Aside from sprucing up your homes, plants provide essential benefits to our overall health. As a known fact, plants release oxygen which is beneficial for us. And a simple glimpse of these lush greeneries improves our mood.
In addition to those advantages, plants can purify the air inside your home. Just imagine how much pennies we could save on air-purifier devices, right? And plants are all-natural, so the more organic the air purifier, the better the result!
However, it’s best to choose plants that are good at purifying the air inside your home. While every plant is amazing on its own, there are certain plants that we can rely on for this job.
But Can These ‘Air-Purifying Plants’ Really Purify The Air?
If you’re still hesitant whether these plants can help purify the air, here’s the confirmation: these plants are backed-up by NASA’s research! Their study back in 1989 discovered that these plants could help clean the air circulating inside your home!
Of course, these plants should be in a significant number to fully freshen the air, but having a small bunch of these is an excellent way to start.
We hope you’re convinced now! To help you in choosing the best air-purifying plant for your home, we’ve covered them in this article! We’ve also included some caring tips for each plant to help you keep them alive and healthy for a long time.
7 Air-Purifying Indoor Plants and How To Care For Them
1. Snake Plant
Also known as mother-in-law's-tongue, this hard-to-kill plant isn’t just eye candy as it’s also one of the best air-purifying plants!
Since snake plants have relatively wider leaves, they can absorb more toxins. They’re also a great help for getting a good night's sleep, so you might want to place them in your bedroom.
🌱 Plant care: Snake plants aren’t fond of too much water, so it’s recommended to ensure that the soil is fully dried before watering them. This plant grows in a more dry and humid place, but it can usually thrive whether it’s placed in shady corners or near the windows. To make your snake plant happy, here’s an in-depth snake plant care.
2. Philodendron
With their large and shiny green leaves, philodendrons are undoubtedly a great addition to any house location that needs a quick jazzing up. Philodendron is also an easy-to-care-for plant, so it’s perfect for new plant parents.
Each type of philodendron, such as heart-leaf and elephant-ear, effectively filters toxins like formaldehyde.
But as a safety precaution, keep this in a place where children and pets won’t be able to reach since it may cause discomfort once its leaf gets eaten.
🌱 Plant care: Philodendrons like warmth and moisture, and they can thrive the most in bright, indirect light. And for their water needs, make sure to water them now and then.
3. Peace Lily
Aside from its lusciously green and broad leaves, one thing that makes Peace Lily a household plant favorite is its beautiful white “bloom.” (Fun fact: the white “flower” is actually a specialized leaf that hoods over the actual flower!)
Peace Lily is not just known for its beauty but for its ability to minimize air pollution as well. While this plant can purify the air, it’s best to note that it can threaten your pets as it’s poisonous.
🌱 Plant care: Peace lilies thrive in bright, indirect light and moist soil. This plant likes to be watered with distilled or rainwater.
4. Pothos
Pothos, commonly known as Devil’s Ivy, is a vine plant with semi-heart-shaped leaves. What makes the Photos an excellent interior decor is the burst of yellow highlights on its leaf, as well as its creeping capabilities.
Pothos is also proven as an air-purifying plant. This plant absorbs pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene.
🌱 Plant care: Pothos can grow in most light conditions, and because of that, this is one of the plants that can be easily kept alive. This plant is fond of moisture, and it usually grows in a brighter spot. You can water it whenever the soil feels dry.
5. Chinese Evergreen
Chinese evergreen or aglaonema comes in different varieties. The most common one has elongated leaves with white speckles. This plant comes in various colors, such as red, orange, and dark green. With that fact, Chinese Evergreen can effortlessly elevate any room.
To add to its ability to make any room interesting, Chinese Evergreen can filter toxins found in detergents and cosmetics.
🌱 Plant care: Chinese Evergreen enjoys a humid location and low to medium light condition. It’s best to spray this plant with water occasionally to prevent the leaves from browning.
6. Bamboo Palm
Bamboo palm makes a great accent piece for any part of your home. And since it’s a tropical plant, it can create a lush atmosphere for your interior. But the arching leaves of the bamboo palms aren’t just for decoration; it’s also good in removing formaldehyde from the air.
🌱 Plant care: If you want your Bamboo Palm to reach its maximum height of 12 feet, it’s best to keep them in a sunny location. Nonetheless, this plant can still survive in medium to low light conditions. The bamboo plant likes its soil moist and not too much water.
7. Aloe Vera
Apart from being a house decor, Aloe Vera is also an organic and easy remedy for sunburns. This petite plant is a great embellishment to your windowsills, work desk, or coffee table.
Aloe Vera isn’t just for beautifying your space, but for cleaning the air as well! It can help remove formaldehyde and benzene, which are usually found in varnishes and floor finishes.
🌱 Plant care: To keep your aloe vera happy, place them on a spot where bright light can touch its thick foliage. This plant can survive in a once-a-week watering session.
Other popular air-purifying plants:
- Weeping pig or ficus
- Spider plant
- Chrysanthemum
- Dracaena
- ZZ plant
- Rubber plant
And that’s it for our list of air-purifying plants! Do you own any of these plants? Let us know in the comments!
