Air Purifying Houseplants
I’m rounding up my favorite air purifying plants because there doesn’t seem to be a better time to do so than now! These plants help reduce household toxins and improve your air quality. In general, our homes probably have more toxins than we think coming from materials used to build our homes, our furniture, the fabrics on our furniture, the decor and accessories we have, etc. Adding plants not only brings a sense of life and vibrancy to our spaces, but is also super useful for filtering out toxins! Win-win-win.
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Snake Plant (also known as “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue”)
This is a low maintenance plant that is relatively hardy and does better with less watering. It is a succulent plant, and likes bright and direct sunlight. The snake plant is one of the best for filtering out formaldehyde, and also helps eliminate trichloroethylene, benzene and xylene.
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Spider Plant
Spider plants are a great introductory house plant, as they’re pretty low maintenance. They love indirect sunlight and can survive in most conditions temperature-wise. These guys help absorb formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide and xylene.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a succulent that loves bright sunlight. It is great for clearing the air of formaldehyde and benzene, which can be emitted from chemical-based cleaners and paints. Aloe Vera is also a great first aid tool because the gel inside of the leaves can be used to heal cuts and burns.
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Ficus
Weeping Fig, also known as the Ficus plant, grows as smaller plants or larger trees, so depending on the space you have you can go smaller or larger with this plant. They love bright, indirect sunlight and need to be watered once per week. They don’t like to be over-watered, so make sure to let the soil dry between waterings. The ficus plant is great for helping filter out formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene.
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Peace Lily
The Peace Lily is a relatively easy plant to care for-- they like low light and a weekly watering. They have shiny dark green leaves and beautiful white flowers, which make them a nice addition to any interior. The Peace Lily is great for filtering out formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, carbon monoxide and xylene.
Boston Fern
The Boston Fern is easy to grow, but a little more finicky when it comes to care. It likes humid environments and moisture, so it’s a great plant-addition for a bathroom! They like indirect sunlight, and are kept happy with regular misting. The Boston Fern is helpful in removing formaldehyde and xylene from the air.
Philodendron Brasil
The Philodendron Brasil is such a beautiful house plant, and doesn’t require too much maintenance! They like bright, indirect sunlight and water when their soil is moderately dry. This plant has heart-shaped leaves and can become very vine-y. The Philodendron helps filter out formaldehyde.
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Who doesn't love plants though, honestly? They just brighten any space up, and even better that these guys can help clean your air! There are so many other plants that are great at purifying the air in our homes, this is just a list of a few of my favorites. Note: it's also important to do a little more research before bringing new plants into your home if you have kids or pets, as some plants can be toxic if eaten.