Bringing potted plants into a living space to liven it up is a trick that's been used by interior designers for years, but did you know that our leafy friends are also powerful filters that purify the air around us? In fact, several studies have been conducted showing that certain plants can rid a room of up to 89 percent of harmful VOCs like formaldehyde and xylene. If you think about the prices of some of those fancy air filtration systems out there, it's a bit surprising that more of us don't just purchase some plants instead. If you or anyone in your family has allergies, smokes or just wants to breathe fresher, cleaner air in their homes, read on for 7 indoor plants that purify the air around you as well as which specific pollutant each one targets and removes. Orchids have a bad reputation as being finicky and difficult to grow, but really, the opposite is true. On our last trip to Costa Farms, we learned that orchids actually love to be neglected and most people end up killing their orchids with kindness (too much water and sunlight).

Aside from being easy to take care of, orchids rid the air of xylene—a pollutant found in many glues and paints—so they make wonderful housewarming gifts for anyone who recently moved into or renovated a new space. Unlike some other plants, orchids also respire and give off oxygen at night, so they’re great for the bedroom. The palm family of plants, also known as Arecaceae or Palmae, is extremely popular and it’s easy to see why. These hardy houseplants are easy to grow and perfect for lifting people’s spirits and distracting from otherwise drab surroundings, and they’re also known to be natural air purifiers. Palms specifically target and remove formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide (which is especially helpful if someone in your household smokes cigarettes). The peace lily, a.k.a. spathiphyllum, is an ideal plant to have in your home if you love flowers but don’t want to buy bouquets that die after a few days. Spathiphyllum thrives in the shade in temperatures below 55 degrees F, and removes harmful toxins like acetone, ammonia, benzene, ethyl acetate, formaldehyde, methyl alcohol, trichloroethylene, and xylene.

Ferns have a reputation for being a bit mundane but most people don’t realize that they’re actually fascinating plants that have survived since Prehistoric times! They’re favored for their soft, feathery leaves, and it’s those same large fronds that help rid the air of pollutants like toulene and xylene, which are found in many paints, nail polishes, and glues. Schefflera are easily recognizable because they have glossy, sturdy-looking oval leaves that almost look unreal because of their waxy shine. high efficiency air purifierThey’re really hardy and long-lasting so they make great investment plants as long as you keep the leaves dust-free and wipe them down once in a while. spray foam car cleanerIn addition to looking great, they’re also known to soak up nasty toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene so, like palms, they’re good for households where there’s a smoker.air duct cleaning market

Anthuriums make lovely gifts because of their exotic-looking blooms, but they ain’t just a pretty face! Their large, dark leaves suck up ammonia, formaldehyde, toluene and xylene, so they’re a thoughtful present for a workplace (especially around copiers, printers, or adhesives). As versatile as its name is poetic, Dracaena reflexa or “Song of India” is easy to identify because of its telltale green, lime, and yellow leaves. These plants are easy to grow in both high and low light and absorb undesirables like formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. Pothos is characterized by its golden, heart-shaped leaves and is extremely popular in North America. It’s a hardy plant that can survive in lower light and colder temps and is great for offices and homes since it rids the air of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. The Massangeana plant may be hard to pronounce but it’s easy to love. Native to Africa, it has a wild look that makes it ideal for decorating your home, and it also sucks formaldehyde from the air.

Philodendrons are easy-care houseplants that need very little attention. Their unique coloring makes them an attractive addition to your home and they’re known to ride the air of xylene. Eager to learn even more about how to clean the air inside your home with plants? How to Grow Fresh Air is a wonderful resource with many more types of air-purifying foliage and comes highly recommended by Inhabitat’s editor-in-chief, Jill Fehrenbacher. You can also visit Costa Farms’ helpful O2forYou website for more information.Most people have heard at some point that house plants are good for your health because they can clean, filter and purify the air of various toxins and pollutants. A lot of people know that this has been proved by science, although most people don't know about the actual studies or which plants are best for the job. Humans have always "known" plants did more than provide food for us or look good, but there was no real science to support this idea. It wasn't until The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began to think about future life-support systems so humans could live on the moon and other planets that the ability of plants to filter and purify the air was exposed in full detail.

