12 Best Air-Purifying Plants for Your Home

We all know how indoor plants are beneficial for the home, right? Plants reduce our stress and help with fatigue.

Houseplants add color to our dull living spaces creating a refreshing environment. But plants can do more than that. They help turn carbon dioxide into oxygen and filter dust to make breathing easier.

Here’s no better way to naturally improve indoor air quality than by adding plants.

Indoor Plants To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Since NASA’s study in 1989, air-purifying indoor plants have been all the rage with incredible benefits for your health. In addition, the study proved that plants reduce indoor air pollution.

So, there is no doubt that houseplants can remove volatile chemical toxins in the air. However, it helps if you had a lot of these plants to achieve this and not only one will do.

Here are a few houseplants you can place throughout the home to help remove volatile organic compounds.

Aloe Vera Is More Than Purifying Plants

Aloe vera

For a lovely addition in your kitchen or living room, the healing aloe is the plant to have. You can place it in a sunny spot for it to thrive well. Aside from being a powerful air-purifying plant, it’s also ready to soothe burns in the kitchen.

This houseplant will clean air from benzene and formaldehyde found mostly in detergents, varnishes, and floor finishes. The plant works well for your skin as well while removing air pollutants.

You can place it in areas with bright indirect sunlight. Leave the soil moist but allow it to dry between watering. During winter, your plant needs no water, and you only need to moisten the soil. The aloe vera is an excellent plant for beginner gardeners as it remains compact.

Just make sure to take caution as this succulent is toxic to pets and it has thorny leaves.

Spider Plants For Houseplant Newbies

spider plant

The spider plant is a resilient houseplant that battles with toxins in the home, including carbon monoxide and xylene. In addition, it is one of the few plants that are not toxic to cats and dogs.

The fantastic thing is when the spider plant grows small spiderettes, you can repot them to create a family of these plants throughout your living space. On top of that, it is a forgiving air-purifying plant that helps reduce physical and psychological stress.

You only need to water your spider plant once a week, and with some moderate sunlight, it surely thrives. You can grow them in a hanging basket as well. The plant can tolerate low light conditions, but they prefer bright indirect light.

The spider plant is easy to grow in pots and suitable for most indoor settings in the bedroom, living areas, and bathroom.

Rubber Plants to Clean Air

 rubber plant

The evergreen tree from India has roots that grow upwards and becomes entwined around the trunk to form interesting shapes. Place the air purifier in bright filtered light with some TLC now and then.

You water the plant by providing it with moist soil in winter and wipe the leaves down with a damp cloth to remove dust. To make it look pretty, give it a prune now and then. The rubber tree is a low-maintenance plant.

It is one of the best purifying plants and a natural humidifier. You can place it on a bright windowsill or your desk as it can grow well in low light. Growing in indoor spaces, the rubber plant removes carbon monoxide, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde from the air.

Snake Plant

Snake plants

The mother-in-law’s tongue is another hardy plant that purifies the air. The snake plant grows up to 12 feet high, standing in bright sunlight.

This houseplant is one of the best air purifiers in the bedroom. Snake plants release oxygen and help improve your sleep. Hence, the larger the leaves, the more harmful chemicals are absorbed, making it an ideal air purifier.

The snake plant is one of the best houseplants to filter benzene, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene from the air. The mother-in-law’s tongue can tolerate direct sunlight but thrive in low light well.

The plant prefers bright indirect light and grows well in the bathroom or kitchen. Provide it with well-drained soil and needs not much water to survive. Only water your plant when the soil is dry but keep in mind these plants are susceptible to temperature changes.

Another important note is that the plant is mildly toxic to cats and dogs.

Bamboo Palms a Great Air Purifying Plant

Bamboo palm

For air purification, bamboo palms are perfect for placing in a neglected corner to give it a makeover. As a tropical plant, you would think it needs a lot of light, but it is a popular low light plant. When the soil is dry, you can quench its thirst by giving water.

While it works well at cleaning indoor air, the best part is that it is non-toxic to animals and humans. The bamboo palm will become the focal point in your living area with its elegant arching leaves of all-around air cleaners.

During the growing season, provide it with regular watering but leave the soil surface to dry as it is prone to root rot. Another benefit of this tree is that it removes harmful toxins and provides a healthy dose of moisture welcomed when the air is dry in winter.

