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 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

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

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 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

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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