Purify Your Home With These Air Cleaning Plants
Chemicals and toxins can easily build up in the air indoors. Living or working in environments with air pollutants can cause nausea, headaches, dizziness, and other unpleasant symptoms Fortunately, there are many plants that act as all-natural air purifiers, and most of them are easy to take care of indoors.
As plants take in carbon dioxide, they also absorb some of the toxic particles in the air. The potting soil also sometimes contains microorganisms that help clean the air. Indoor plants can be interesting decorations and can brighten up your living space, so they're a great natural alternative to air purifiers. Here are 14 of the best air-cleaning plants:
Quick List:
- Garden Mum
- Wax Begonia
- Peace Lily
- Palm
- Ficus
- Boston Fern
- English Ivy
- Dracaena
- Bamboo
- Snake Plant
- Spider Plant
- Golden Pothos
- Aloe Vera
- Gerbera Daisy
1. Garden Mum
NASA scientists researched the best plants for cleaning the air, and garden mum was at the top of their list.
Garden mum is especially effective for removing formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, and xylene from the air. It's very popular at garden stores, and after the flowers have bloomed, you can plant them outside.
2. Wax Begonia
Wax begonias are great for removing benzene from the air. They also filters out toxic chemicals produced by toluene, a substance in some types of wax and adhesives.
However, they need plenty of sunlight to grow, so make sure to place them in a sunny area of your home. In the summer, wax begonias bloom with beautiful white, pink, and red flowers.
3. Peace Lily
Peace lilies clear the air of VOC benzene, a carcinogenic substance found in some polishes, paints, wax, and furniture. They also remove acetone, which can be emitted by some cleaning products and adhesives. Peace lilies bloom year-round with bright white spathes.
If you don't have much natural sunlight in your home, you can grow peace lilies in low light. However, they're harmful to pets, so pet owners shouldn't keep these plants in their homes.
4. Palm
Palm trees are easy to care for and remove formaldehyde from the air. The best types of palm for air purifying are lady palm, dwarf date palm, and parlor palm.
They usually grow best in cooler temperatures, so if your home usually stays cooler than 70 or 75 degrees, they'll make a great addition.
5. Ficus
Ficus plants absorb formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. When you keep a ficus indoors, its full size will be anywhere from two to 10 feet. It grows best in bright light and only needs to be watered when the soil completely dries out.
6. Boston Fern
Boston ferns are the best plants for removing formaldehyde from the air. The plants have curved fronds and leather-like leaves, and they look great hanging in baskets. They grow better in cooler environments, but they need lots of moisture.
In winter, they only need to be watered once a month, but they should be watered weekly when they're growing. You should also check the soil frequently to make sure it's moist.
Although Boston ferns are very effective, they can be difficult to take care of because of the specific conditions they need to thrive.
7. English Ivy
When English ivy grows outdoors, it can damage your home's exterior. However, when you grow it indoors, it's a great air purifier. It's also a beautiful decoration for your home.
They grow best in partial sun and partial shade, and they only need occasional watering and misting.
8. Dracaena
Dracaena plants have wide, long leaves with white, red, and cream lines. They remove several harmful chemicals from the air, including formaldehyde and and benzene.
There are more than 40 types of dracaena plants, but one of the best ones for air purifying is the red-edged dracaena. Dracaena is poisonous to pets, though, so pet owners should choose a different option.
9. Bamboo
If you get plenty of sunlight in your home, you can grow bamboo indoors to filter the air. The plants can become four to 12 feet tall, and they remove benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.
10. Snake Plant
Snake plant is one of the easiest plants to grow indoors. It can grow in low light or partial sunlight, and it only needs to be watered occasionally.
In addition to being a great air cleaner, it also is an interesting decoration for your home, with long and dark leaves with bright green edges.
11. Spider Plant
Like snake plants, spider plants are also very easy to grow. They have long leaves and hanging stems that produce plantlets, which grow into baby spider plants.
You can keep them in a hanging basket near a window, and they'll filter formaldehyde and benzene from the air. They don't require much attention, so they're a good option for inexperienced plant owners.
12. Golden Pothos
Golden pothos is a beautiful vine with dark green leaves and golden streaks. It can grow in a pot, a hanging basket, or a trellis.
It reduces formaldehyde and carbon monoxide in the air, so if you have a garage attached to your home, you can keep golden pothos near the connecting door to remove fumes before they come inside.
This is another good plant for beginners and can handle being occasionally overwatered or neglected.
13. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a popular house plant for the soothing gel it produces, but it also functions as an air purifier. Aloe plants are especially helpful for targeting formaldehyde and benzene, and they do well in the bright sun.
At night, they also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. They do well in dry conditions, and the soil should dry out completely at the top between waterings.
14. Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera daisies remove trichloroethylene and benzene. The brightly-colored flowers need several hours of sunlight a day, so they should be kept in a sunny room in your home.
They also need to be misted a few times a week. You can also buy cut gerbera daisies, which will last up to two weeks.