5 Houseplants That Clean The Air

I’ve always loved displaying plants around my home for the fresh, natural feeling they bring inside. But there’s another reason to love houseplants: for their air-purifying benefits. There are various toxins that exist in our air without us even knowing it. Three to be especially careful of are benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde, due to their connections to allergies, asthma, and even cancer. Today I’m sharing 5 common plants you may already have in your home, and how they benefit the air inside.

1. Aloe vera

Aloe vera

Aloe vera has been known to soothe sunburns and other irritation, and it’s also a wonderful air purifier. Aloe is known help the air in your home by absorbing pollutants found in chemical cleaning products. If the amount of harmful chemicals in the air reaches a certain level, aloe will develop brown spots on its leaves – an awesome warning sign about its surrounding environment!

2. Golden pothos

Golden pothos

This fast-growing plant can absorb formaldehyde, benzene and xylene from the air inside your home. I love the ability of golden pothos to overtake any area it’s placed – the overgrown look, to me, is beautiful.

3. Red-edged dracaena

Red-edged dracenaa

This plant can remove xylene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde from the air. The red edges of this plant offer a pop of color to your home décor, and I love that the plant can grow to be up to 15 feet tall.

4. Rubber plant

Rubber plant

Rubber plants can filter formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia from the air. I love its thick, forest green leaves, which look awesome when planted in an antique silver pot.

5. Peace lily

Peace lily

This gorgeous plant is a massive pollutant absorber, combating formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene and xylene. It doesn’t require much care, either – just a once-weekly watering and your choice of shaded or bright environment.

**One word of caution to note: While these plants help to remove toxins from the air, these plants themselves can be toxic if consumed by cats, dogs, and even small children – so if you choose to have these in your home, please do so with extreme care.

**A word about toxins: Formaldehyde can be found in household items such as carpets, glue, and paint; benzene is present in plastic, synthetic fiber, and rubber; and trichloroethylene exists in paint remover and adhesive, just to name a few.

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meg
10 years ago

Hmmm…I should bring my aloe vera plant inside!

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Liz
10 years ago

This is a great reminder that I need to get an aloe vera plant. As a kid, we used to have one around for sunburn. Fresh aloe vera gel is the best!

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10 years ago

I love the idea of bringing houseplants in, to not only look pretty and brighten up a space, but to actually help with the healthy atmosphere of your home.

10 years ago

Everytime I have house plants they do not make it past a month! Maybe I should try Aloe?
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I’d love to have some live plants in my home, but I can’t imagine my cats would allow it. Still, going to look into getting a larger potted tree/bush if I can find something that’s not poisonous to them, I bet it makes the room smell fantastic and clean! http://makeyourhairgrowfaster.net/seven-foods-for-healthier-hair/

Sally Anderson
10 years ago

Too bad those are all toxic to pets. :-(

Aloe vera is the best!

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Bonnie
10 years ago

I agree with Alexa Aloe vera is the best!

Eva
10 years ago

yes, I have some of these plants and they are so easy to care and I am just obsesses with plants too!
I especially love my plants in the winter, since I have so many it makes my house feel warm and cheery inside!

10 years ago

Ahhhhh, I adore plants, I have a few of these myself, hoping to get some more before winter! I love that you give disclaimers as well as real facts. Makes for a credible article, Perfect.

xo, Juliette Laura
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10 years ago

We have all of these in my house!

Michael
10 years ago

Hi, thanks for the article. Do you mind sharing your sources for this article. Thanks!

Hatinder Malhotra
7 years ago

Download the Air cleaning plants app from Google Play Store. This app includes the list of various air cleaning plants with the knowledge of plant height, temperature, watering it needed and the places ideal for them to keep them at home and offices to make the clean fresh surrounding.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haty.aircleaningplants

2 years ago

Thanks for sharing these houseplants! I really love them.