Improving Air Quality Indoors with Top Choices for House Plants
Top 10 Indoor Plants that Improve Air Quality
Improve the air quality in your home with these top 10 indoor plants, each offering unique benefits and effective at removing harmful pollutants.
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Removes: formaldehyde, xylene, toluene
- Benefits: Easy to care for, thrives in indirect light, tolerates various temperatures.
- Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
- Removes: formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, nitrogen oxides
- Benefits: Low-maintenance, tolerates low light and infrequent watering.
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
- Removes: formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, ammonia, and mold spores
- Benefits: Can improve indoor air quality by up to 60%, also removes mold spores; prefers indirect light and moist soil; flowers add fragrance but may trigger allergies in sensitive people.
- Golden Pothos / Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum)
- Removes: formaldehyde, benzene, toluene
- Benefits: Extremely hardy, nearly impossible to kill, effective at removing VOCs; however, toxic to pets if ingested.
- Dracaena (various species)
- Removes: formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, carbon dioxide
- Benefits: Improves concentration and cognitive function, boosts humidity, low maintenance, enhances mood.
- English Ivy (Hedera helix)
- Removes: mold spores, airborne pollutants
- Benefits: Also has medicinal properties like reducing swelling and easing asthma symptoms; good for mold reduction indoors.
- Flamingo Lily (Anthurium andraeanum)
- Removes: formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene
- Benefits: Brightens spaces with attractive flowers; toxic if ingested, so caution needed around pets and children.
- Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
- Removes: xylene, formaldehyde
- Benefits: Acts as a natural humidifier especially in winter; visually evokes warmer climates enhancing mental well-being.
- Marble Queen Pothos (variation of Devil’s Ivy)
- Removes: VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene
- Benefits: Similar to Golden Pothos, highly effective air purifier and easy to maintain though toxic to pets.
- Other Dracaena varieties (like Dracaena marginata, Dracaena fragrans)
- Removes: various VOCs including formaldehyde, benzene
- Benefits: Good air purifiers that also increase indoor humidity and improve mood.
These plants contribute to indoor air purification by absorbing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and harmful pollutants through their leaves and root systems, improving air quality naturally without the need for mechanical air purifiers. Several of these plants help increase indoor humidity, reduce mold spores, and can have cognitive or mood-boosting benefits.
However, it is essential to note that several effective air-purifying plants like pothos, peace lilies, and flamingo lilies are toxic to pets and children if ingested, so placement should be carefully considered in homes with vulnerable occupants.
- To create a healthier indoor environment, consider adding the Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum), which effectively removes formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air.
- The Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), known for its low-maintenance nature, does more than just decorate your home; it removes formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides from the air in your home-and-garden.
- For those looking to improve their indoor Lifestyle, the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) is an excellent choice, as it not only eliminates formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, ammonia, and mold spores but also has the potential to improve indoor air quality by up to 60%.
- The Marble Queen Pothos, a variation of Devil’s Ivy, is another effective air purifier, efficiently removing VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene that are commonly found in home-and-garden products.
- As gardening enthusiasts continue to embrace Indoor Gardening, several Dracaena species such as Dracaena marginata or Dracaena fragrans serve as natural air purifiers, removing various VOCs, including formaldehyde and benzene, while simultaneously increasing indoor humidity and improving mood.
