Houseplants are a fantastic addition to any home. Having plants around the house has been proven to help boost your mood, and they just make a room look a lot happier and more inviting. But did you know that plants can also help remove impurities from the air and make your home a nicer place to breathe, too? It’s true!
Here are our top 7 purifying houseplants, the best air cleaners for the home.
1. Snake Plant – Also known as mother in law’s tongue, the snake plant grows well in low light and humid air, making it perfect for bathrooms, where it can filter out particles given off by cleaning and paper products.
2. Philodendron – The philodendron genus is made up of a wide variety of plants that are some of the most popular houseplants out there. They are toxic, so they should be grown with caution in homes with children and pets, but they are very good at removing bad particles, especially formaldehyde.
3. Spider Plant – This plant is great for filtering benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene, and it is also extremely low maintenance and beautiful. Tuck your spider plant away in a corner and it’ll clean your air while creating interest with delicate white flowers and small hanging plantlets called “spiders.”
4. English Ivy – This plant thrives in low light and drapes nicely, making it an ideal houseplant. Ivy plants that are grown indoors have also been shown to filter fecal matter and formaldehyde from the air.
5. Peace Lily – This very easy to care for flower is number one on NASA’s list of air cleaning plants. In fact, the peace lily is excellent at removing very common air particulates such as formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene and xylene.
6. Aloe Vera – Aloe vera plants are excellent choices for houseplants – native to Africa, they can thrive in poor soil with very little water. They are also great filters for formaldehyde and benzene, which can enter the air through common household cleaners and paints.
7. Golden Pothos – This vining plant, also known as devil’s ivy, will creep quickly and prolifically from its container. Pothos will thrive even in low light and is excellent at absorbing formaldehyde, making it a good choice for filtering car exhaust in a garage.
