Introduction: Hello gardeners how about growing air purifying plants for home garden? Well, here is the great information of air purifying plants for indoors and outdoor. Common indoor plants can provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. There are few plants, which can be used indoors at home or work for freeing the air from toxins and ensuring a better indoor environment.
A step by step guide to Air Purifying Plants for Home
These plants are safe around children and pets when it comes to ensuring cleaner and healthier air quality inside. Indoor plants do remove chemicals from the air in our homes. They do remove CO2 and they remove some other type pollutants. Choosing the right air purifying plants for your home can detoxify the air in living spaces,
List of air-purifying plants for home
Some of the best options for air purifying plants for home;
Areca palm
Areca Palm plant is a popular air purifying plant and has several properties. The Areca Palm has a fast removal rate when it comes to formaldehyde and this makes it as efficient as a humidifier. In countries like India where humidity levels are high and make things uncomfortable, Areca Palm plants are natural magicians, cleansing the air of toxins and other particles while lowering humidity levels inside.
Areca Palm plant is a natural cooler that can remove xylene and toluene from the atmosphere. Make sure that the Areca plant is not exposed to direct sunlight as this can cause the leaves to yellow. This plant cannot just filter the air around but also add moisture to the surroundings, absorbing all the toxins, leaving the air clean.
Bamboo palm
Bamboo Palm plants keep the air clean inside any room. They also remove formaldehyde and some other particles. You must give these plants some room to grow and watch them work their magic when it comes to improving air quality inside a home or even at the workplace. This is an air purifying plant, with a particular penchant for formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide.
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Bamboo Palm plants grow rapidly and can become quite large (up to 20 feet in height), but you can limit their vertical reach by keeping them confined to smaller pots. These Bamboo palm plants prefer bright, filtered light and enjoy being watered frequently when growing. The bamboo palm is a popular air-purifying houseplant due to its tropical look and insect-repelling quality. This plant packs a big punch when it comes to purifying the air. The bamboo palm plant can remove substances like benzene, formaldehyde, chloroform, carbon monoxide, and xylene.
Snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (sansevieria trifasciata)
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue plant is also called a snake plant. The sturdy leaves of snake plant shoot upwards majestically, with beautiful twists and turn that resemble a Mobius strip. The snake plant is an extremely resilient species that can go for weeks without water and seems to thrive in just about any climate, including those with low light, although they do appreciate direct sunlight and fresh air occasionally.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, this yellow-tipped succulent releases oxygen at night, helping you to breathe better while sleeping. Snake plant is one of the best plants for filtering the air of formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, toluene, and trichloroethylene.
Golden Pothos or Devil’s Ivy
The broad leaves of the golden pothos create an attractive houseplant whether displayed in a hanging basket or small pot. The vines of the golden pothos can produce up to 40 feet in length, so some maintenance is required to avoid a plant of unmanageable size. Golden pothos is an easy to grow indoor houseplant that will fight off common household toxins. It adds instant color to any room with cascading tendrils and grows well in water, pots, containers and hanging baskets. Use golden pothos to reduce toxins for example formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, carbon monoxide, and xylene.
English ivy
This easy-growing perennial vine is mainly effective at reducing airborne faecal particles which makes it the perfect air purifier. Also, studies have shown that the ivy can help combat mold levels in the home. Provide your plant with watering and four hours of direct sunlight a day and it will return the love to you with clean, detoxified air.
Gerbera daisy
With its bright, large blooms, the Gerbera daisy plant is a popular houseplant due to its attractive appearance as well as its air-purifying properties. This Gerbera plant can help to remove trichloroethylene and benzene in the air. Gerbera daisies have the added benefit of releasing more oxygen than typical houseplants. This can be helpful for those suffering from breathing disorders.
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Broad lady palm
This is one of the few plants that can help to reduce levels of ammonia that can be found in a range of cleaning products. They are very expensive to buy fully-grown so you might want to shop around for a smaller one or start from seed.
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera is one of the most iconic and popular healing plants and it is a must-have for every home. Aloe Vera plants are natural air purifiers and contribute towards the removal of formaldehyde as well. Aloe Vera plants work as natural cures for the treatment of sunburns and minor cuts. The best placement of these Aloe Vera plants is beside windows in the company of natural sunlight.
In addition to having healing properties, this perennial plant filters formaldehyde and benzene out of the air at home. And green thumb or not, this Aloe Vera plant will bloom with ease as long as it’s situated in a spot with plenty of sunlight.
A healing aloe plant is a lovely addition to kitchen windowsill, as it loves a sunny spot. While being on hand to soothe kitchen burns, this succulent will be purifying the air of formaldehyde and benzene, found in varnishes, floor finishes, and detergents. This Aloe Vera plant will thrive in a sunny location.
Barberton daisy
The Barberton daisy plant is an effective cleanser of the toxins formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene, found in a range of household materials from paints to synthetic fibers. Place the plant in a room with plenty of natural light and maintain the soil moist but well-drained.
