Courtesy of Avia Venefica (via Flickr)
The folks at NASA are doing their part to clean up the air, namely in the space station – but their findings may just benefit your own home too.
What did they find? NASA’s Clean Air Study found that certain plants are especially helpful in absorbing CO2 and producing oxygen. Some of these plants also improve air quality by eliminating toxins like benzene and formaldehyde.
While this research isn’t exactly new, it may be surprising to find out just how useful these plants really are. Many of these plants are also low maintenance and come with many benefits. So with good soil, water and some love they’ll help the air in your home stay a little cleaner and even greener.
NASA’s list of air-filtering house plants:
- English Ivy (Hedera helix)
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Golden pothos or Devil’s ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’)
- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
- Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
- Snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
- Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
- Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
- Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
- Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
- Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans ‘Massangeana’)
- Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’)
- Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’)
- Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
- Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
- Pot Mum or Florist’s Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
- Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
Visit The Beehive for more information about indoor air quality and take the air quality quiz to learn about the air in your home.
