5 Fantastic Houseplants to Purify the Air in Your Home
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11:18:00 AM America/Los_Angeles
Choosing the right plants to liven up your home can be extremely fun! But remember, this plant is a living thing. You’ll not only need to consider how it looks, but also how much care it needs and what environmental conditions it requires to thrive.
Another great benefit of bringing home a plant is that it will improve the quality of the air! In one of our other blogs, we discuss how trees siphon carbon and pollutants from the air and trap them in their trunks, so you won’t be too surprised to hear that indoor plants do the same on a much smaller scale. Be aware that many plants with purification qualities are toxic, so if you have young children or pets, more famous houseplants may do more harm than good.
Never fear, we’ve compiled a list of air purifying plants that are
Photo by Harry Cunningham
kid and pet friendly- just in case someone decides to take a curious nibble.
Bamboo Palm
The bamboo palm is resilient and stylish and will offer a simplistic decadence to your home. Though it’s a tropical plant, it can grow in both indirect light and dim conditions, thrives best in homes that sit between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and likes medium to high humidity. If you want your palm to be on the larger side, make sure to put it in some indirect sunlight!
Care Tips
- Use a time-release fertilizer during growing season (the granular kind works the best).
- When the soil feels dry, water it evenly with filtered, room temperature water.
- Remove any brown leaves whenever you see them to keep your palm healthy.
- Wash off any mites you see with a soapy water mixture (don’t forget to wear gloves!).
- When your palm outgrows its pot, repot it into a larger one.
The bamboo palm filters a wide variety of common household toxins like benzene, trichloroethylene, chloroform, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde.
Spider plant
You’ve probably seen this houseplant before! It’s popular because it’s hearty, vibrant, and easy to care for. In fact, we’d probably say it’s even easier than the bamboo palm! It can grow in any condition and likes bright, indirect sunlight. Be advised that it does like cooler temperatures (55-65 degrees Fahrenheit), but it’s not picky.
Care Tips
- They like to dry out between waterings, so don’t over water!
- This is optional, but the spider plant could benefit from an occasional pruning.
- If it starts to brown, don’t worry. It’s caused by a buildup of fluoride from tap water. You can use filtered water to avoid this, or can flush your plant periodically.
- You can replant the spider plant by potting one of its spiderettes!
A spider plant can remove 90% of the formaldehyde from the air in any room!
Bird’s Nest Fern
This vibrant plant looks as if it just popped out of the paleolithic period. True to how it looks, this particular fern likes higher temperatures (between 68-80 Fahrenheit), indirect light, and high humidity. The bathroom is probably the optimal place for this plant!
Care Tips
- They enjoy fertilizer rich in organic material.
- This one likes being under planted.
- Mist this fern a few times a week and set your pot in a tray filled with waters and pebbles to increase the ambient humidity.
- Always keep the soil damp.
- Replant in a larger pot if needed every other year.
- Fertilize this plant during the growing season only.
- Don’t water the plant in the “nest” area as it can get moldy and rot the plant.
This plant can filter a wide variety of toxins such as formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.
Peperomia
This highly decorative plant comes in many colors and is slow growing, low maintenance and wonderful for homes with pets because it’s non-toxic! It enjoys medium to bright light and can be planted in potting soil or rich loam. This tropical plant likes warmer, more humid conditions.
Care Tips
- Let the soil dry out between waterings to avoid root rot.
- It doesn’t really need fertilizer.
- We recommend setting the pepromia’s pot in a tray filled with pebbles and water for extra ambient humidity.
The peperomia can filter toxic formaldehyde from the air!
Prayer Plant
Named as such because the leaves of this bold, tropical plant fold like two hands in prayer at night! It’s dynamically patterned leaves and hardiness make it a great plant to grow indoors. Not only does it look like foliage straight out of the rainforest, but it’s non-toxic and has air purification properties! It enjoys bright to low light, moist soil, and some humidity if possible.
Care Tips
- Fertilize this plant at least twice a year, but you can do so more often if you wish. Some recommend every two weeks.
- Cover nearby windows with a sheer curtain to keep your prayer plant from burning.
- Grow the prayer plant in a well draining, rich and acidic soil. A peat mixture is best.
- Water with room temp or slightly warm water.
- Avoid overwatering and reduce watering in the wintertime.
The prayer plant can remove certain chemical vapors from the air including formaldehyde.