We breathe a lot of air every day. We breathe in oxygen and other gasses and exhale carbon dioxide. Fortunately, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as part of the photosynthetic process. Also, plants remove other chemicals, such as nitrogen oxides, airborne ammonia, some sulfur dioxide and ozone that are part of the smog and greenhouse effect problems.
That’s why you want to put plants in your house to clean the air. Here are a few of the top household plants to put in your house in order to have naturally cleaner air.
Click the arrows to move through the slides:
#1 | Chrysanthemum
These beautiful flowers can do a bunch to help the environment in your house, not just look pretty. It can filter out benzene (found in glue, paint, plastics and detergents).
#2 | Aloe Vera
Aloe vera isn’t just for sunburns and other ailments of the skin. This easy-to-grow plant helps clear the air of formaldehyde and benzene.
#2 | Bamboo Palm
The Bamboo palm is fantastic at filtering formaldehyde and therefore helps keep your air nice and clean. Beware, it can grow pretty tall – even four to 12 feet high.
#4 | English Ivy
Better indoors than outdoors, this plant, English Ivy is an effective formaldehyde remover. If outside it takes over other plants. It also reduces airborne fecal-matter particles.
#5 | Snake Plant
The snake plant (also known as mother-in-law’s tongue) is great for filtering out formaldehyde. It also releases oxygen at night instead of during the day, which is opposite of what most plants do, so maybe consider setting one in your bedroom to give you an oxygen boost while you sleep.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
