With the extraordinary amount of entertainment options available today, it’s becoming easier and easier for people to make excuses to stay indoors. Obviously, it’s good to get some fresh air once in a while, but have you thought about the air you’re breathing inside your own home? Houses and apartments are becoming more and more efficient, which is good and bad. Efficient dwellings mean reduced energy bills, but they also trap indoor pollutants. An array of common household items such as adhesives, cleaning products, and even your carpet can release stuff into the air you don’t want to be breathing. There’s a simple fix, though. Certain plants will help clean the air by soaking up the harmful air particles and producing clean oxygen. You just have to remember to water them. It’s a small price to pay for fresh air.
English Ivy
English ivy is the king of air-filtering plants. It’s insanely easy to grow and soaks up formaldehyde and other carcinogens like a champ. NASA scientists didn’t declare English ivy the best plant for air quality for nothing. Keep in mind that the plant’s fruit, small purplish berries, are poisonous. Make sure to keep any plants out of reach from children and pets.
Aloe
Aloe is known for its healing properties, especially its ability to soothe skin. Luckily, it’s useful for more than lotions. Aloe will cleanse the air of chemical pollutants found in household cleaning products. It’s also a good indicator of air quality. If the leaves start to exhibit brown spots, pollutants in the air have become excessive.
Bamboo Palm
The bamboo palm also made NASA’s list of top clean-air plants. The plant is great at filtering benzene and trichloroethylene out of the air. It does well in shady indoor spaces and can add a nice tropical feel to any room.
Rubber Plants
Rubber plants (and Janet Craigs) are great because they take little to no effort to grow and maintain. They thrive even in dim lighting and cool climates. Like aloe, rubber plants are great at removing formaldehyde from the air. They add a nice exotic touch to your decor as well.
Peace Lily
The peace lily is also a low-maintenance plant that will spruce up your interior. It’s one of few houseplants that regularly blooms indoors, so it has that going for it. Peace lily plants remove formaldehyde along with benzene and several other harsh chemicals emitted by cleaning products. This is another plant that’s toxic to children and pets, which is something to keep in mind.
Snake Plant
The snake plant doesn’t need much light or water either. The plant is a nice addition to any home because it soaks up carbon dioxide and releases oxygen at night. Most other plants do this during the day. It adds a nice boost of fresh air once the sun goes down!
Dracaena
There’s a huge variety of dracaena plants available, but they will all help you purify the air in your home. Keep in mind the beautiful, long-leafed plant needs some room to grow, as some will grow as high as your ceiling. It’s useful in reducing xylene, trichloroethylene, and benzene and adding green space to your home. The leaves are toxic to cats and dogs, so pet owners should be careful.
Golden Pothos
Golden pothos plants are known to be very versatile. You can put them in pots or hanging baskets or even train them to climb. They’re visually striking with their deep green leaves streaked with gold, too. Golden pothos plants are more than an office decoration, though. They are adept at removing formaldehyde from the air as well as carbon monoxide and benzene. Put them near areas like your garage and laundry room to soak up all those harsh chemicals. Looks like it’s time to make a visit to the garden section of your local home improvement store!
