7 Incredibly Useful Houseplants That Make Your Home’s Air Clean & Fresh

How clean and pleasant is the air in your house? NASA had this question when they were looking to purify the air in their spacecrafts for astronauts who were going to be living in space for long periods of time. They discovered that there are certain houseplants that work better in keeping air clean and fresh .

One thing many people don’t realize is that especially during winter months the air in your house doesn’t circulate and filter well. So when you use cleaning products and things like that, you are toxifying the air pretty quickly without having anything to help clean or circulate the air. You and your family then breathe this air all day long.

Whether you are in a small apartment or a big house, it’s something to consider and having clean, fresh air is very important. Plants are great for removing carbon dioxide from the air but some plants are even more powerful than that and can do a great job improving the air quality in your home. Plus they look great!

Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea Seifrizii)

Normally never growing larger than 10 feet tall, the Bamboo Palm is an easy addition to almost any interior space. As a plant is it recognized as one of the best at filtering out benzene and trichloroethylene, both of which can regularly creep into living spaces. The bamboo palm is also great next to pieces of furniture that may be prone to off-gassing formaldehyde, another toxin it can naturally handle pretty well.

Azaleas

If you use low quality and toxic detergents and cleaners in your home, this plant can help filter the air in your kitchen. It’s highly recommended to use environmentally sustainable cleaners that don’t make the air in your home toxic to begin with.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

The perfect fit for any laundry or bathroom, the peace lily specializes in the removal of mold spores. The plant itself does not require large amounts of water or sunlight to survive and even features often beautiful flowers that make it a decorative piece. In addition to mold, the plant is also known to remove formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. (Warning: If you own or live with cats the Peace Lily is known to be extremely toxic to cats if they consume it)

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

What truly makes the Chinese Evergreen cool is the development of its effectiveness. The more time the plant spends in a space, the more effective it becomes at removing the air pollutants and toxins of the area. Much like the Peace Lily it can happily exist in even a low-light setting and can often bloom and produce berries as well.