down the leaves of the plants like dust them. And if that’s true, are you best to put them in a shower and sort of douse them so you're dusting and watering them at the same time. Is that a good idea? Is it needed? Is it necessary? Dusting the leaves?
Jason Ratcliffe
I mean, it depends on how much effort you want to go through. Yeah, I think dusting leaves, yes, it's not just a myth. It is true. Like I mentioned about the rubber plant, and the ones with the bigger leaves, so you've got more surface area, they will, because they're a surface, you know, even if they're natural surfaces, they are still a surface. So they will need dusting because you're going to get skin particles, all sorts of things, pollutants and everything, naturally physical pollutants actually then entering and laying on there, such as dust and pollen and things like that can also get in and attract to these areas. But also if it's wet because you're watering your plants and you're spraying your leaves naturally then that then attracts dust and it can trap dust easier so it's actually then almost counterintuitive to water your plants which sounds silly, so because obviously it means that it's attracting dust but obviously you still need to water your plants right? So what you yeah what you would do if you've got smaller plants and you want to water them. it'd probably be a good idea to take them into your shower but most people have bigger plants such as your cheese plants, things like that. And if you've got lots of plants, who wants to then move all of their plants and give them a shower? You just look strange, right?
So I think just having a wet cloth, you don't need to have, when we say dusting, it does not mean polishing. So we're not using polish, we're not using cleaning products, we're not using anything like that. Just, you know, have some water and a towel or something like that or some kind of cloth and then just gently wipe over your plants and every once in a while. We could do it once a week just to keep on top of it. But yes, you do need to dust your plants. Yes.
Michelle May
Okay, okay, I've been doing the right thing Jason, but I have been chucking them in the shower all together, all their friends and just water and then leave them to you know drain.
Jason Ratcliffe
I mean, bear in mind that each plant will require different watering schedules. And again, if you put them in a shower and then you end up then putting them straight back into direct sunlight, that can then kill them as well. So that's not a good idea.
Michelle May
Yeah, okay. So if you're a plant killing person, I mean, what's the best like starter plant? Is it this one? This is the one?
Jason Ratcliffe
So those are really great. Anything that is quite hardy and doesn't need a lot of watering and care and attention. So, you know, your things like your spider plants, your snake plants, your ZZ plants, all of these types, they're really good.
Michelle May
Yeah. Is the ZZ plant the same as the mother-in-law tongue? This one? (Michelle shows Jason a plant)
Jason Ratcliffe
No, so the mother-in-law one is different. That's a little bit different. That's also called a snake plant as well, which are awesome. I love snake plants.
Michelle May
I was told it's indestructible.
Jason Ratcliffe
They pretty much are. Even for me. But ah yeah, just some good soil. Get it, you know, get it planted properly in the right area. Just leave it alone. You know, you don't need to, I think over pampering plants is the way to kill them. So yeah, things like snake plants, spider plants, all these types are great. You can also get albino cheese plants which are more expensive because of their aesthetic appeal. They're normally more lighter in colour, hence the albino name. But they're fantastic kinds of plants that you can have. Lillies, things like that, if you're more green fingered, absolutely amazing. But things like aloe vera, they just tend to do their own thing. So yeah, just kind of water them when it's pretty much dry soil and then you're good really.
Michelle May
And final question, has anybody in the history of the world ever managed to make one of those potted, you know, herb plants from the supermarket survive longer than two weeks? Or are they just meant to die? Because I'll tell you why. I love cooking and I love fresh herbs. And I keep falling for that trap. But if I go to a garden centre, is the basil there going to be more hardy?
Jason Ratcliffe
I would probably say yes, because when you've got garden centers, obviously their whole brand is around delivering good quality products. So if you end up having plants that are going to die very quickly, you're probably not going to be in business very long. But from a supermarket perspective, then it's just a by-product kind of, yeah, here you go. Yeah, we sell plants type approach.
