Not only are indoor plants aesthetically pleasing, they are also an excellent way to clean the air in your home or office. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight into the leaves and release oxygen into the air through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. In general, the greater the surface area of plant leaves there is, the greater potential for oxygen production to occur. So for plants, the bigger the better, and the more the merrier!
NASA has dedicated years to studying the plants that remove toxic chemicals from the air. This is especially important to consider if you’ve just moved into a new house, got new carpeting put in, or have new furniture that was treated with formaldehyde or other chemicals. Many work environments such as casinos, auto mechanics shops, science labs, (just to name a few) would also benefit immensely from adding more of these plants to their interior. We are constantly breathing in all kinds of chemicals on a daily basis. Having lots of these plants around can literally help us breathe easier!
Plants Effective at Clearing the Air of Volatile Organic Chemicals:
- Money plant (Crassula ovata)
- Mass cane (Dracaena Massangeana)
- Pot mum (Chrysanthemum Morifolium)
- Gerbera daisy (Gerbera Jamesonii)
- Warnecki (Dracaena Deremensis “Warneckei”)
- Ficus (Ficus Benjamina)
- Rubber tree (Ficus Elastica
Other plants that are effective at general air purification are as follows:
- Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
- English ivy (Hedera Helix)
- Marginata (Dracaena Marginata)
- Mother-in-laws tongue (Sansevieria Laurentii)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”)
- Chinese Evergreen (Algona “Silver queen”)
- Banana (Musa Oriana)
- Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea Seifrizii)
- Heart leaf philodendron (Philodendron Oxycardium)
- Green spider plant (Chlorophytum Elatum)
- Janet Craig (Dracaena Deremensis)
Sources:
Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (NASA) https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf
Plants that promote clean air – handout from Bastyr Center for Natural Health
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