Most of the time the air outside is cleaner than indoor air. This is generally true even in large, busy cities. The reason for this is that the trees and plants outside are constantly cleaning and purifying the air. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is used by the plant and oxygen is released in return. Some plants can also absorb harmful chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Experts recommend placing 15-18 plants (in at least 6 inch pots) throughout an 1800 square foot home to cleanse the air effectively. While all plants will improve your indoor air to a certain extent, there are some that have been found to be more beneficial than others.
Here is a list of the houseplants found to be the top air purifiers to this point:
- Areca palm
- Bamboo or reed palm
- Boston fern
- Chinese evergreen
- Cornstalk dracaena
- Dracaena marginata
- Elephant ear philodendron
- English ivy
- Golden pothos
- Heartleaf philodendron
- Janet Craig dracaena
- Peace lily
- Rhapsis lady palm
- Rubber plant
- Selloum philodendron
- Snake plant
- Spider plant
- Warneckii dracaena
- Weeping fig