Houseplants are not just beautiful additions to your home; they also contribute to healthier indoor environments by removing air pollutants. Certain plants, like peace lilies, spider plants, and Chinese evergreens are particularly effective at filtering harmful substances such as benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide from the air.
These plants absorb toxins through their leaves and roots, breaking them down into less harmful compounds. Additionally, they improve oxygen levels and humidity, creating a more comfortable and refreshing atmosphere. While they may not completely replace air purifiers, these natural air-cleaning powerhouses provide a sustainable way to enhance indoor air quality.
Bunnings NZ – Top 12 Air Purifying Plants
Indoor plants can provide surprising benefits to our health by reducing levels of indoor air pollution in our homes and offices. These plants are able to absorb harmful gases emitted by home furnishings, upholstery, cleaning products and building materials, so let’s take a look at the best ones to use.
Clean air studies by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America in 1989 suggested that some popular indoor plants could be used as a way to purify the air in space stations. The study found a number of indoor plants filtered out and absorbed common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that frequently affect our health including formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene.
Research by B.C. Wolverton in the early 1990s focused on the removal of xylene, toluene and ammonia by indoor plants. Indoor plants also remove and use carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis to produce oxygen. More recent research is concentrating on how the micro-organisms and bacteria in the potting mix reduce pollutants, particularly benzene.
Plants have also been shown to improve the mental health and wellbeing of patients in hospital and to reduce the mental fatigue and stress levels of office workers. So, all the more reason to grow them.
Top air-purifying indoor plants:
To make a difference in your home or office, place 1 or 2 plants in either 200mm or 255mm pots per 9.3 square metres to clean up the air. Results will take effect in less than a week and the more plants that you have, the better the results will be and the more immediate air quality improvement will be.
The best plants to clean the air by removing harmful pollutants are:
Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii): a multi-trunked palm for brightly-lit situations growing around 2 to 3 metres tall.
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’): a graceful arching sword fern suitable for growing in pots and hanging baskets in medium to bright light. Keep moist and increase the humidity for best results.
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp): an evergreen herbaceous plant with large green leaves and white spathes surrounding the flower spike. Suitable for growing in low-light situations indoors.
Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata’Laurentii’): an upright succulent plant with snake-like foliage in grey-green stripes with yellow margins.
Florist’s chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium): a colourful perennial with lobed foliage and masses of intricate daisy-like flowers available in all shapes and sizes during autumn.
Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’): an evergreen perennial producing green and yellow variegated leaves atop sturdy grey canes. Grow in medium- to low-light conditions.
English ivy (Hedera helix): an evergreen climbing and trailing plant with small green or variegated leaves suitable for planting in hanging baskets and/or edging in pots and containers. Best grown in moist potting mix in bright or medium light.
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum): a weeping variegated herbaceous plant forming plantlets at the end of branched inflorescences. Fleshy tuberous roots make this plant hardy and drought tolerant in brightly lit conditions.
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina): a large evergreen tree with glossy weeping foliage growing 3–4 metres high or more indoors in both sunny and partially shaded conditions. Keep moist in summer and drier during winter.
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum): an evergreen tropical perennial with silver, green, pink or yellow variegated leaves forming clumps of erect or drooping foliage. Suitable for growing in low light and drier potting mix conditions.
Philodendron sp: an evergreen tropical perennial with thick glossy green or burgundy leaves, many deeply lobed and drooping. Suitable for growing in brightly lit conditions.
Barberton or transvaal daisy, gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii): a rosette-forming herbaceous perennial suited to bright conditions indoors with large colourful daisy-like flowers predominantly in shades of red, pink, yellow and white.
Head to your local Bunnings store and check out their range of air purifying plants.
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