Boston fern
Boston fern plants look attractive and they contribute towards ensuring better circulation of air inside the room along with cleansing the air of toxins. They work against formaldehyde and are efficient in terms of air purification. These plants are popular picks amongst enthusiasts.
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Spider plants are the perfect selection for newbies and those with a bad track record when it comes to plants. These plants thrive in indirect sunlight and survive in just about any condition (they’ve been known to survive in temperatures as low as 2 degrees). Spider plants send out shoots of baby spider plants called spiderettes.
It will quietly battle toxins including carbon monoxide and xylene, a solvent used in the printing and rubber industries. If you have pets, this is one of the few houseplants that are non-toxic to animals.
This spider plant has short and narrow leaves and helps remove pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde. This plant is low maintenance and thrives well when the soil is drained and the plant can be watered once in two or three days.
Chinese evergreen
This tropical plant is proven to be a very effective cleanser of formaldehyde and benzene, found in detergents and cosmetics. The Chinese evergreen plant enjoys low-lit and humid conditions so it will thrive in your bathroom. If you prefer to keep the plant somewhere else, remember to mist the leaves occasionally to prevent browning.Â
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The Peace Lily plant is a deep, forest green plant with beautiful (although fickle) white flowers. It’s a great general cleanser and air purifying plant that efficiently removes all common indoor pollutants generated by furniture, electronics and cleaning products. The Peace Lily plant does well in indirect light and requires minimal watering with the general guideline being once every four to five days.
It is also known as a spathiphyllum, peace lilies are an easy and undemanding plant to look after. Their glossy green leaves make the perfect addition to any room particularly those spots with low light. Keep them happy with weekly water and fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer in spring to promote growth and those glorious white flowers.
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This beautiful plant with its white leaf-like flowers is great indoors and it can help remove toxic carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene from the air. Slightly toxic (do wash your hands once you have handled the plant), the Peace Lily plant will need some light for the flowers to bloom. It is a robust plant and can even sustain with once a week watering.
Money Plants (Epipremnum aureum)
These indoor plants give a perfect good luck charm. They are effective in purifying the internal air and they symbolize prosperity and abundance. Money Plants do not take much time to gracefully spread themselves around the room, garden, window or balcony. These money plants make for really touching gift options as well. These natural purifiers are worth buying for the home.
Money plant is a powerful air purifying plant that will clean the air in your house very effectively, due to its particular affinity for volatile organic compounds most normally in the form of off-gassing from synthetic paint.
Red-edged dracaena or dragon tree
Trichloroethylene and xylene are amongst the pollutants fought by this spiky, slow-growing dragon plant. The plant leaves have a bright red trim which adds a flash of color to your home.
This plant has the potential to grow to 8ft, therefore keep it in a room with high ceilings and reasonable sunlight.
Chrysanthemum
Brighten up your kitchen or living room with a chrysanthemum plant. These pretty blooms will help to filter out a host of toxins including ammonia and benzene, which is often found in plastics, detergents, and glue. This plant loves sunlight; therefore place it in a spot near a sunbathed window.
Chrysanthemums are also known as disbuds or mums are not only a great addition to a floral arrangement but they look great in your home and are known as one of the best air purifiers around. They are among the more difficult air purifiers to grow but the payoff is colorful blooms. They enjoy excellent airflow; bright indirect sunlight and watering with warm water only, making sure that they are allowed to dry fully in between drinks.
Weeping fig
Weeping fig is also known as a ficus tree, grows as a large broadleaf evergreen tree in tropical and subtropical climates, but it is more often grown as a houseplant in homes, offices, and is a popular feature in interior commercial landscaping. It is a rare tree that has a good tolerance for the limited light conditions of indoor environments. Popular houseplants since the Victorian times, weeping fig plants can help to tackle levels of formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Keep your weeping fig plant in bright, indirect light away from drafts, and it will be a trusty purifier for many years to come.
Syngonium plants
Syngonium is an easy plant to care for and grow as long as it is located in a bright light situation. This plant will tolerate lower light levels with reduced watering frequency. For the best results, bright light is required. This indoor plant which is sheer beauty and easy growing work as a natural air purifier.
Health benefits of air purifying plants for home
- Indoor plants can reduce irritation to eyes, ears, nose, and throat prevent or ease coughing and congestion lower your stress boost attention capacity.
- Purifying indoor plants reduce CO2 levels and increase relative humidity. They help get rid of stale air and act as a natural humidifier.
- Air purifying plants increased positive feelings and reduced feelings of anxiety, anger, and sadness.
- Reduction of stress levels and control of humidity within the optimum levels for human health.
How do plants purify the air
During the photosynthesis process, plants convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen and remove toxins from the air we breathe. Popular houseplants diffuse toxic chemicals including;
- Formaldehyde, which can irritate the nose, mouth, and throat.
- Benzene, which can irritate eyes, drowsiness, dizziness, an increase in heart rate, headaches, and confusion.
- Trichloroethylene, which can cause dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
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