Typically, the quality of indoor air is significantly worse than the air you breathe outside. In addition, anytime you change the paint inside your home or have a new carpet installed you risk polluting your indoor air further with chemical pollutants. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to improve your indoor air quality. A great way to purify and beautify a room is by adding indoor plants that clean the air.
It is suggested by environmental scientists, that for optimal benefits, place a minimum of two air cleaning houseplants for every 100 square feet of room space. If you are in the process of a major home renovation, add more plants to remove toxins. Always remember not to overwater plants that clean air, excessive moisture in the soil can lead to mold.
A past study by NASA confirmed that indoor plants clean the air. It was even discovered that some popular houseplant varieties work better at filtering indoor air and removing VOCs than others.
The air we breathe inside our homes has been shown to be riddled with dangerous toxins that wind up in our bodies. These harmful substances include paint, dust, building materials, out-gassing carpets and flame retardants. The toxin levels created from all of these sources can be reduced by including air cleaning houseplants in your home décor.
These indoor plant options can reduce many common air pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, and microbial pathogens and are easy to find. Regardless of whether or not you have a green thumb, the following indoor plants that clean the air require little maintenance and can be cared for very easily:
Aloe Vera:
Aloe is one of the best houseplants for oxygen. These well-recognized healing plants absorb formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. It has been stated that just one aloehouseplant has the power of nine biological air cleaners.
Spider plant toxicity:
These air cleaning houseplants are proficient at performing photosynthesis with minimal lighting. They absorb harmful toxins in indoor air including carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and styrene. Place one spider plant for every 200 feet of room space. Although spider plants are considered non-toxic, they may pose some risk if the leaves are ingested by cats.
English ivy:
Another great indoor plant option for removing toxins is the English ivy. This houseplant has been proved to reduce 60 percent of airborne mold and 58 percent of airborne feces when left in a room for a mere six hours.
Peace lily:
Everyone can benefit from having peace in throughout their home. This species of lily is effective at greatly reducing chemical toxins in the indoor air. Peace lily house plants have been shown to filter out trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and benzene.
Snake plant:
Also known as the mother-in-law’s tongue, this sturdy, easy to care for and virtually indestructible.If you have suffered many plant causalities, this may be the one to start off your air cleaning plant collection. Snake plants remove air toxins and require little lighting.
Rubber plants:
This indoor plant option is a powerhouse at removing toxins from the indoor air, especially formaldehyde. Rubber plants are easy to take care of and require minimal lighting. But keep in mind, if you are a pet owner the leaves can be toxic so keep rubber plants out of their reach.
$74 Air Duct Cleaning with unlimited vents and returns up to one system