Improving your indoor air quality is important. You deserve to breathe fresh and safe air, after all.
Unfortunately, numerous compounds, chemicals, and organisms can contaminate your home or office. For instance, cigarette smoke can cause breathing problems and even cancer. The threats of indoor air pollutants are always present. Dust, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, and molds are among the common invaders that can affect your respiratory health.
The good news is that plants can help to purify the air in your home. They can work hand-in-hand with air purifiers in ensuring the freshness and breathability of your indoor air. Hence, homes that are studded with plants often exude a cool and healthy ambiance.
Specific plants excel in absorbing pollutants floating in the air. Specifically, they aid in adding extra breathability and freshness in the air you breathe. See them now!
Houseplants That Help Air Purifiers In Improving Indoor Air Quality
1. Devil’s Ivy
One of the best plants for purifying indoor air is the Devil’s Ivy, otherwise known as dracaena. This plant is commonly found indoors and outdoors, although its best feature is its ability to absorb a variety of toxins like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and sulfur dioxide. It can make the air you breathe cleaner and healthier, allowing you to have a more relaxing and productive time at home.
Because of its small leaves and vines, this houseplant typically arrives in decorative baskets. We recommend that you keep it near the windows. But at the same time, you shouldn’t expose it to too much sunlight. Moreover, its soil should remain moist all the time.
Devil’s Ivy also excels in removing benzene, xylene, and other chemicals found in household products. By the way, don’t let your pets be near it, as it can be toxic when eaten.
2. Peace Lily
You may also want to consider getting a peace lily for indoor use. This particular plant has white flowers with a bright yellow center.
The best part is that it requires very little sunlight or water, so you can keep them indoors without any worry. As a matter of fact, this indoor plant should never be exposed to direct sunlight, as its leaves are quite sensitive. Maintenance is not difficult, as well, as you simply need to water it once a week. It is also the reason why it is a popular plant for homes.
Based on studies, Peace Lily is the most effective indoor plant in dealing with volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and other chemicals found in cigarettes and air fresheners.
Similar to Devil’s Ivy, Peace Lilies are toxic to both animals and humans. Hence, ingesting them is prohibited.
3. Florist’s Chrysanthemum
Having its scientific name as Chrysanthemum morifolium, Florist’s Chrysanthemums are another common indoor plant that has many benefits. First, it can reduce air pollution by filtering out volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide from the air. Second, it also reduces dust, smoke, and other allergens from the air. Third, it cleans the indoor air by absorbing other toxins and pathogens.
With the correct care and maintenance, the Florist’s Chrysanthemum is capable of generating colorful flowers. These flowers improve the overall ambiance of indoor spaces and enhance the interior decor.
Again, Florist’s Chrysanthemum is dangerous when it comes to animals. Once ingested, it can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
4. Snake Plant
This is a low-maintenance plant and is believed to purify indoor air by removing formaldehyde and other potentially dangerous chemicals like nitrogen oxide. It is also capable of reducing carbon dioxide levels.
NASA has already confirmed that Snake Plants are great for absorbing toxins that could damage the respiratory system of children and older adults.
Furthermore, Snake Plants are great household plants because they don’t require too much sunlight for extended periods. However, we have to remind you that you should never water it too much, as it tends to rot when its soil is moist.
Overall, the Snake Plant is a reliable plant that is easy to grow and provides useful results, especially in improving indoor air quality.
5. Red-Edged Dracaena
This is a low, bushy foliage plant that is easy to maintain. Red-Edged Dracaenas are known for being able to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the environment. They purify the air and filter airborne toxins so that they do not pollute the air that we breathe.
Red-Edged Dracaenas are commonly used in offices, hospitals, and homes because they purify indoor air while generating oxygen. It is also a popular indoor plant in America because of its astute appearance and hassle-free maintenance. Just keep in a part of your home where it can receive indirect sunlight, and it can already survive.
The Red-Edged Dracaena is also effective in dealing against VOCs, such as formaldehyde, a common chemical released into the air when wood furniture gets old and dries out.
6. Flamingo Lily
The Flamingo Lily is a plant with bright red flowers and long, dark green leaves that can grow as tall as 12 inches. The leaves of the Flamingo Lily have thick edges, but they are very airy and have fewer veins than other tropical plants.
The Flamingo Lily is a native plant of tropical areas, including parts of Africa, Asia, and Central America. It is a flowering perennial plant that grows naturally in bright conditions with lots of water. The Flamingo Lily is suitable to use in garden planters because of its bright flowers and long leaves.
Similar to other household plants here, the Flamingo Lily excels in removing VOCs, such as toluene, xylene, and ammonia.
But here’s the thing: Flamingo Lily isn’t that simple to grow or maintain. Specifically, it opts to settle in highly humid environments. If your indoor space has a humidity level of less than 50 percent, this plant will likely die. Having a humidifier could help fix this problem.
7. Lady Palm
The Lady Palm is also known as the “Broadleaf Lady Palm.” It is still a houseplant that provides benefits to one’s home, especially in the aspect of improving its indoor air quality.
Interestingly, this plant can go as high as six feet. Hence, it is an excellent corner plant. It can also survive in low-sunlight conditions and moist environments. It can also deal with varying temperatures.
This Asian plant is said to be an excellent absorbent of ammonia, formaldehyde, and toluene, according to the NASA Clean Air Study.
How Indoor Plants Can Help Air Purifiers In Cleaning Your Indoor Air?
Here, we can see that there are a plethora of indoor plants that can help regulate your indoor air quality. These plants, aside from being easy to maintain, can ensure that you can breathe fresher air.
Surely enough, having these plants should be enough. But if you want to ensure that no airborne pollutants can affect your health, we recommend that you get air purifiers for your interior space. You see, air purifiers are more efficient than indoor plants in controlling air pollution inside your home. With them around, your living spaces and rooms would become a lot fresher and more comfortable.
These air purifiers have filtration systems that enable them to capture various types of pollutants in the air. One of the common filters that they have is a HEPA filter. A HEPA filter can trap 99.97 percent of all pollutants that are as small as 0.3 microns, making your home a lot safer from allergens.
Meanwhile, these air purifiers also include pleated mechanical filters. These types of filters can trap debris, dust, and large pollutants that can damage the HEPA filter.
For odor and smell, some air purifiers have activated carbon filters. These filters are designed to capture gasses, chemicals, and other odor-causing pollutants.
Overall, having an air purifier can greatly improve the air quality in your home. It can also enhance the efficiency of your indoor houseplants in absorbing potentially harmful airborne pollutants.