Collection: Air Purifying Plants

Are you looking for the best indoor air purification plants for your home? While there are hundreds of plants that help you cleanse your home's environment, here are the plants which top the air purifying plants list:

1. Money Plant: The first plant on our best air purifying plants list is Pothos, the evergreen hardy plant that comes in many varieties. Pothos is great at reducing Carbon monoxide and VOCs like Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Benzene, Toluene and Xylene. Pothos is also a great plant for reducing dust particles in the air which cause skin and eye irritation.

2. English Ivy: From the list of air purifying plants analyzed by NASA comes Hedera Helix, commonly known as English Ivy. This plant is excellent at absorbing harmful VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) like Formaldehyde, Xylene, Toluene and Benzene.

3. Philodendron Heart Leaf: Another air purifying plant which is a climber, similar to Money Plant and English Ivy, is Philodendron Oxycardium, commonly called Heart Leaf. It is wonderful at removing Formaldehyde, which is added into the air by various sources like wood based furniture, building materials, gas stoves, smoking, and various household products, and causes irritation to eyes, nose, throat and lungs.

4. Spider Plant: These gorgeous beauties remove up to 95% of toxins in the indoor air within 24 hours. Spider Plants are great at removing Carbon monoxide, Benzene, Styrene, Xylene, Toluene and Formaldehyde. They are hardy plants and grow well in medium light conditions. They can remove up to 78% mold spores from the air within 12 hours. Place them in a macrame plant hanger, and you have the perfect looking air purifying plant at your home.

5. Peace Lily: Known for its beautiful white flowers, Peace Lily is a good indoor air purifying plant that also increases the aesthetic value of a place. They are extremely easy to grow and care for, weekly watering and low to medium light is all that the plant needs. It is good at absorbing Carbon monoxide and VOCs like Benzene, Formaldehyde, Xylene and Trichloroethylene. They are also good at removing Acetone from the air.

6. Snake Plant: Snake Plant is one of the hardiest plant that can be grown in any home. It's name comes from the fact that it repels snakes, since snakes do not like to go near them because of their upward sharp leaves appearance. Their appearance also gives them another common name, Mother-in-law's tongue. They are good at removing VOCs like Benzene, Xylene, Trichloroethylene and Formaldehyde.

7. Areca Palm: Palms are a great way to décor your room's corners. All palms are air purifying plants, and are good at removing harmful VOCs. They can grow tall up to 6 to 8 feet tall in pots, and add a vibrant tropical vibe to one's home.

8. Rubber Plant: There are 3 main types of indoor Rubber Plants that are found in India - Golden Rubber Plant, Variegated Rubber Plant and Burgundy Rubber Plant. Rubber plants grow tall and are best placed at Corners. When potted indoors, they need medium to bright indirect light. Some amount of morning sun helps them grow faster. Rubber Plants are fantastic Oxygen generators, and help in removing Formaldehyde from indoor air. Another major air purifying ability exhibited by Rubber Plant is removal of Mold Spores and Bacteria from indoor air.

9. Aloe Vera: Known for its medicinal properties, Aloe Vera is good for healing burns and skin allergies like rashes. Aloe Vera is also a good air purifying plant and filters Carbon monoxide, Benzene and Formaldehyde. They can be grown in bright light and sunny spots.

10. Jade Plant: Jade Plants are good at removing Acetone and Toluene from indoor air. They are one of the few plants that absorb Carbon dioxide during both the day as well as the night. They are also great at increasing humidity within the room, which helps in the same way that air humidifiers do.

House plants purify indoor air from various pollutants and irritants. Let us explore them below:

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are commonly found compounds like acetone, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene, and other chemicals that are emitted from various household sources like nail polish remover, room freshener sprays, paints, glues and adhesives, cleaners and disinfectants, varnish and wax from furniture, and other daily use products. VOCs affect health both in the short-term as well as in the long-term. People have experienced eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, visual disorders, worsening of asthma symptoms, dizziness and memory impairment soon after exposure to VOCs. In the longer run, VOCs exposure can lead to kidney and liver damage, damage to central nervous system and prolonged chronic exposure can lead to cancer. House plants are excellent at removing these VOCs from indoor air. The best air purifying plants to remove VOCs from indoor air are Money Plant (Pothos), Philodendrons, Snake Plant, Dracaena, Peace Lily, Bromeliads, Areca palm, Spider Plant, Rubber Plant, and Jade Plant.

