It’s been a crazy summer and we’re just getting started. We moved halfway across the country to southern New Jersey and are staying with our wonderful family. They have graciously opened up their basement apartment to us until we find a place! I’ve been doing some research on how to make sure that our air is clean, since basements generally lack air flow. I’d love to share the 10 best plants for purifying the air with you!
Note: You can click on any of the photos below to order from Amazon.com
I found this great air purifier, called the ANDREA air purifier. It’s awesome! It basically puts the plant’s natural cleaning system on steroids! Forcing air through the entire plant system it cleans air faster than a plant can on its own. Looks cool and uses plants—I’m sold!
If you’re looking for a way to clean the air without anyone noticing, it’s suggested that you have 1 plant for every 50 square feet of space. Be sure not to overwater your plants, it could create mold growth, undoing all your hard work!
1. English Ivy
This common houseplant is great at reducing formaldehyde in the air. Formaldehyde is the most common indoor pollutant and given off by hardwood floors and carpet. This is a great plant for rooms with less sunlight.
2. Peace Lilly
This flowering indoor plant gets rid of the carcinogen benzene. Benzene is given off by paint and furniture wax or polish. It also reduces levels of acetone given off by electronics, adhesives and some cleaners. Pet owners beware: this is poisonous to Fido!
3. Lady Palm
I’m going to be sure to pick up one of these! Great for people with asthma or other respiratory problems, it sucks up ammonia found in textiles, dyes and some cleaners.
4. Boston Fern
This little cutie is great for a full look. I got this for Mother’s Day last year and it’s still as adorable as can be! Boston Fern is the best at reducing formaldehyde from the air. Formaldehyde is found in lots of things such as glues, cabinets, plywood and furniture.
5. Snake Plant
This lovely, larger scale plant is a great oxygen producer! As most plants do, it absorbs carbon dioxide, but it releases a lot of oxygen compared to other plants. Also a great reducer of formaldehyde coming from your toilet papers, tissues, and cleaning products.
6. Golden Pothos
I have had Golden Pothos for years, and I can say from experience that there’s no killing it. A green thumb background check on me would include a lot of plant murder. This thing is easy and versatile! Like many other vines, it reduces the formaldehyde in the space, and also targets carbon monoxide and benzene.
7. Wax Begonia
What a little cutie! This succulent filters out benzene and chemicals produced by toluene, a liquid found in waxes and adhesives.
8. Aloe (Aloe Vera)
This multi-purpose plant is great for a sunny windowsill. It rids the air of formaldehyde and benzene, which can come from using chemical-based cleaners and paints. It’s great for cuts and burns when you empty out the bottle in the fridge!
9. Spider Plant
This little cutie is also pretty hard to kill. It gets rid of all that nasty benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and xylene, coming from leathers, rubbers, and printed products.
10. Chinese Evergreen
This rich plant has flowers and berries! Additionally, it sucks up a variety of household pollutants, and the longer the exposure, the better the reduction! Rumor has it that it doesn’t need too much light to produce all of these results!
What are your favorite houseplants? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
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