NASA proposed that if humans traveled to inhospitable planets then small biospheres would need to exist in order to support them, much like a spacecraft provides a suitable environment for its passengers as they travel through space. The issue however was that at the time spacecrafts could only be used for short periods due to the quick build up volatile organic chemicals, coming both from the people themselves as well as various equipment and machinery used on the craft. Between 1980 and 1984 NASA proved plants in sealed test chambers that were exposed to volatile organic chemicals could remove them from the air. Including formaldehyde which is found in, or used to produce, a multitude of everyday products, from fabrics and furniture to tobacco smoke and gas stoves. Numerous scientific studies have shown it is dangerous to human health, the US National Toxicology Program in 2011 even went as far as to label it as a "human carcinogen". In 1984 people were very excited by NASA's findings and as a result they funded significant research looking at house plants and their air purifying abilities.

Dr Bill Wolverton was one of the scientists brought on board to help research and study the effects of houseplants on air quality in contained spaces and produced some of the most popular and commonly referenced research papers about the topic. If you want to read more about Dr Wolverton's work, the experiments themselves, or better understand how he formulated his ranking we have provided an Amazon link below to his book. The list is ranked in order of plant effectiveness in a typical home according to Dr Wolverton. So the 1st plant in the list (Areca Palm) is the most effective and the 50th (Kalanchoe) is the least.As our site grows more will become links!). Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) Rubber Plant (Ficus robusta) Deacaena "Janet Craig" (Dracaena dermensis) English Ivy (Hedera helix) Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii) Ficus "Alii" (Ficus macleilandii) Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis")

Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans) Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) Kimberley Queen Fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) Dracaena "Warneckei" (Dracaena dermensis) Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata) Red Emerald Philodendron (Philodendron erubescens) Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia "Exotica Compacta") Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) Schefflera / Umbrella Plant (Schefflera arboricola) Wax Begonia (Begonia Semperflorens) Lacy Tree Philodendron (Philodendron selloum) Heart-Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron Oxycardium) Snake plant / Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata / laurentii Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia camilla) Elephant Ear Philodendron (Philodendron domesticum / tuxla) Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) King of Hearts (Homalomena wallisii) Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura "Kerchoveann")

Dwarf Banana (Musa cavendishii) Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi) Easter Cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) Oakleaf Ivy (Cissus rhombifolia "Ellen Danika") Lily Turk (Liriope spicata) Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema crispum "Silver Queen") Croton (Codiaeum variegatum pictum) Dwarf Azalea (Rhodedendron simsii "Compacta") Peacock Plant (Calthea makoyana) Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Urn Plant (Aechmea fasciata) Not found your particular house plant on that list? It's really important to remember that Wolverton's experiments focused on common house plants at the time. There would be no point putting in a fantastic air cleaning house plant if no one had ever heard of it, or more importantly actually wanted to have it in their homes. The studies were also done in the late 1980's before certain plants like the ZZ Plant and Yucca had even become house plants in their own right and therefore weren't part of the experiments either.

This means a lot of modern house plants around today aren't on the list. However even if some of your own plants didn't make it into the list there is no reason to see this as a negative. Almost all plants on the planet have an air cleaning ability, although it's true some are better adapted to deal with certain toxins, pollution and putting moisture back into the air than others. There may be certain plants ranking high on the list you really can't stand and others which you love but are lower down. Our opinion is that you should select plants for your home or office that you actually enjoy and like. The list will simply illustrate that if you own (or spend time around) any of the plants above then there is hard scientific proof that they will clean the air in your home or office and have the official stamp that they "are good for your health" as a result. Which plants do you have? Would you consider buying any from the list as a consequence of reading this? Do you agree with Dr Wolverton's findings?