Apart from VOCs, Indoor air-purifying plants like Golden Pothos, Spider Plant, and Peace Lily remove Carbon monoxide from the air. Carbon monoxide is released in the air by water heaters, ovens, and gas stoves. A higher concentration of Carbon monoxide causes headaches and dizziness.

Another great benefit of air-purifying plants is their ability to remove dust particles that cause eye and skin irritation. Air purifying plants like Money Plant, English Ivy, Peace Lily, Philodendrons, and Spider Plant trap dust particles and reduce their concentration in the indoor air.

Some indoor air-purifying plants like English Ivy, Rubber Plant, Snake Plant, and Peace Lily also help in removing mold spores and bacteria from the indoor air. Mold spores cause allergic symptoms like skin rashes, sneezing, red eyes, and respiratory tract irritation.

Urban homes are very susceptible to pollutants and irritants like VOCs and other harmful chemicals. Most of our daily activities include usage of products that release these VOCs into the air. For instance, gas stoves and water heaters emit Carbon monoxide. Nail polish removers release Acetone. Air fresheners and cleaners & disinfectants release harmful VOCs like Formaldehyde and Benzene. Studies have found that levels of several VOCs average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors. Moreover, levels may be 1,000 times higher than background outdoor levels post certain activities, such as painting and furniture polishing.

So yes, every urban household needs more air purifying plants to keep their home's environment cleaner and healthier. Apart from removing the above mentioned VOCs, plants also reduce dust particles in the air. Indian cities are constantly under development and nearby constructions create a huge amount of particulate matter that causes eye irritation and headache. Thankfully, air purifying plants with dense foliage can keep the overall particulate matter quantity in check within your home.

Nasa studied the process of Phytoremediation or Biofiltration, and back in 1989, they published a study titled "Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement", where they measured the effectiveness of certain air purifying plants against 3 common VOCs - Benzene, Trichloroethylene, and Formaldehyde.

The full study report can be found here. In India, you can find many types of Pothos (Money Plant), Snake Plant (Mother-in-law's Tongue), Peace Lily, Dracaena and English Ivy.

There are multiple health benefits of keeping plants at your home, and even more when you opt for air purifying plants. There are many physical and mental health benefits that come with air purifying plants, let us explore some of them right here:

Air purifying plants help in reduction of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that cause a range of health issues. Short-term effects of VOCs like Benzene, Formaldehyde, Xylene, Toluene, Acetone, and other chemicals that are added into the air by everyday products, include headache, dizziness, eye irritation, increase in asthma symptoms, and respiratory tract irritation. Long-term effects for chronic exposure to these substances can lead to damage of central nervous system, liver and kidney damage, and cancer.

Apart from VOCs, Air purifying plants help in reducing Carbon Monoxide levels at home, which is a growing concern in Indian urban cities. Carbon monoxide is harmful in a slightly tricky way - it displaces Oxygen in your breathing, and at a certain level, makes Oxygen levels so low that you start experiencing headaches and giddiness.

Also, a major factor that air-purifying plants add to is reducing particulate matter and dust particles in the air. Dust particles are very common in India, and are a major cause for skin irritation and eye irritation. Plants trap these dust particles, and reduce common symptoms like rashes, itching, and dry eyes.

While air purifying plants provide a lot of physical health benefits, they also are great for mental well-being. Plants help in reducing the feelings of anxiety and depression. They help in boosting morale, and add calmness to the indoor space. In an article published at BioMed Central, plants have been observed to reduce stress by suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure and promotion of comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings.