Top Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality
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Having More House Plants can Improve Physical & Mental Health
Indoor plants can play a significant role in eliminating indoor air pollutants and so contribute to improving the environment in your home or office. House plants can also elicit a positive psychological effect, improving both physical and mental health.
Most people are aware that plants use carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to grow, repair and survive. As a result of this process, photosynthesis, plants also emit oxygen as a byproduct. In addition to removing carbon dioxide some plants are great air purifiers.
Here's a list of five plants that are fantastic at purifying the air in your home:
Snake Plant/Mother In-Law's Tongue The bedroom plant. This plant puts out the most oxygen at night, which is not the norm for plants. Plants typically produce more oxygen during the day when sunlight is available. It needs to be watered weekly and you should be careful not to overwater. The snake plant is close to un-killable and while they'll thrive in very bright light, they'll also cope with very dark corners of your home. They generally grow slowly in indoor light but a few hours of light in the morning sun will boost their growth.
Areca Palm
The Areca Palm is able to remove dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Plan to water your areca palm whenever the soil starts to dry out. Areca palms often don’t get enough light unless you have them next to a window that gets lots of bright light. So if the weather is warm and sunny outside then you can put your palm out for the day to get more light.
Aloe Vera This plant thrives in a sunny location and is low maintenance. Its a succulent, so requires little water but does well in a light place in your home. This succulent purifies the air of formaldehyde and benzene. In addition to air purifying, aloe vera is great for soothing burns and thankfully removing the leaf does no damage to the plant.
Spider Plants One of the most resilient plants on the list. Its an easy addition to your home and is also a plant thats non-toxic to pets. The spider plant removes a range of toxins including carbon monoxide and xylene. Spider plants prefer to grow in indirect bright light, but will tolerate heavy shade. They're a great plant to hang by a window and know that while they will grow in darker parts of your home, they won't grow as quickly.
Money Plant (different to a Money Tree) This is a beautiful addition to any home while also being highly effective at removing chemicals and other pollutants from the air, specifically is able to remove benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Do note that this plant is toxic to cats, dogs, and small children if they eat the leaves. This plant does best in indirect light and needs to be watered about once a week.