In our modern world, air pollution is all around us. Many of us will name carbon monoxide from cars as a major air pollutant. But did you know that the air inside our homes also contains many air pollutants?
According to the American Lung Association, indoor air can be more polluted than the air outdoors. Not only does the air inside our homes get polluted from the air outside, but many of the everyday objects in our homes give off dangerous chemicals.
There’s formaldehyde, from carpets, upholstery, glues, and paint. There’s benzene found in plastics, synthetic fibers, lubricants, rubber, and pesticides. And there’s trichloroethylene, found in adhesives, rug cleaning solutions, paint removers, etc. Fire-retardant chemical compounds in paints, TVs, computers, electronics, motor vehicles, carpets, and furniture also emit dangerous chemicals.
So what can we do to combat the air pollution inside our home? One solution can be houseplants. A recent study by NASA found that a select group of plants were especially good at filtering out air pollution inside.
These natural air purifiers efficiently suck up dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. So if you are looking to improve the air inside your home, consider adding a few of the following plants to help keep these toxins at bay.
Spider plant
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Spider plants do well in direct sunlight and soak up formaldehyde.
Golden Pothos
Photo credit: Flickr
This plant does well in the shade and needs very little water. It does a good job of keeping formaldehyde and xylene away.
Dracaena Plant
Photo credit: Flickr
The Dracaena looks like a small palm tree, and helps to remove a wide range of pollutants from the air.
Ficus
Photo credit: Flickr
Ficus trees clear benzene from the air and are easy plants to take care of.
Peace Lily
Photo credit: Wikimedia
The fast-growing peace lily loves the shade and you’ll love it for cleaning ammonia and other chemicals from your home.
Rubber Plant
Photo credit: Flickr
The rubber plant does a great job of removing carbon monoxide from the air.
Boston Fern
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Boston ferns like the cool and lots of humidity. Once they grow, they clear formaldehyde from inside your home.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Even though it has an odd name, it’s great and eliminating pollutants.
Aloe Vera
Photo credit: Flickr
Aloe vera is a power house for curing the air, but it also has medicinal uses such as helping skin burns among other things.
Dragon Plant
Photo credit: Our House Plants
This plant with the fun name is excellent at improving air quality.
Pot Mum
Photo credit: Weber’s Wholesale
These charming flowers will help lower benzine levels.
English Ivy
Photo credit: Wikipedia
English ivy is often considered more of a weed than anything else, but it also purifies the air of formaldehyde.
Share these helpful plants with your friends and family!
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