Michelle May
It's a gimmick, isn't it? I keep falling for it and I'm like, oh…
Jason Ratcliffe
And also it's the lighting as well. Typically when I look at supermarkets, their plants are either dying, they're an afterthought, people don't water them, take care of them, they're in the wrong location or they're indoors somewhere, which is just in the middle of nowhere with not the right lighting, things like that.
Whereas in garden centres, they're more thought out, their location, you can see that the staff are actually looking after the plants. So yes, I would say they're more hardy, they're more healthier from a garden centre. But also it really depends. If you're wanting to just trial and you're in a supermarket and you go, I wonder what that plant would look like in my house, then you can by all means buy one, but they're not probably going to last as long, but they may be cheaper. So you could kind of experiment.
Michelle May
And I also find that when you look at the roots, they're usually very tight, so the first thing you need to do is to repot them into a bigger pot, because they're just so squashed together. Is there a guideline? Or I'm sure going to tell me no, but is there such a thing as a minimum repotting requirement? Is it once a year? Or does it really depend on the plant?
Jason Ratcliffe
It really depends on the plant. I mean, you've got it straight away there where as soon as you get a plant, they are normally crammed in. You may even have more than one plant. There may be some where they've actually had two or three plants into one. So you might end up with you know three plants for the price of one which then have their own root systems they'll need to be carefully separated and potted correctly. Each different type of plant has different types of soil that they would be planted in. I don't really delve into the science behind soil, but I do know that there are certain types of plants that will require different types of soil. Normally they're packaged differently, so do your research before buying the plants as well, just to make sure you're getting the right soil for the right plant.
But as well, it depends on how quickly you want your plants to flourish and grow because reverting back to the cheese plant, for example, if you keep it in a smaller pot, then it almost restricts that growth. Whereas if you then continue repotting it every 12 months, for example, and you're then looking at, ah you're you're allowing it to flourish.
And then it's not just about repotting, it's about making sure it's structurally supported so you can get the bamboo or the garden poles which you can then tie up to certain plants to make sure that they're not overgrowing their structure, things like that, that's really important.
So yeah, just do your research I think before going out and getting too green-fingered, you know?
Michelle May
I've actually inquired with garden centers and plant shops about this and nobody so far has been willing to accommodate me, which is very inconvenient. But I reckon there is a real market for plant experts to provide a service to come to your house and go, okay, this plant that needs to be by that window. This one needs repotting. This one, how often are you watering it? Like way too much. What are you doing, Michelle?
Because I tell you what, I would pay for that because the amount of money I spent on buying new plants because others have died and going, oh my god, what am I doing wrong? I have no idea. And even if you look it up on the internet and whatever, it's all so generic, the information usually. I live in 1900 Victorian terrace and the light is in the front of my house and in the morning and at the back. Do you know what I mean? Like a tailored service where they come to your house for however much it costs. Because that would save you in the long run. I think I'm a genius.
Jason Ratcliffe
Well, funny enough, there's an app that I know it's not the same as having a person, but it's called Picture This.
Michelle May
How effective is it? I've been this close to downloading it.
Jason Ratcliffe
It's pretty good. I've given it a good run for its money and various different plants. And it's the great thing about it as well. It tells you whether a plant is toxic or not, whether it looks healthy, what that type of plant needs, as in if it's low light, more light, if it needs more watering, for example. So yeah, it's pretty effective.
Michelle May
What’s it called again, Picture This. Okay well there's the tip of the day i will be downloading that straight after this episode and giving it a crack
Jason Ratcliffe
It's nothing to do with me, by the way. Don’t own it. It's just a great app.
Michelle May
If you're out there, plant person, and you want to come to my house, I'm open to it. Shoot me an email. Jason, is there anything else that people need to know about plants in general? I know I've got another question. Just the last one, if you don't mind.
Are some plants superior to others in the health factor in terms of creating oxygen, carbon dioxide, that conversion, ah creating that healthy space, filtering toxins, et cetera. For an indoor plant, what would you say? Is there such a thing?
