Replacing Air Purifiers With Household Plants Since the air in our cities is becoming more and more polluted, a lot of families have been purchasing air purifiers in order to clean up the air inside their homes. While air purifiers are sometimes needed for health reasons, most of us can just hack those air purifiers and use plants instead. We've covered a sort of air purifier that used a plant in order to function, this is just so much simpler. This also comes with a lot of scientific proof, as NASA is the one did the study. House plants can purify and rejuvenate air within our houses and workplaces, safeguarding us all from any side effects connected with prevalent toxins such as formaldehyde, ammonia and also benzene.There are other sources cited in the post over at Air Purifier Review. With this research covered, Air Purifier Review lists 15 of the plants best suited to replace your air purifiers. The bamboo palm and rubber plant are some of our favorites and they rate pretty high in these studies.

NASA recommends that there should be a six-inch plant for every 100 sq feet of living space. If your green thumb fails, alternatively you could always purchase the Andrea Air Purifier.clean air vehicle sticker application form and instructions MORE HOUSE PLANT AIR PURIFIERSair duct dryer vent cleaning The House Plant Air Purification Systemwhole home air purifier review [Air Purifier Review via Presurfer] Transgenic Wars — How GMOs Impact Livestock and Human Health Around the Globe Exercise Mitigates Adverse Health Effects of Alcohol Gluten-Free Diets Are Beneficial for Many - Not Just Those With Celiac Disease How Your Diet Can Significantly Improve Your Vision

Fresh Air From Plants: 20 Plants to Purify Your House Green Cleaning + Household Tips I don’t need to remind anyone just how much of a winter this winter has been. But it’s worth remembering that buttoning up our homes in defense means the air inside them is getting pretty stale if not polluted at this point. Yes, we could open the windows to help our families breathe easier. But here’s a solution that doesn’t involve frostbite… It starts, strangely enough, in outer space. During the Skylab 3 mission in the 1970s, NASA scientists realized the high-tech materials they’d used to build humanity’s first off-world outpost were slowly filling the space station with toxic fumes. Some 300 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), much like those that often fill our own habitats, were building up in Skylab’s air. On the moon base that was then under consideration, that would be a deal-breaker. After all, it’s one thing to breathe bad air for a few weeks in orbit but quite another to live with it for months or years as the long-term resident of another world upon which opening up the window to let in some fresh air is not an option.

Faced with this conundrum, NASA wondered if plants might be the answer to bad moon base air because on Earth, they essentially act as planetary air purifiers. So scientists built a test chamber, filled it with houseplants, flooded it with pollution, and waited. In short order, they had their answer: the plants had indeed filtered the air clean. And that’s not all. It turns out that potted plants also produce water vapor that helps humidify indoor air. And studies have shown that the air in rooms with houseplants typically has between 50 percent to 60 percent fewer mold spores and bacteria, thanks to compounds plants emit as a defense mechanism called phytochemicals. When it comes to houseplants as air purifiers, however, the science shows that some work harder than others. Here are your top 20 best bets in order of effectiveness: 1. Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata Bostoniensis) – the #1 plant in overall purifying performance. 2. Areca palm (Chyrsalidocarpus lutescens)

3. Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) 4. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) 5. Rubber plant (Ficus robusta) 6. Dracaena Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis) 7. English Ivy (Hedera helix) 8. Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) 9. Ficus alii (Ficus macleilandii alii) 10. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.) 11. Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans Massangeana) 12. Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) 13. Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) 14. Florists mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) 15. Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) 16. Dracaena warneckei (Dracaena deremensis warneckei) 17. Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) 18. Schefflera (Brassaia actinophylla) 19. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) 20. Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) Remember that while houseplants excel at removing VOCs and other gaseous compounds from indoor air, they won’t clean up indoor air hazards like particulates, dust, and radon. Still, though your mileage may vary, a home filled with plants will generally enjoy cleaner air than the home without.

The key word here is “filled”—a handful of potted plants on a windowsill won’t cut it. Instead, NASA researchers found that one potted plant per 100 square feet of space was needed to create a healthier environment, a small price to pay for air purification that works this hard and looks this good doing it. also in Green Cleaning + Household Tips Improve Indoor Air Quality With These Simple Steps Hide & Go Eek! Our Homes’ Surprising Toxic Secrets Green Cleaning + Household TipsFew things make a home more hospitable than houseplants. For any home, but especially urban apartments lacking outdoor space, living indoor greenery often spells the difference between homey and hostile. Not only do houseplants provide a treat for the eye, they can also be a treat for the body. Because of the confined space, indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. Indoor plants can help purify the air in your home, removing harmful pollutants and volatile airborne chemicals that can aggravate allergies and even make you sick.

