Plants not only add instant beauty to your home, certain plants also help detoxify the air. This list of air cleaning plants will help improve your air quality and remove toxins. To make a significant difference in the air in your home you will need lots of plants, however, even including a few of these plants will make even the slightest change. Remember even a small improvement is still an accomplishment.
How do plants purify the air?
Plants help convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into oxygen and remove the toxins from the air.
Common toxins that can be found in your home and their effects on human health;
- Formaldehyde: causes irritation to nose, mouth and throat
- Benzene: can cause irritation to eyes, drowsiness, dizziness, an increase in heart rate, and headaches.
- Xylene: can irritate eyes, nose, mouth and throat and causes headaches and dizziness.
16 plants to detoxify and improve air quality:
1. Spider Plant: Not only is this plant easy to care for, and easy to propagate but it is also pet friendly. It also helps purify the air of carbon monoxide and xylene.
2. Pothos: Known for its large and waxy leaves, it is an easy to grow indoor plant perfect for beginners that will also fight off common household toxins.
3. Flamingo Lily: Also known as Anthurium brings a lovely pop of color and is a great air purifying plant for beginners.
4. Kimberly Queen Fern: Don’t worry, this plant does not require much care and only needs to be watered once a week, and is a very effective air purifier.
5. Red-Edged Dracaena: The leaves of this plant are bright red, adding a pop of color into your home. This plant does a good job at purifying the air of trichloroethylene and xylene.
6. Pineapple Plant: This plant does not remove toxins from the air but instead it helps produce oxygen and can boost the air quality in a room.
7. Weeping Fig Tree: This long time favorite houseplant is very effective at cleansing toluene, formaldehyde and xylene.
8. Peace Lily: This plant has glossy green leaves and is very easy to look after. It does a good job of removing benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene from the air.
9. Broadleaf Lady Palm: They can be expensive to buy fully grown, however, it is one of the only houseplants that can reduce levels of ammonia found in most cleaning products.
10. Chinese Evergreen: This tropical plant is known for its ability to cleanse formaldehyde and benzene from the air.
11. English Ivy: This plant looks beautiful in a hanging basket, or a DIY macrame plant hanger and helps remove formaldehyde and benzene from the air.
12. Chrysanthemum: This plant can brighten up your home with its beautiful, colorful flowers. The blooms also help purify the air of ammonia and benzene.
13. Snake Plant: This succulent is great to keep in your bedroom, easy to propagate and releases oxygen at night helping you get a better night’s sleep.
14. Aloe Vera: This easy to grow plant not only has many magnificent health and beauty benefits like soothing sunburns but it also does a good job at cleaning the air of formaldehyde and benzene.
15. Rubber Plant: This plant is hardy and low maintenance and is considered one of the best plants for air purification. This plant is extremely easy to care for and is a natural humidifier.
16. Scarlet Star Bromeliad: This houseplant is a beautiful pop of color and is very long lasting. They also love humidity, making them a perfect plant for your bathroom.
