Pollutants to the air indoors come from many different sources. Laundry supplies, cleaning products, plastic products, electronics, processed paper items, and more all contribute to the pollution of the air inside your home.
With all of these chemicals, fumes, and energy floating around, it is necessary to clean the air in your home to maintain good health.
During the warmer months, you can simply open a window and circulate fresh air in and during the winter months, this may not be a good option.
Because the air inside of our homes does not always get completely circulated out, it is important to clean the air as much as possible. One option is to purchase an air filter. This can become a hassle (and expensive), because most air filters require filter cartridges, frequent filter changes, and can increase your electric bill quite a bit.
Another option for cleaner air in the home is to have houseplants do the cleaning for you. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. This is a process that plants naturally do, so it is a great way to purify the air inside without costing you anything extra, having to buy/change filters, or having to really do much at all!
Plants are easy to care for, are beautiful to look at, and can help you clean the air in your home when you are not able to open the windows and let a breeze in.
Houseplants can help clean the air and keep it clean when circulation and filtration may not be possible. Here is a list of air purifying plants that do the most good in terms of cleaning the air in your home:
1. Bamboo Palm
Bamboo Palms are great for cleaning chemical contaminants out of the air. Sometimes plastic and paper products that are processed hold onto chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene. When you bring these products into your home, they often end up in your air and trapped in your home. Bamboo Palm plants are great for breaking these elements down and filtering them out of the air in your home, keeping the air cleaner and higher quality.
2. Rubber Plant
Rubber Plants are also very good a removing chemical toxins such as formaldehyde from your air also. They are very hardy plants, and can grow up to 8 feet if you let them. They are very hard to kill, and most people are able to maintain a healthy rubber plant in their home. Rubber plants are known for thriving in conditions that would be tough for other plants to survive in.
3. English Ivy
English Ivy is a climbing plant that you may have seen in lobbies. They are very popular because they are also fairly easy to care for, and they have an affinity for removing chemicals from the air also. Because it is a climbing plant, it will adapt to just about any surface it is allowed to, and will quickly grow and spread.
4. Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are great at keeping the indoor air clean, and are known for adding humidity to the air as well. The Boston Fern does need a little extra care than some other plants, however, and if it is not properly cared for (leaves misted and watered frequently) it will lose its leaves and eventually die.
5. Dwarf Date Palm
The Dwarf Date Palm is a popular plant because it brings a piece of the tropics to your living room. The Dwarf Date Palm helps keep the air humid in the home and also removes chemicals such as xylene from the air (which is found in solvents and paint thinner). It is relatively easy to grow and is a beautiful plant that goes with most décor.
Beautiful Air Purifying House Plants
1. Tulips
Tulips are beautiful flowers who’s bulbs are known for clearing out chemicals from the air, such as xylene, formaldehyde, and ammonia. Tulips bloom into beautiful flowers that are very pleasing to look at as well. They are great for filtering the air inside of your home.
2. Azaleas
There is a variety of azaleas (the dwarf azalea) that has been bred to be able to stay indoors and still bloom with the seasons. When it blooms, it will show beautiful, large blooms and it will help filter the air in your home and remove toxins for you as well.
3. Orchids
Orchids are not only beautiful but help filter the air in your home also. Different types of orchid will help filter the air inside to different degrees
4. Wax Begonias
Begonias are known to remove toxins such as chemical vapor from the air inside
5. Peacock Plant
Peacock plants are beautiful, but hard to grow. If you are able to properly care for a peacock plant, they will reward you with clean, fresh air inside your home.
Most Effective, Multi-Use House Plants For Your Home
1. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is not only very good at filtering the air in your home and helping to purify it, but it also is known for its soothing properties. It is great to keep around because you can use Aloe Vera leaves to create a soothing salve for burns, scrapes, etc.
2. Lavender
Lavender releases bad smells and lowers carbon dioxide levels in the air. It also has a sweet smell, and has multiple uses. Lavender is used in aromatherapy for calming, soothing purposes, making this houseplant a great addition to any home
3. Rosemary
Rosemary has natural anti bacterial properties, which makes it great for cleansing the air inside. You can also use it as an herb for cooking, among other things.
Here’s to the Hardiest Houseplants…
1. Palms
Palms come in many different varieties, and are very easy to take care of. Many kinds of palms are pest resistant, and need very little attention.
2. Syngonium
Syngonium plants have large leaves and are very easy to care for. They are very forgiving if you forget to water them once or twice, and purify the air around them pretty well.
3. Philodendrons
Philodendrons are a house plant that requires very little upkeep, but are great at filtering the air indoors.
4. Snake Plants
Snake plants are one of the easiest plants to maintain. While they are not one of the best choices for purifying the indoor air, they do tend to do a great job and are very easy to keep alive. They also resist pests very well, and grow quickly.
Air Purifying Plants Summary!
There you have it! The list of the best house plants to help you purify the air in your home! All of these plants have different levels of skill required to grow and maintain them, but the benefits that come from having clean air in your home make it worth it!
It is important to know that some of plants are poisonous if ingested by pets or small children. Please use caution when you are choosing your cleansing plants, because not all of them are safe. You can learn more information about plants, their purifying qualities, and their care online or at the home store you purchase them from. Always make sure to check the plants for toxicity before bringing them home.
