The 5 best air purification plants
Air purifying plants, it sounds like the next trend on the green-living spectrum, but this is a more serious case. Poor air quality is one of the biggest environmental risks to our health and that of our family. Spending a lot of time in a room with poor air quality might make you ill too. Therefore, you want to invest in higher air quality for your house, but what do plants have to do with this matter? That’s what I’ll be explaining next.
Why would you want air purifying plants?
NASA actually performed thorough research on air purifying plants that might help with this back in the 80’s. Within their research to find the best air-filtering plants they examined the toxins in our air. The toxins that were discovered were trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and ammonia.
Trichloroethylene is a chemical found in paint and can cause headaches, dizziness or nausea after short-term exposure.
Formaldehyde is found in paper bags, paper tissues, synthetic fabric and can cause irritation to the mouth, throat and nose.
Benzene can be found in all softs of plastics, detergents, drugs, and much more. Benzene can irritate your eyes or make you dizzy.
Xylene is found in rubber, leather, and tobacco smoke. Xylene can irritate your mouth and throat or give you a headache.
Ammonia is found in cleaners you use in your house and fertilizers. It can irritate your eyes and cause coughing and throat irritation.
Obviously there can be toxins in your air that can irritate your body, and I haven’t even mentioned the symptoms it can cause when exposed to these toxins for longer times. But why would you use air purifying plants? Well that’s simple, plants are a cheap and easy way for air purifying. Plants are cheap, you don’t need to do a lot for it, except for keeping them alive, and they can even make your house look more beautiful! Now let’s get to the most important part – which plants are air purifying.
The garden mum: Chrysanthemum Morifolium
This plant, which originally comes from East Asia, is an absolute air purifying champion, as it cleans the air from all the five named toxins: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and xylene. Not only does this plat purify your air, they also have beautiful flowers and are easy to take care of. They shouldn’t be in direct sunlight, but do need exposure to sunlight. They are best kept in a cooler place and need humid soil but you shouldn’t provide them with too much water either. The easiest way to purify your air now is purchasing the garden mum
Aloe Vera: Asphodelaceae
You’ve probably heard of Aloe Vera, a tropical plant, before, probably because the gel inside their leaves are used in various ways throughout the beauty industry. Aloe Vera will clear formaldehyde and benzene out of your air. On top of this you can use its gel to help heal cuts and burns. Aloe Vera doesn’t require a lot of water, you only need to prevent if from drying out completely. You can put it anywhere as long as the temperature rises above 20 degrees Celsius during the daytime. I wouldn’t wait to get this easy-to-take-care-of plant in my house and have it purify the air.
Peace Lily: Spathiphyllum
The Peace Lily, which is a tropical plant originating from Central America, also removes all the mentioned toxins: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. The Peace Lily is also a smaller plant, and therefore easier to make place for in your home. The Peace Lily provides you with a lovely fragrance and they thrive being put in shadow. You should only water these plants when you notice their soil is dry. The Peace Lily is also a house plant that doesn’t die very soon, so it’s perfect for you to get now.
Spider plant: Chlorophytum comosum
Killing a spider plant, which originates from Southern Africa, is one of the hardest tasks there is, so even for the people with not-so-green fingers, this plant might be manageable. On top of this the Spider plant filters benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene out of the air. They need well-drained soil and thrive better in a cooler area, so stick to these rules to keep your Spider plant alive. Now run to the store and buy some of these beauties to purify your air!
Dracaena
This plant, which mainly originates in Africa, is also perfect for air purification and removes the following toxins: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene. One thing you need to look out with though, is that these plants are poisonous to cats and dogs. They don’t need a lot of light and should only be given water when the top of the soil feels dry, even then you shouldn’t drain the soil. And to the right of here you can see that these plants are beautiful as well, so what are you waiting for?
Now that you’re full aware of the amazing plants we have that are perfect for air purifying, there are no more excuses to live in a house with poor air quality. On top of that your house will feel much fresher when the air is of high quality, and it will look a lot fresher when you added a couple of these beautiful plants to your décor. It’s important to remember that we spend 80-90% of our time indoors and that having fresh air is even more important because of this. If you want yourself and your family to stay in good health, it’s time to put in a little effort and fill your house with these air purifying plants. I won’t hold you here any longer and let you now have the time to buy these plants: Dracaena, the Spider Plant, the Peace Lily, Aloe Vera or the Garden Mum. There is plenty of choice, and if you can’t choose then you can just get all of them.