Best houseplants to clean indoor air
You may have heard of the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) or as I like to call it, the I Haven’t Left The House In Two Weeks Because I’m On Vacation Syndrome (IHLTHITWBIOVS). That’s the name of the ‘unexplained’ discomfort and health issues that come from being confined to a closed, poorly ventilated space for a long period of time. That feeling of desperately wanting to go out for fresh air…
Well, some years ago (around 1989) NASA found a way to combat these side effects of house hibernation with simple houseplants. Here I compiled a list of the best air cleaning plants that are also pet friendly!
NASA’s study shows that enclosed spaces like houses, departments and offices are prone to have certain chemicals in the air that may cause sickness or discomfort. These are the three main pollutants that may be harmful for you:
| Name: | Found in: | Possible effects: |
| Benzene | Gasoline, inks, oils, paint and rubber | Irritates skin and eyes |
| Trichloroethylene | Paint, ink, laquers, varnishes and adhesives | Headaches and dizziness |
| Formaldehyde | Pressed-wood, grocery bags, wax paper, cleaning supplies and cigarette smoke | Headaches, irritation in respiratory tract and eyes |
If you spend most of your time indoors you might benefit from one of these plants since they act like natural air filters. They could make your indoor air cleaner since the first day! (And they are all non-toxic, so don’t worry if your cat starts to chew on them).
1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
This is one of the best options if you want to battle formaldehyde -I suggest you put the spider plant close to your pressed-wood furniture or smoking area-. Also, isn’t it pretty? If you go with this one make sure to get it with enough root-soil instead of having it growing on water, according to NASA this is the most efficient way to clean air pollution.
2. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea)
The mighty Bamboo Palm is not a specialist in just one field but showed great performance in reducing trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde and graduated as one the bests of its class for the whole experiment. This one could go anywhere in the house. Or maybe you could take it to your office and place it close to the printer supplies!
3. Gerbera Daisy (Transvaal daisy)
This beautiful flower is not just something pretty to look at, it is also the best known plant to clean trichloroethylene from the air. You can get rid of traces of this solvent and have a beautiful decoration at the same time! (Remember thought, a potted plant is way stronger than a plant submerged in water).
4. Dwarf banana plant (Dwarf Cavendish banana)
Maybe you don’t have the space to grow a whole-sized banana plant, but these dwarf version is small enough to fit in your living-room or laundry-room. Banana plants are another excellent way to filter formaldehyde from the air.
Did you know that everyday your plants spend surrounded by these chemicals will make them stronger? They will genetically adapt and get better at using toxic chemicals as food (Yummy, right?)
Well, now you are ready to go and get the plant that better suits your needs. Remember that I’m only listing pet-friendly houseplants (I consulted aspca.org to make sure they were non-toxic) but if you don’t a have pet you could check other houseplants also recommended by NASA. Here you can read the complete report for more information, it’s very interesting!
Will you get one of these plants for your house or office? I’m still counting how many gerberas I can fit in one house…
