Best Air-Purifying Plants

Your house may not be a space station, but you can definitely benefit from the chemical-fighting and air-cleaning properties of the space-age plants that NASA identified.

Poor air quality is becoming a problem in many modern homes where insulation and double-glazing are creating an indoor microclimate. Because houses are getting better at keeping air in, it’s also easier for harmful chemicals to become trapped in the home. Pollutants can come from many sources including household items such as cleaners, glues, paint and pressed wood products.

The NASA Clean Air Study reveals a list of plants that can help clean and purify the air. So don’t just hug a tree, give a plant a home and benefit from its air cleansing abilities. Here is our clean air league with our pick of the top 5 super-power plants.

1) English Ivy

Not much to look at, this is one of the top performers when it comes to removing benzene from the air. It’s easy to grow and almost impossible to kill, so a great choice even for those of us who can’t claim to have a green thumb.

2) Pot Mum

Known to gardening experts as Chrysanthemum, this plant adds a dash of colour to your interior while at the same time fighting off bad air. Potted Mums generally flower for up to four weeks, but you can remove the faded or dead flowers and keep the plant with its beautifully etched foliage.

3) Green Spider Plant

Battling air pollutants in the form of formaldehyde, the modest spider plant is extra hardy, easy to grow and looks the part, for example in a hanging glass planter. Opt for the all green variety as it works even harder than the common plant with the white and green leaves.

4) Dracaena

There are quite a few different varieties of this species, but the ones tested by NASA and deemed to be good air cleansers are Dracaena Warneckii, Dracaena Marginata (also known as dragon tree) and Dracaena Deremensis ‘Janet Craig’.

5) Peace Lily

With their dark green leaves and white flower, the Peace Lily is a very elegant room air purifier. Best of all, the plant is extra drought tolerant, so you don’t have to worry about watering it a lot.

For more advice on plant choices as well as garden landscaping head to
 

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*All information is believed to be true at time of publishing and is subject to change.