10 House Plants For Better Home Air Quality, gathered in one list
Back in 1980 NASA began investigating ways to provide clean air in enclosed spaces. And after years of research they confirmed that house plants improve air quality in a variety of ways. It is fairly remarkable to think that you can in fact grow fresh air. And knowing that house plants can do everything from aiding with depression and removing harmful VOCs from the air to alleviating seasonal allergies and ridding the air of volatile substances like formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia means they are certainly worth the three minutes a week of watering that they require.
Many people are shocked to learn that the air inside their home can be anywhere from 3 to 10 times more polluted than the air outside- even in a big city! And seemingly innocuous things like carpets, cleaning products and nail polish remover give off vapors that contribute to some seriously polluted indoor air. Of course we do our best to bring natural (and chemical free) jute rugs into our home, use eco-friendly green cleaning products, and I have in fact sworn off nail polish for the past few months (and perhaps forever)- but we’d be fools not to recognize that plants can clean things up even more around the house, especially since the NASA geniuses say so.
And although any kind of plant is beneficial to the air you breathe, those NASA brainiacs in fact pinpointed the most effective air-cleansing plants out there. So if you are in the market for some pleasant fresh air, try picking up these especially purifying varieties.
- Bamboo Palm
- Rubber Plant
- Spider Plant
- English Ivy (one of our favs)
- Janet Craig Dracaena
- Dwarf Date
- Boston Fern (another one of our go-tos)
- Peace Lily
- Corn Plant
- Schefflera
They are all especially hardy plants, so you do not have to worry about having a black thumb with these folks. And you do not have to pop a plant in every spare inch of your home, two or three per room is plenty. Placing them beside your bed, on your desk, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time (near the TV!) helps you fully reap their air-cleansing benefits. Oh and if you have a puppy who likes to dig, we have found that a layer of river rocks atop the soil in each planter is an effective (and attractive) way to keep puppy pawing to a minimum.
What about you folks? Do you have any house plants that make your day (bonus if they are impossible to kill)? Any other pointers for cleaner indoor air and happier lungs?
More Plant Guides
If you are looking for more information on some of our go-to plants (real and faux!) check out some of these posts below:
- Snake Plant Care Guide
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Care Guide
- Tree Philodendron Care Guide
- How to Build An Straightforward Plant Shelf
- Protecting Outdoor Plants In A Deep Freeze
- Getting Began With Houseplants, An Expert Interview
- My Go-to Faux Plants
- Straightforward Houseplants To Keep Alive
Update: We chatted about what plants we can manage to keep alive in our own house here, so feel free to check those out.
