Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality (What Plants are Best for Improving Indoor Air Quality?)

Have you ever observed that indoor plants have uses beyond looks? They remove pollutants and leave your room feeling cleaner, much like natural air filters. Explore this article to learn how these environmentally friendly friends improve the quality of the air indoors and the overall health of your home. After you read this, you might want to bring them into your house!

So, what are the plants to improve indoor air quality? Spider plants, Snake plants, Money plants, Aloe vera, and Rubber plants are some excellent options. Similarly, Chinese Evergreens and Bamboo palms cannot be ignored as well. 

Since some plants excel at removing formaldehyde and benzene from your home, others excel at removing xylene. Thus, knowing the plant’s benefits in detail is a must to effectively purify your indoor air quality. Let’s start.

Signs That Your Indoor Air Quality Needs Improvement

Here are the signs that indicate your indoor air quality needs improvement;

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Allergy
• Dizziness
• Throat irritation
• Increased humidity
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Itchy eyes

Benefits of Indoor Plants

The benefits of indoor plants are;

• Better Air Quality: Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen which makes the air better.
• Improved Emotion and Efficacy: Having plants inside can make you feel better, lower your stress, and make you more productive.
• Lower Noice: Indoor plants absorb noise, which reduces overall background noise.
• Better Sleep: The smell of the plants provides satisfaction, which ultimately results in better sleep.

Common Indoor Air Pollutants With its Source

Here are some common indoor pollutants, along with where they generally come from;

• Formaldehyde: Found in plywood, particleboard, adhesives, fabrics, and tobacco smoke
• Benzene: Present in tobacco smoke, gasoline, paints, solvents, and synthetic materials.
• Trichloroethylene: Found in cleaning solvents, adhesives, paints, and some household items like printers.
• Xylene: Found in paints, varnishes, adhesives, and certain household cleaners.
• Carbon Monoxide: Produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels in gas stoves, fireplaces, and furnaces.

7 Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality That Are Also Low Maintenance

Here is a list of plants that can improve your home or office’s indoor air quality, along with their purifying capabilities.

1. Spider Plant

This is one of the plants that have been included in NASA’s Clean Air Study. Despite its elegant looks, the Spider plant can help absorb formaldehyde molecules from the air through its leaves and roots.

So, if you have carpet, furniture, and other building materials that release formaldehyde, Spider plant is the way to go. On the other hand, when it comes to maintenance, the Spider plant is the best for your busy schedule.

2. Snake Plant

Another great plant to improve indoor air quality is the Snake plant. Not only does it protect you from formaldehyde, but also helps in fighting benzene, xylene, and trichloroethylene. Nevertheless, you should opt for Snake plants for bedrooms as you can get the most use out of them there.

If you are wondering why, it is because of its unique ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen during the night. On the other hand, most plants do so during the day.

For maintenance, you only need to water them occasionally and can be sustained in low humidity. So, if you are someone who is always on the go, Snake plants are the way to go.

3. Money plant

Do you suffer from headaches and breathing problems? Well, it might be because of the pollutants in your home, such as toluene, benzene, xylene, and formaldehyde.

Money plants, however, are unable to ensure that you will receive actual money, but they can provide you with health benefits that will prevent expensive medical bills down the road.

These plants improve indoor air quality by filtering out common indoor air pollutants such as the ones mentioned above. So get your Money plant right away and stay healthy with the least maintenance.

Overall, Money plants are a great choice for beginner and seasoned plant lovers alike because they are easy to care for. It likes soil that drains well and moderate watering.

4. Aloe Vera

You may have always heard about Aloe Vera’s healing properties with its gel and yellow latex in the leaf. Well, Aloe Vera plants are also capable of protecting you from harmful pollutants.

The walls that are painted in your room can release volatile organic compounds that contaminate the indoor air quality. Fortunately, Aloe Vera plants effectively absorb them.

However, it’s preferred that these plants should be used in bedrooms rather than drawing or dining. Since these plants excel at night, keeping them in the bedroom increases your sleep quality.

On the other hand, it’s best if you could put them in bright light as well as well-drained soil. Aloe Vera prefers infrequent watering. It’s because the soil gets to dry off, which helps in preventing decay.

Lastly, if you have pets, then you should avoid Aloe Vera. It has sharp edges that are not pet-friendly.

5. Rubber Plant

If you are searching for something that is both visually appealing and improves air quality, a Rubber plant is an excellent option. Furthermore, not only do rubber plant purifies toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene but also help improve humidity levels.

Caring for a Rubber plant is relatively straightforward. All they need is indirect light and soil that can drain out water quickly. Regular watering and occasional pruning help to maintain is key to ensuring you receive purified air.

In comparison, it takes more maintenance than the ones mentioned above since it requires regular watering. However, in contrast to other plants, the maintenance is quite low.

6. Chinese Evergreens

Chinese Evergreens are the go-to option if there is a lot of benzene flowing around in the indoor air. Benzene is found mostly in stoves, heaters that burn fuel, paint thinners, household cleaners, plastics, rubbers, and synthetic materials.

Thus, if your house is full of these, Chinese Evergreens can be the solution to your polluted indoor air. Keeping them around will certainly get rid of the benzene around your home, providing you with fresh air.

Nevertheless, for maintenance, regular watering and occasional misting help to keep the plant healthy and vibrant.

7. Bamboo Palm

Common indoor air contaminants like benzene and trichloroethylene are efficiently filtered out by bamboo palms. These plants do that by absorbing these toxins through their leaves and roots. As a result, those toxins don’t get to the indoor air, and you receive filtered clean air.

Furthermore, through a process called transpiration, it releases water into the air. This helps keep the air inside from being too dry and makes the space more pleasant and simple to breathe in.

This natural ability to add moisture to the air can help with breathing problems and improve general health, especially in dry places or in the winter when indoor air tends to be dryer.

Nevertheless, you don’t have to make much time from your busy schedule for Bamboo Palm. All they require is indirect sunlight and regular watering to keep themselves healthy.

Conclusion

To sum up, you can’t ignore what these plants bring to the table. Starting from filtering out the pollutants to giving you better indoor air quality, all of it is free. All you need to do is water them and keep them under their optimal light condition.

On the other hand, some of these plants, such as Rubber and Snake, contribute to humidity levels. So, if you are living in dry places or in the winter, these plants can come in handy.