If you have a bit of space you can add one of these air filtering plants to your indoor living space.
Did you know Plants help clean the air you breathe? They Do!
Some plants do this better than others. So we created a list of some of the best air filtering plants.
Unfortunately, Our Homes are full of toxins. Some of those toxins are serious and can make us sick. These plants will remove some carcinogenic toxins from your indoor space. Can you benefit from an air filtering plant in your home or office?
How do we get toxins in our homes? Our furnishings and the Building materials used in constructing our homes add unhealthy fumes to the air we breathe by off gassing. Sick building Syndrome is a real thing.
Other toxic fumes come from smoking indoors or living near heavy traffic areas with car fumes…
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Certain air filtering indoor Plants help mitigate some of these toxins in the air. Let’s invite them into our homes!
Nasa Studies on Air Filtering Plants:
Plants can’t remove all toxins from your household air. But they will improve it. Let’s take a look at the study that started it all.
The now famous NASA guide on Air Filtering plants is quite encouraging. Why were they looking into this? They were studying the benefits of plants for air quality in the space stations.
In Wolvertons 1989 study the Major Pollutants studied were primarily Benzene, Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene. These three toxins are carcinogens. We really don’t want to breathe them.
The NASA study quantified how the plants they studied actually removed specific toxins from the air in laboratory setting.
The implications are ALL houseplants help us breathe better in our own homes.
According to this
All Houseplants do filter the air and make oxygen as they respire. Plants help us breathe better in our homes by these natural processes.
- Plant photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide and returns oxygen to the air.
- Plants remove toxicants from air, soil, and water.
- House Plants metabolize some toxic chemicals, releasing only harmless by-products into the atmosphere.
- Plants incorporate toxicants such as heavy metals into plant tissues so we don’t breathe them in the air.
Best Homes For Air Filtering Plants:
While all plants will benefit your air quality to some degree, the amount they will help you differs with your circumstances.
Close quarters with small rooms and little ventilation are often the environments plants benefit most. Think small mobile homes, closed bedrooms, bathrooms or offices. Tiny homes, RVs or small apartments are also good places for air filtering plants.
Studies show, in addition to improving our air quality, indoor plants make us feel good, reduce stress, stimulate our mental processes, help us heal and provide a way to interact emotionally with a living, vibrant housemate, office or schoolmate.
The Contented Plant
Best Air Filtering Plants:
The Best Air Filtering plants are those that take out the most toxins from air. According to the Wolverine study that Includes:
- The Boston Fern
- Dracaena
- Dieffenbachia
- Areca
- Ficus
- Scindapsus
- Rubber Plant
- Aloa Vera
Below is a list of even more Excellent Air Filtering Plants we wrote care guides for. So many wonderful plants to invite into your home.
Air Filtering Plants For Your Home
These Plants all help improve your indoor air quality. . This list highlights the some of the air quality improving plants we have written about.
Look at the post above for even more ideas on plants that improve your air quality.
Spider plants are excellent air filtering plants. These are great plants for beginners too.
Peace lilies are a beautiful plant with lush lance shaped leaves and show stopping flowers. Spathiphyllums are an excellent indoor plant.
Peace lilies are extremely beneficial to your home environment. They remove several toxins including
benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, ammonia, xylene, toluene and several other known pollutants.
Not only that, peace lilies remove mold spores from the air and create extra humidity for your home.
Snake Plants, like the peace lily is a marvelous plant to place in your bedroom. Snake plants imptove humidity and Oxygen levels.
Snake Plant is one of the most effective air purifier plants which removes benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene
Money tree plant care is easy. Pachira aquatica adds lovely tropical elegance to your home or office. It also brings emotional positivity. This indoor tree is pet safe and filters the air.
The Money Tree filters out toxic chemicals, like benzene and formaldehyde, from the air.
This tree is also really good at respiring Oxygen at night.
These beautiful plants come in several colors and provide color all through the year.
