A lot of people focus on the air pollution outside but most of us spend 80% - 90% of our time indoors and the air inside our homes could use some improvement, too!
A quick, easy way to improve air quality is to buy plants ( and they look good, too! ). A scientist funded by NASA found that several plants are effective in removing formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air. Click the link to see a photo.
- Bamboo Palm
- Chinese Evergreen
- English Ivy
- Gerbera Daisy
- Janet Craig ( also known as a Dracaena )
- Marginata
- Mass Cane / Corn Plant
- Mother-in-law’s tongue
- Mum
- Peace lily ( I love these – they are hard to kill if you don’t have a green thumb, like myself )
For more information and a longer list of houseplants, the scientist wrote a follow up book to the study, titled “How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office.“(Also try finding it at your local library).
Okay, so how many plants do you need?? The general recommendation is to have 2 plants per room or one plant per 100 square feet of living area. I think you’ll find that most of these plants are very easy to find. I’ve seen most of them at home improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. You might also find some of them at your local farmer’s market. I try to pick up one or two each time I visit the home improvement store.
Chiot's R. says:
This is so true. Certain plants are better for different chemicals so it's important to have a variety of plants. I wrote an article on my blog about this, I listed all the plants and the specific chemicals that take out of the air: http://chiotsrun.com/2009/02/11/houseplants-and-clean-air/
I have found that Mother-in-law's tongue and Pothos are some of the easiest to grow inside. Some houseplants can even be beneficial for food. I grow many herbs, lettuces and citrus indoors. They clean the air and give us healthy food.