The Top 5 Air-Purifying Plants for Your Home or Office

Are you looking to freshen up your home or office space? Clean stagnant air and spruce up decor with these top 5 plants. 

As the holidays approach, indoors can become stuffy from heating and crowding. What’s worse is frigid temps often make opening windows for fresh air impractical. 

This stale air is not only uncomfortable but can harm your health. You might know poor indoor air quality (IAQ) causes breathing issues. But it might surprise you indoor air pollutants can cause other illnesses. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, research has linked air pollutants to cognitive problems, heart issues, and even cancer (EPA, 2023). 

 

Types of Air Pollutants 

 Common indoor air pollutants include:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2), 

• Carbon monoxide (CO)

• Nitrogen oxides

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

• Particulate matter (PM)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals like formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene in household and office items. Printers, paints, and furniture are just some of the many products that release VOCs. Over time, these pollutants can reach toxic levels. 

Particulate Matter (PM) is a mix of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air small enough to inhale. Some of these solid particles, like dirt and smoke, come from car exhaust, fires, and other natural sources.

Other pollutants like CO2, CO, and nitrogen oxides come from simple activities like cooking or using indoor heating (EPA, 2023). 

All that info might seem scary, but fear not; The garden section at your home improvement store has a budget-friendly solution. Plants naturally filter the air and soil by storing toxins or processing them to be less harmful. This makes plants a great tool for improving air quality and removing pollutants in a strategy known as phytoremediation (EPA, 2012). 

Our Top 5 Plants

Now that you’ve learned plants are incredible cleaners, how do you choose the right one for your space? Make your decision simple with these easy-to-find and pet-safe purifying plants.

Aloe Vera

 

Effective in clearing formaldehyde May cause stomach upset if eaten by animals (Wolverton, 1986)

Areca Palm

Reduced levels of VOCs, CO, and CO2 by up to 88% in a study (Bhargava et al., 2021). 

Kimberly Queen Fern

Effective in benzene and toluene (VOC) elimination (Wolverton, 1986). 

Moth Orchid

Effective in benzene and toluene (VOC) elimination (Wolverton, 1986).  

Spider Plant

Helpful in removing CO2, CO, formaldehyde (VOC), and particulate matter(PM) (Bandehali et al., 2021; Giese et al., 1994; Wolverton, 1986). 

In short, plants can refresh your interior design and reduce toxins that make you sick. Research has also found they decrease stress and improve mood (Dijkstra et al., 2008; Gaekwad et al., 2022). So, why not breathe fresh air into your space and pick up some plants today? Consider also buying AQI and CO2 monitors to measure pollutants directly and watch your plants get to work! 

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References 

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2023). Toxic and non-toxic plants. ASPCA. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Bandehali, S., Miri, T., Onyeaka, H., & Kumar, P. (2021). Current state of indoor air phytoremediation using potted plants and green walls. Atmosphere, 12(4), 473.https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12040473

Bhargava, B., Malhotra, S., Chandel, A., Rakwal, A., Raghav Kashwap, R., & Kumar, S. (2021).  Mitigation of indoor air pollutants using Areca palm potted plants in real-life settings. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.(28), 8898–8906. https://doi-org.umassmed.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11177-1

Dijkstra, K., Pieterse, M., & Pruyn, A. (2008). Stress-reducing effects of indoor plants in the built healthcare environment: The mediating role of perceived attractiveness. Preventive Medicine, 47(3), 279-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.01.013

Gaekwad, J. S., Sal Moslehian, A., Roös, P. B., & Walker, A. (2022). A meta-analysis of emotional evidence for the biophilia hypothesis and implications for biophilic design. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 750245.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.750245

Giese, M., Langebartels, C., & Sandermann Jr, H.(1994). Detoxification of formaldehyde by the spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum L.) and by soybean (Glycine max L.) cell-suspension cultures. Plant Physiology, 104(4), 1301-1309.https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.104.4.1301

Raza, S. H., Shylaja, G., & Gopal, B. V. (1995). Different abilities of certain succulent plants in removing CO2 from the indoor environment of a hospital. Environment International, 21(4), 465-469.

Satish, U., Mendell, M.J.; Shekhar, K., Hotchi, T.; Sullivan, D., Streufert, S., & Fisk, W.J. (2012). Is CO2 an indoor pollutant? Direct effects of low-to-moderate CO2 concentrations on human decision-making performance. Environmental Health Perspective. 120, (12), 1671–1677. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104789. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). A citizen’s guide to phytoremediation. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-04/documents/a_citizens_guide_to_phytoremediation.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Introduction to indoor air quality. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-indoor-air-quality#health

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Particulate matter (PM) basics. US

EPA. https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs)? US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-are-volatile-organic-compounds-vocs

Wolverton, B.C., Johnson, A., & Bounds, K. (1989).  Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement. NASA Stennis Space Centre. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930072988/downloads/19930072988.pdf