Interior Plants for Good Health
Filter toxic air pollutants with a little bit of greenery
In September 1989, NASA published a study about using houseplants to reduce indoor air pollution. Who better to be interested in healthy air in an enclosed area?
Furniture, clothing, and household cleaners give off toxic gasses, sometimes for years after manufacture. Houseplants can remove benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, three common VOCs that are in our everyday lives. Plants, whether they are inside or outside, convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, necessary for all living things to survive. They also regulate the humidity in your home.
As a bonus, houseplants improve your sense of well-being, boost your mood, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and connect you with nature, which is important in these modern days of phones, tablets, and computers. So brighten up your abode, clean up the air, and feel more joy with some greenery.
NASA’s top picks
As far as removing benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the air, NASA found these plants to work best:
Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Dracaena marginata
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’)
Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’
Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifritzii)
Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckei’
Pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
Mother-in-law Tongue (Sansevieria laurentii)
English Ivy, Mass cane (Dracaena massangeana), and Golden Pothos also do their share of filtering indoor air, but not to the extent of the above.
Farther down the list are Green spider plant (Chlorophytum elatum), Heart leaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium), Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum), and Lacy tree philodendron (Philodendron selloum).
I love anything that is dual- or multi-duty. With these houseplants, you can beautify your surroundings while filtering toxic gasses with added bonuses of Gerbera Daisy and Peace Lily flowers and an improved psychological state. Physical, mental, and spiritual benefits from plants. Sounds like a win to me!
Find NASA’s entire report here, including the full list of plants.
