Best Indoor Plants For Air Purification

Indoor plants is the simplest way to bring nature right into your home. A study has shown that indoor plant reduces psychological stress. Having that said, this makes it important to have more potted plants in our home isn’t it? Not only that they serve as great decorations they also improve our well being. Some even possess the ability to filter harmful gases from the air.

Now, how does harmful gases enters into our home’s atmosphere you may ask. It comes from the products that we buy. Certain household products with harmful chemicals:

• trichloroethylene – used in adhesives, paint removers, aerosol paint sprays
• xylene – exist in cleaning agents, varnish, paint thinner
• toluene – used in nail polish, hair dyes
• formaldehyde – used in air fresheners, cigarettes, nail polish, vehicle exhausts
• benzene – contained in adhesives, lighter fluid, pesticides, thinner

In this post, we bring you a list best indoor plants for air purification that you should have in your lovely home and some tips on how to take care of them. Most of these plants requires little lighting, making them suitable candidate as indoor plants.

1. Snake Plant

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Snake plant is a tough plant that can tolerate hot rooms with poor lighting. It makes a good choice as a bedroom plant as it converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. Its lack of aesthetic appearance is compensated with its useful ability to filter formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, trichloroethylene and benzene from the air. It is also very easy to take care of. It only requires indirect sunlight and little watering. The frequency of watering should be once every few weeks.

2. Dracaena Corn Plant

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The dracaena is a tall plant. It can reach up to 6 feet or more. One thing to take note is that they’re poisonous to dogs and cats. So, keep away from your pets. Put these plants under low lighting. Direct sunlight will scorch their leaves. Watering once a week is adequate. Dracaena is effective in removing trichloroethylene .

3. Spider Plant

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Spider plant is easy to grow and looks remarkably awesome in hanging pots. Cats love them but they’re toxic to cats. So, keep your cats away from them to avoid harm to both sides. Spider plants require shades and cannot deal with direct sunlight. Watering once a week is enough but the soil needs to be well drained. The roots will rot if waterlogged. This plant is effective in removing formaldehyde, toluene and xylene.

4. Broadleaf Lady Palm

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Broadleaf Lady Palm is one of the easiest plant to grow. It can withstand direct sunlight but indirect sunlight is where it grows the best. Their leaves gets darker under shade. Slightly acidic soil works great for this plant. Broadleaf lady palm also loves moist soil. Just remember not to over-water the plant to prevent rotting. This plant absorbs ammonia, toluene, xylene and formaldehyde.

5. Bamboo Palm

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Bamboo palm is one of the best plants in removing formaldehyde.It can grow up to 12 feet and spanning up to 5 feet. It benefits well from indirect sunlight. It also requires frequent watering. Do water when the soil is dry. Water just enough to damp the soil and careful not to over-water it.

6. English Ivy (Hedera Helix)

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The English Ivy is a climbing plant. That means you can take advantage of this characteristic by setting up creative supportive wiring for the plant to grow on. This makes wonderful decoration plant! It also has wonder ability in reducing airborne toxins. A research has been done showing its ability in clearing airborne feces. So, if you keep pets, you may need this plant to help clean the air!

English Ivy grows the best in filtered sunlight. It prefers moist environment. Spray them with water weekly. Pruning maybe needed to control its growth. Do note that the plant contains toxic chemical and should not be ingested. Keep away from children.

7. Aglaonema Modestum

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Also known as Chinese evergreen, this plant can filter formaldehyde and benzene. It has broad green leaves with different variations of white patterns. This uniqueness contributes to its role as a decorative plant. The aglaonema can survive well under artificial lighting. So, you don’t really need to put it near windows for some real sunlight. The soil, however, needs to be moist at most times. Do ensure the soil is slightly dry before watering again.

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8. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is an astounding plant with various uses. It can be used to treat sun burn, act as conditioner, and many more uses. This lovely plant also filters harmful gases such as benzene and formaldehyde. Aloe vera loves the sun but they grow better under indirect sunlight. On watering, allow the soil to dry before watering them again. Grow in soil that drains well for best result.

9. Elephant Ear Philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)

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This shield-shaped leafy plant is one of the popular indoor plant. It requires low maintenance and is generally durable. It can survive under low-light conditions. As for watering, keep the soil moist and allow it to dry before watering again. Too much water will turn the leaves yellow. This plant filters formaldehyde.

10. Boston Fern

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The Boston fern has fluffy leaves that are soft to the touch. This plant loves water. It requires watering up to twice a day especially during summer. If its leaves turns brown, that means it is suffering from lack of water. Be sure to put it under a shade or spots with indirect sunlight. This plant absorbs xylene, toluene and formaldehyde.

There are other flowering plants such as Barberton daisy, Moth orchids and Flamingo lily that can filter toxic gases. However, they require more maintenance and are generally pricier than non-flowering plants. Check out this list for more air-filtering plants that you can choose. This marks the end of this post. Hope you all liked it.