Still, provide your plant with enough air circulation to prevent spider mites.

Peace Lily To Remove Toxins in The Home

peace lily

The peace lily remains a long-time favorite both as an indoor and outdoor plant. It is an effective indoor air purifier, especially the flamingo lily. The plant helps filter out harmful toxins, but it is poisonous to animals when you add it to your houseplant collection.

The peace lily is a hardy plant that can go without water for short periods but not too long. So keep it flourishing in bright indirect sunlight with the soil moist. Another added benefit is that it is beautiful when it flowers and looks very adorable.

It thrives its best in humid conditions and can tolerate low light making it perfect for keeping in the bedroom. When watering your plant, it helps to give it distilled water where possible. It is a superstar to help remove benzene and other impurities from the air.

While you can get away with less watering in winter, please do not let the soil dry out completely.

Chinese Evergreen Effective Indoor Air Purifiers

chinese evergreen plant

The Chinese evergreen plants work well in the bedroom or bathroom in low light conditions as it cleans indoor air. Another fantastic thing is that the plant releases oxygen to improve sleeping at night.

They are pretty fussy plants that need high humidity that grow and thrive in moist areas. If you find that your living space has a low moisture level, you can give the tropical plant a misting. Or, you can keep two or three plants together with it.

The evergreen plant flourishes in medium-low light, and you only need to water them once per week. But unfortunately, it is toxic to pets and best kept out of reach not to cause harm.

These top purifying plants can remove benzene and formaldehyde found in cosmetics and detergents.

Pineapple Plant a Fun Addition To The Home

pineapple

This is one unique houseplant. While it cannot combat indoor air pollution, it does produce oxygen at night. The leaves are massive and attractive.

Your plant will produce a pineapple every second year as a bonus. To add to the pineapple plant perks, this one is non-toxic to your cat but unfortunately toxic to dogs. The tropical plant thrives in sunny conditions but does not need a lot of water.

We recommend letting the soil dry between watering, and then you can water the leaves and the soil.

Devil’s Ivy Air Cleaning Plants

devil's ivy

The devil’s ivy is a perfect interiorscape that improves air quality? The leaves are waxy and huge to keep the air in your living space free from carbon monoxide.

You can place the plant in most lighting conditions, but they prefer filtered sunlight and high humidity. When you feel the soil is dry, you can quench its thirst. The devil’s ivy is excellent for new plant parents as you can leave it alone to grow.

As with the majority of the other indoor air pollution abatement plants, this one is toxic to pets.

Dragon Tree Helps Remove Toxins

dragon tree plant

When you need clean air in the home, the dragon tree is always there to help. You need not replace air filters on them as they provide you with natural air filtering in their gorgeous leaves. All the plant needs are exposure to bright indirect light and water every two weeks.

It is a slow grower but can reach up to eight feet tall with long green leaves with red edges and low maintenance. Your spiky friends fight xylene and trichloroethylene pollutants. Still, even better, it is a hardy plant but is toxic to pets.

Broad Lady Palm

Broad Lady Palm

If your home doesn’t get much sun, the broadleaf palm can easily stand in a corner. The plant prefers house temperatures making for a great indoor air pollution palm to have. It can grow up to six feet tall and is a talked-about decoration piece in any living space.

Another extraordinary thing is your pets are safe around this plant. Furthermore, it is one of those rare plants that effectively remove ammonia found in your cleaning products. Your plant will even be happy in the bathroom, where the humidity levels are high.

Weeping Fig Popular in the Victorian Times

weeping fig tree plant

With the weeping fig in the home, you can feel rest assured that you will not have any air pollution in the house. It is a fussy plant that prefers standing in one place without change. Placed in bright indirect light away from air conditioners and drafts is best for it.

Many gardeners refer to it as the ficus tree or the Benjamin fig. It has a slender structure with arching branches fitting in with any home decor. The tree flourishes with regular watering but does not enjoy wet feet leading to root rot.

If you are a pet owner, we do not recommend having this plant in the home as it is toxic to animals. The tree also removes toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde. Furthermore, it does not detoxify ammonia, trichloroethylene, or benzene.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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