Common houseplants like English ivy, aloe vera and snake plants are excellent at removing air pollutants indoors. But beware: These same plants can make you, your children and your pets sick, or even kill you, if ingested. Many indoor plants are poisonous, and children and pets, both prone to putting things in their mouths, are especially at risk.Here are 10 houseplants to be wary of.The snake plant is one of the most popular indoor plants because it grows tall, thrives under almost any conditions, requires no green thumb to keep alive, and is an excellent indoor air purifier. Snake plants are especially good at reducing formaldehyde (released into the air from such household items as particleboard and plastics). Unlike most plants, they also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen at night rather than the daytime, making them a good bedroom companion for some fresh oxygen during bedtime. Also called mother-in-law’s tongue, the snake plant is traditionally considered a good-luck plant.

But it might not be such good luck if eaten by your pet, causing excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, and pain in dogs, cats and rabbits.The aloe plant is a popular houseplant that is efficient in clearing the indoor air of formaldehyde, as well as benzene, both of which are released into the air from household cleaners as well as certain plastics. The succulent juice from the aloe has been used for centuries to help heal burns and wounds, and the juice is also an excellent digestive aid. While the inner gel is the good stuff, the outer skin of the aloe is mildly toxic and extremely irritable to the skin as well as the intestinal system. It won’t kill your pet, but it will probably make her pretty queasy.The lovely yellow daffodil is a beloved plant, especially since they bloom in the spring, signaling the end of the long winter months. Looks are deceiving, however, since they also happen to be highly toxic. Ingestion of the daffodil can cause severe stomach issues, including pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Worse, they can cause a spike in blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, tremors, and sometimes even death.Lilies, some of the most beautiful flowers in the world, are also one of the most hazardous. While not all lilies are toxic, many are, including the Easter lily, the tiger lily, the day lily, the calla lily, and the Asian lily. The calla lily is especially dangerous to kids, causing stomach upset, vomiting, skin irritations, blurred vision, and headache. Cats are particularly susceptible to lily toxicity. Symptoms include lethargy, vomiting and appetite loss. Kidney and liver failure are also possible, and death likely without immediate treatment.Photo Credit: George Lezenby/Flickr Creative CommonsDespite its name, the peace lily is not actually a member of the lily family. Peace lilies are easy to care for, survive in low light and are terrific in removing three of the most common indoor pollutants, formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene, from the air. Unfortunately, they are also very toxic and can cause, in humans, burning and swelling of the lips, mouth and tongue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty swallowing.

Ditto for pets, with the addition of dehydration and the possibility of renal failure leading to death.Photo Credit: Christopher Hollis for Wdwic Pictures GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsPhilodendrons are great at removing formaldehyde from the air, and are hearty plants easy to care for. Unfortunately they are also poisonous. They contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are toxic to humans and animals. While in most cases only mildly dangerous to humans, causing skin irritation, as well as mouth and intestinal swelling, philodendrons are exceedingly dangerous to pets (cats more than dogs), with ingestion causing spasms, seizures, pain, and swelling.Photo Credit: ajih Nahali, floranusa/Flickr Creative CommonsThe dieffenbachia, also called dumb cane, is a close relation to the philodendron, and like its cousin, contains calcium oxalate crystals. Because it is a large plant, it is more likely to be floor-bound, making it more accessible to kids and pets. Although considered only mildly toxic to humans and animals, ingestion can cause mouth pain, excessive salivation, and burning, swelling, and numbness of the throat.

Photo Credit: Dawn K/Flickr Creative Commons 8. PothosAnother formaldehyde eater, pothos is a popular easy-to-care-for indoor plant. However, pothos is also known as devil’s ivy, and for good reason. In people, ingestion of pothos is considered only mildly noxious, but it can cause mouth burning, skin irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, and swelling of the lips, tongue and throat. For pets, it is even worse, causing similar symptoms but leading to kidney failure and possible death.Photo Credit: ProBuild Garden Center/Flickr Creative Commons 9. OleanderOleander is a lovely and delicate flowering plant that you might want to reconsider having around. Ingestion of as little as one leaf, or the nectar from one flower, can cause irregular heartbeat, dizziness and tremors in humans. Deaths have been reported from consuming oleander, and children are especially vulnerable. Pet symptoms include arrhythmia, vomiting and cold extremities.Photo Credit: Meino Mellink/Flickr Creative Commons 10.