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Top Air Purifying Indoor Plants
Making sure that our indoor air is clean and healthy is ought to be one of our priorities as we currently spend most of our time indoors, whether at work, home, or entertainment and cultural centers. You can turn your apartment into an urban healthy jungle with these plants!
Published June 23, 2020
Top Air Purifying Indoor Plants
Learn how you can improve the quality of indoor air with these low maintenance plants.
As we are slowly but steadily recovering from the global health crisis (COVID-19), we seem to recover and get back to our normal daily lives with more conscious effort to import the quality of our lives and our health. As we tend to go off our day not attending to what materials or products we acquire or buy or be aware of the materials and how they were made.
The materials and the process of how a building is built, installed, finishes applied, or even the furnishings bought, all possess materials and chemicals that pollute our indoor air and has the potential to make us ill in the long run,
Therefore, in an effort to improve our quality of life, we believe that sustainable design begins in planning (check our article How to Improve Indoor Air Quality with Design for more details on the topic), however, the additions of certain indoor plants can enhance the indoor air quality as well as enhance your mood).
Here’s a list of the top air purifying indoor plants (that mostly do not require much maintenance) based on a NASA report – enjoy!
Aloe Vera
According to the study, the plant was found to remove formaldehyde (found in floor coverings, insulation materials) as well as benzene (found in paints, dyes, rubber) and a little amount of xylene.
Aloe Vera is also a CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism, an adaptation of plants in dry arid environments) , meaning it collects carbon dioxide at night which is a suitable plant to keep in your bedroom to collect the carbon dioxide as you sleep away at night.
The aloe Vera is an easy to maintain plant, requiring watering one every week or two weeks, thrives in sunny bright areas around your house. It is also important to know that Aloe Vera is toxic to your furry friends so it is best to keep your plant out of their reach
Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Similar to our first plant, Aloe Vera, the snake plant (also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) is also approved by NASA and purifies the air from VOCs.
This plant is also a CAM plant where it releases oxygen during night time as well and purifies the air from formaldehyde which is also present in some store-bought cleaning products.
This plant is happy anywhere indoors but prefers sunny spots and shade. Watch out from over-watering as the roots will rot, therefore, water every 2/3 weeks. This plant is also mildly toxic to pets.
Spider Plant
This plant was also found to efficiently remove VOCs from indoors. The spider plant removes Formaldehyde and xylene which is found in many interior products and materials as mentioned before.
This plant is also a low maintenance plant and is happy with little water (water once or twice a week and water moderately during the winter season) and prefer bright interiors with indirect sun. In contrast with the precious plants, this plant is safe for your furry friends.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastic)
This plant not only purifies the air from VOCs such as xylene, benzene, formaldehyde but also kills bacteria and mold in the air.
This plant like most plants in the list is low maintenance, however, it is toxic to pets.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
This plant comes in variety of shapes and was found by NASA to successfully remove most of the formaldehyde as well as xylene in the air.
This plant is also a low maintenance plant and will thrive in most conditions, however, it prefers to be in indirect sun with medium to low light conditions. The Chinese evergreen also prefers average temperature like most plants. Unfortunately, this plant is also toxic to pets.
Scindapsus
According to the study, this plant is also one of the indoor plants that purify the indoor air from toxins such as VOCs resulting in healthier interiors.
This plant should be watered regularly and never be left dry. It also liked bright yet indirect sun interiors and thrives in stable average temperatures. This plant is also mildly toxic to pets.
Boston Fern
The Boston Fern also efficiently removes the formaldehyde and xylene from the indoor air.
These plants need to be kept moist and thrived in bright indirect light interiors. These ferns are also not toxic to cats and dogs and look great hanging from baskets.
Adding plants to your interiors has many benefits and advantages beyond purifying the air from VOCs, some of these plants mentioned even collect dust, bacteria, and mold particles from the air. Plants also boost the energy of the space and adds soul and life to your interiors.
Making sure that our indoor air is clean and healthy is ought to be one of our priorities as we currently spend most of our time indoors, whether at work, home, or entertainment and cultural centers. It is also important to keep in mind that you would need a collection of plants to purify your indoor air, however, if it is a serious issue or you are experiencing a sick building syndrome, it is best to consult experts.
I hope you found this article helpful and until next time tracers- stay healthy, stay strong!
References :
Images courtesy of Unsplash.com
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