Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Clean Air with Decorative House Plants

This post is coutesy of HWA Home Warranty.



Called living air purifiers, houseplants remove toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and more, which many indoor air filters do not. The plant actually absorbs the toxic gases in your home’s air and exchanges carbon dioxide with oxygen, keeping the air from getting sick. Indoor air purifiers with an activated carbon filter do the same, but not HEPA or ionizing filters.


Formaldehyde is a common, but toxic gas, coming from many sources inside your home from carpeting to plastic items, wood furniture and more. Various common house plants will reduce formaldehyde gas.
These include fig trees, aloe vera, ficus, the spider plant, and more.
NASA did extensive studies on plants and which ones were better than others for removing certain pollutants; here is a good list of additional houseplants that you can use to help improve your home’s air quality:

Philodendrons, Gerbera Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Chinese Evergreen, Aloe Vera, Golden Pothos, Ficus, Common English Ivy, Mauna Loa, Cornstalk, Warneck and Red Edged Dracaena, Bamboo or Reed Palm.

Many houseplants are from tropical regions and normally grow in lower light under larger plants in that climate, so they need some light, but not always as much. You may have plenty of spots in your home to accommodate them.


Mix a variety of these and other houseplants to absorb varying degrees and types of pollutants. Some of the plants listed above are good, purifying houseplants but are poisonous to children and pets. Place them OUT of their reach.

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