If you're looking to improve the quality of air in your home, potted plants are a good place to start. But not all indoor plants are created equal. A new study has found that certain varieties actually do more than pump more oxygen into your surroundings - they can also clear the air of harmful chemicals. The new study, conducted by researchers from the State University of New York, looked specifically for plants that had the ability to absorb volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which are potentially harmful pollutants that can come from paint, furniture, printers, dry-cleaned clothes, and other household products. "Buildings, whether new or old, can have high levels of VOCs in them, sometimes so high that you can smell them," said study leader Vadoud Niri. A high concentration of VOCs can lead to health problems such as dizziness, asthma, or allergies, but get the right plant on your desk or kitchen sideboard, and you could save yourself the trouble of installing extra ventilation.

While there's nothing new about the practice of using plants to clean air (technically known as biofiltration, or phytoremediation) Niri and his team conducted precise experiments to determine the efficiency and capabilities of five different types of houseplants - the jade plant, spider plant, bromeliad, dracaena, and Caribbean tree cactus.best modern air purifier Each plant was placed in an air-tight chamber with specific concentrations of several types of VOCs. commercial dehumidifier air purifierBy measuring the air quality over time, the researchers were able to see which did the best job of purifying the air.11 inch drop base air cleaner Healthy houseplants (L to R): the bromeliad, the dracaena and the spider plant.

The bromeliad plant got a gold star from the team, managing to clean up 80 percent of the pollutants in six of the eight VOCs tested. Others scored highly for certain pollutants: the dracaena absorbed 94 percent of the chemical acetone, used in nail polish remover. Spider plants, meanwhile, were very fast at removing VOCs, starting work just a few minutes after being placed inside its container. Niri was prompted to start his research after going into a nail salon and being put off by the smell, Sarah Kaplan reports for The Washington Post. Now, he wants to test his plants in a real salon setting to see how effective they can be at dealing with VOCs when they're not in sealed containers. It's important to note the new study hasn't yet been peer-reviewed or published at this stage, because the team is still refining their experiment. This means we can't read too much into the study until it's been independently verified, so don't go putting bromeliads in every square foot of your home based solely on these results just yet.

Another thing to note is that the extent of the links between VOCs and health problems have been debated in the past, but the evidence suggests there is at least some relationship between the air we breathe indoors and a number of particular medical issues. What is certain is that VOC concentrations can be much higher indoors than outdoors. Niri says houseplants could be a natural and effective way of keeping our air clean, and really, what have you got to lose by making your house look a bit more green? "Each of us breathes over 3,000 gallons of air each day," he told the Post. "That's why air quality is extremely important and air pollution is an important environmental threat to human health." The results of the study were presented at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia. Houseplant image credits: bromeliad: Bertknot/Flickr, dracaena: Deckhand/Flickr, spider plant: Kathryn Rotondo/FlickrThis is from, believe it or not, the Earthship website. 

We’ll be talking about Earthships on Tuesday’s green building episode of This Green Earth.  (Google Earthship and Images if you haven’t the slightest idea what I’m talking about).  Anyway, one of the best things you can do in your home or office for indoor air quality is buy a plant.  Here are the top 10 plants and how they can help your indoor environment.  I added the photos, because I don’t recognize plants by their names, but otherwise this is all theirs: Adiantum absorbs radiation from computers and printers. Adiantum absorbs 20 micrograms of formaldehyde per hour and it is considered the most effective natural cleaner.  If you work with paint or have smokers around you, you should consider Adiantum.  This plant also absorbs Xylene and Toluene released by monitors and printers. Aloe “signals for help” when in excessively harmful air. Aloe is dubbed as an air cleaning expert. One pot of aloe is equal to nine biological air cleaners.  Aloe absorbs formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

When the amount of toxins in the air have exceeded healthy amounts the leaves on the Aloe plant become spotted, signaling for help. Rubber trees are helpful in eliminating harmful substances. The rubber tree is a multi-functional cleaner that eliminates harmful substances in the air.  They can absorb carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and they collect granules which help reduce the dust around you. Asparagus can kill viruses and bacteria. The fragrance of asparagus absorbs the bacteria and viruses in the air which can help optimize your health. Ivy is the king in absorbing formaldehyde. Ivy is the most effective indoor plant in absorbing formaldehyde. Ivy per square meter can absorb 1.49 grams of formaldehyde.  It also absorbs harmful substances like benzene.  In 24 hours, ivy can absorb 90% of indoor benzene. Cacti is the best in reducing radiation and bacteria. Cacti is very strong in eliminating bacteria.  In tackling pollution, cacti is also great at reducing radiation. 

In addition, cacti absorbs carbon dioxide at night to release oxygen. Chlorophytum (umm, isn’t this a spider plant?) is an air filter itself. Chlorophytum can perform photosynthesis under weak light and absorb harmful air.  One pot of Chlorophytum in 200 square foot room is enough to perform as an air filter, which releases oxygen and absorbs carcinogens like formaldehyde and styrene. Chlorophytum is very strong in absorbing carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.  It decomposes benzene and nicotine in tobacco as well. Clivia keeps air fresh in winter. One adult Clivia can absorb one liter of air and release 80% of oxygen overnight.  It can perform photosynthesis under very weak light.  Two or three pots of clivia in a room can absorb the smoke. Monstera improves air quality at night. Monstera is really good at absorbing formaldehyde.  It also absorbs carbon dioxide at night and releases the oxygen, so it is helpful in improving air quality. It is also good looking and relatively easy to maintain.