How Does Window Film Work? Will Film Harm House Plants?
How It Works
When sunlight reaches the earth, it includes three different types of light on the electromagnetic spectrum:
Visible Light: The light that illuminates our surroundings during the daytime. This is the only band of the elctromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye.
Ultraviolet Light: Invisible light that causes skin damage and contributes to color fading in fabrics.
Infrared Light: Heat energy that is responsible for more than 50% of heat.
Window film designed to reduce heat gain does so by reflecting infrared heat. Solar control films also absorb UV rays to help protect the skin of occupants and reduce fading of upholstery, furniture and flooring.
While solar control films absorb UV rays and reflect infrared rays, visible light continues to pass through uninhibited.
Will Installing Window Film Kill Indoor House Plants?
Like other common misconceptions about window film, many people think it’s harmful to house plants. Luckily, that’s not the case. Just as home window film can help conserve energy, it can also help your house plants.
Solar control window film only blocks UV rays – not the red and blue rays that your plants need to grow and flower. And some plants will actually do better with window tints and films, such as those that require less light — which typically have dark green leaves. Delicate plants will also do better with window film because it provides a more stable temperature.
So, for example, if you live in a hot climate during the summer, areas near sunny windows can get very hot and be harmful to delicate plants. Or even in normal circumstances, you may have certain plants that always seem to dry out or wilt on sunny days. Window film will help your greenery retain moisture better. Just remember that all plants – especially fussy ones – need time to adjust to a new environment, so if you see wilting or color loss after installing window film, you can relax. These issues should disappear after a few days.