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, so that's a really great question, actually. So there are various different types of plants that will do different things. So some may be more focused on things like formaldehyde. Some may be on, say, benzene. Some may be more on releasing oxygen at night. They may be more active in the evening. So they're more beneficial in bedrooms, for example, because obviously if you're in a bedroom environment, you could then end up with a lot of CO2 being released from just generally breathing. So yeah, I think there are different types of plants which can enhance your living experience way more.
But also goes beyond, obviously the air filtration is super important, but it goes above and beyond that where the aesthetic appeal, the the actual appeal of bringing nature indoors is so important because just having that that connection with with nature is just in itself quite a nice mental recharge and just having one to start with a plant a potted plant on your desk can make a massive massive difference. So yes absolutely i think there's there's lots of different plants for different things depending on what you want to do in your home but also it depends on your work life schedule as well, depends on your own occupant behaviour as well, how you act in your home. you know If you've got kids that are running around and playing football in your house, you may want to think about where you're placing your plants.
For example, you know snake plants are really good at releasing oxygen at night, so they are great to have in a bedroom environment, for example. Or if you've got somewhere where you're relaxing and you spend an evening until the early morning, so if you're gaming or watching a film working, you may want to consider those more active plants at night so then they can then produce that oxygen and keep you healthier.
Michelle May
And the other thing that you mentioned, you know, for outside, trees, et cetera, like I think in Sydney, people are often very surprised how many birds there are here. And I think the city's done a great job at keeping a lot of green space, having trees, you know, especially in a city. And in the morning, I'm woken up by these birds called Noisy Miners, and they're so loud, but I'm in the inner city and there's kookaburras here.
Like when I first went to Australia, I hadn't, like I was flabbergasted actually. I was like, wow, this is amazing. We've got owls at the local dog park. We've got all sorts of birds. So definitely you can attract more of those in terms of, because you like birds, but also the beautiful noise they make and sometimes screeching sounds, I'd say. But, you know, to filter the noise of the city If you live in the inner west, you've got the flight path noises, etc. But, yeah, definitely, it's very effective. Very effective.
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, there's nothing better than waking up next to, you know, chirping or unless you've got a bird's nest right outside your window, then you may think differently.
Michelle May
Well, you're clearly not familiar with noisy minors. You should look them up on the internet. They are the bossiest and noisiest birds in Australia, I think. They're fantastic, though, but they're incredibly noisy.... Jason, I think this has been an incredibly helpful episode for those people who are thinking about purchasing or already own a place that how important bringing plants into your home and to the outside is really to creating a prettier and nicer environment to live in, but also a healthier one.
I think maybe we should create a checklist of you know plants that are on our top 10 maybe for people to download and do some research and stuff. And obviously in the transcript, you'll see that app and all those plants that Jason has mentioned as well.
Thank you so much, Jason, for being here today and giving up your time to speak with me.
I look forward to speaking with you again very soon. ah But if they wanna get in touch with you, if they wanna know more about you and your services, how can they best get in touch?
Jason Ratcliffe
Yeah, absolutely. So my email is hello@jason-ratcliffe.co.uk. My website is also jason-ratcliffe.co.uk. And check me out on those or on any socials. I'm pretty much everywhere.
So yeah, highly active. I look after all of my own direct messages as well. So it's pretty much it's almost impossible not to be able to get hold of me.
Michelle May
Also, you have your own podcast. Let's give it a plug.
Jason Ratcliffe
So it's called Heal Your Home and it's available on Spotify, Amazon, Prime, everywhere you really want to get all your streaming and podcasts from and also on YouTube.
Healyourhomepodcast.co.uk is the URL for it But basically it is just me having a natter with various people in the industry and about healthy homes and just kind of reliable information where people can just take snippets of it and hopefully then it just makes their home a little bit more healthier.
Michelle May
And you know, whilst Jason is located in the UK and is obviously talking from the English perspective, the vast majority of his information is completely not transferable to here in Australia and anywhere else in the world where you're listening. So definitely check it out. It's a fantastic podcast.
Thank you again, Jason. And thank you for listening. If you have any questions, check me out on hello@buyyourside.com.au. I'd love to hear from you and answer your questions.
Take care. Bye.