Polluted indoor air can create host of potential health problems, from asthma to hormone disruption to cancer.
In 1989, NASA studied houseplants as a way to purify the air in space facilities. Their research uncovered several potted plants that filter out common volatile organic compounds (indoor air pollutants). Here are 20 plants that will help improve your home’s air quality. �
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The Boston fern is considered one of the most efficient air purifiers. Known for its ease of care, the fern has been a popular indoor plant since the Victorian era.
Plant Care:Boston ferns need a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. You’ll need to provide additional humidity for them, especially in the winter. Try setting your fern’s pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water, or lightly misting your fern once or twice a week. Fertilize once a month in the summer and once every two to three months in the winter in a water soluble mixed at half strength.
Native to Madagascar, the areca palm—also known as the yellow butterfly palm, golden cane palm, or bamboo palm—is one of the easiest palm trees to grow indoors.
Plant Care:The areca palm needs filter light near a southeast or west-facing window. Moist, well-drained soil is recommended, and it’s best to water the plants as soon as the soil starts to feel dry below the surface. Fertilize with a time-release fertilizer in the spring.
The lady palm adapts to a wide range of climates, soils, and environments, making it a popular plant in homes around the world. Native to Asia, the evergreen perennial grows to a maximum height of six feet indoors.
Plant Care:Lady palm plants can tolerate low levels of light, high amounts of water, and varying temperatures. The plant thrives with moist soil but remember that it needs proper drainage to avoid root rot. Lady palms are slow-growing plants and need very little fertilizer. As a guideline, apply only half the recommended required by other plants in your home.
The bamboo palm is easy to care for and adds warmth and color to you home with a mature height of 5-12 feet.
Plant Care:The bamboo plant prefers humidity, bright, indirect light, but doesn’t tolerate overwatering well. Remove brown leaves on a regular basis. Also watch for mites, especially on the underside of leaves. If you find mites, wash the leaves with a soapy water mixture. Fertilize using a granular, time-release fertilizer during the growing season.
The pygmy date palm is a slow growing ornamental pam that grows up to 4-6 feet in height.
Plant Care:The palm prefers bright light with a mixture of sun and shade. You can water them frequently during the spring and summer and mist them if the room gets too humid. Make sure there are no cold drafts near your palm. Fertilize with a slow-release granular fertilizer every three months between April and September.
The Kimberly queen fern is more compact, tidier, and easier to care for than other ferns, and it’s well suited for an indoor environment.
Plant Care:A Kimberly queen thrives in bright, indirect light and can even survive in direct sun. Allow the top two or three inches of soil to dry out before watering and remember that the fern needs high humidity to thrive. Fertilize monthly in the spring and summer, and every other month in the fall and winter.
The spider plant is considered one of the most common household plants and easiest to grow.
Plant Care:The spider plants do best in well-drained soil and bright, indirect light. Water the plant well, but let it dry out a bit in between. These plants also benefit from some pruning, which you can do by cutting back to the base. Spider plants are very durable and can survive without fertilizer. If you do fertilize, do so once a month during the growing season with liquid fertilizer.