This houseplant is particularly effective at removing harmful chemicals like ammonia and formaldehyde.
Another Star of the NASA study is the golden Pothos. This easy care vine is attractive with golden variegation running through dark green leaves.
Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
The Neon Pothos is Exuberantly colorful and showy with bright Chartreuse heart shaped leaves.
ALL Pothos are wonderful air filtering plants.Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
Pothos N Joy, ( Epipremnum aureum ‘ N-Joy) has particularly interesting foliage. With wrinkled leaves and striking variegation. This easy care vine will create a lively focal point in your home.
ALL Pothos are wonderful air filtering plants.Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
Manjula pothos have only a few basic requirements to remain a happy durable plant. This lovely vine is a perfect beginner houseplant.
ALL Pothos are wonderful air filtering plants.Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
The marble queen pothos is a typical Devils Ivy. This hardy vine has leathery heart shaped leaves.
The leaves on this indoor plant are streaked with a creamy white variegation. The patterns may vary. But it’s all wonderfully attractive on this plant.
ALL Pothos are wonderful air filtering plants.Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
The Pearls and Jade Pothos is a stylishly exotic variegated vine. The foliage is bright and interesting. It’s a beautiful, easy care plant.
ALL Pothos are wonderful air filtering plants.Pothos are proven to remove formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air.
The Croton plant is a wildly cocorful tropical houseplant with endless color and variegation combinations. This plant is simple to care for with a few tips and tricks.
pihcrCroton has large dark leaves that filter harmful toxins from the air including VOCs, o ammonia, formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene,
The ZZ plant is a popular houseplant and VERY easy Care. This plant can handle infrequent waterings and lower light levels.
Removes xylene, toluene, and benzene
The RAVEN ZZ plant is a trending houseplant and easy to care for. This plant can handle infrequent waterings and lower light levels.
Removes xylene, toluene, and benzene
Easy Care Jade plants absorb toulene from the air. This toxin is emitted from gasoline, paints, kerosene and laquers.
The beautiful and exotic Orchid is effective at removing xylene and toluene from the air. It also is a champ at making O2 out of Carbon dioxcide.
Philodendrons:
ALL Philodendrons are known to remove Formaldehyde from the air. Here are some of our favorites:
The Philodendron Hastatum (also knows as the Philodendron Silver Sword) is an attractive plant with elongated leaves that are tinged blue or silvery green.
Removes Formaldehyde from the air.
The Philodendron Burle Marx is a lush tropical plant with long glossy leaves. This plant grows in a trailing or vining pattern.
Filters out Formaldehyde.
The Philodendron Xanadu is an attractive plant that has spiky green leaves that give a jungle vibe.
Filters Out Formaldehyde from the air.
The Philodendron Verrucosum is a gorgeous plant with large green leaves featuring darker areas with light green veining.
Larger leaves are particulalry effective in filtering out formaldehyde.
The Philodendron Birkin is a beautiful and stylishly exotic house plant. Its easy care and slow growing habit make it a good choice for beginners plant owners.
Removes Formaldehyde from the air.
The Philodendron Brasil is a stunning houseplant that grows quickly. This plant will trail out of a basket or climb a moss pole.
Removes Formaldehyde from the air.
The heartleaf philodendron is a beautiful plant with heart shaped green leaves and a vine like structure. This plant is very popular and is a staple in most plant lovers homes.
Removes Formaldehyde from the air.
Calatheas:
All Calatheas are great at Filtering toxins from your air. They are also ALL non toxic to your kids and pets. Pretty awesome plants!
A beautiful Plant with lots of drama in it;s coloring. One of the easier Calatheas to care for.
Marantas:
Maranta are beautiful, exotic plants with wide appeal. They are also an air purifying plant and Non Toxic to pets and people. What great plants!
Maranta are beautiful, exotic plants with wide appeal. These plants are well known for their beautiful leaves that fold up straight after dark like praying hands.
Once you find the perfect growing conditions for your Maranta it will perform well for you.
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