Plants can do more than decorate your home and improve your mood, they can clean the air too! These air-purifying indoor plants can help reduce toxins in your home and boost oxygen.
1. Snake Plants
Snake plants are on the top of the list when it comes to purifying the air. They require low to bright indirect lighting, but they can handle some neglect if you store it in a corner or forget to water it.
They only need to be water once a week or less during the colder months and they are easy to propagate to grow more of these air purifiers.
Aside from being easy to care for, snake plants can remove toxins like benzene and formaldehyde from your home.
2. Spider Plant
Spider plants are one of the easiest air-purifying indoor plants to care for that remove carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.
They are extremely forgiving if you underwater or overwater them and a spider plant can thrive in almost any space in your home.
My largest spider plant is in my master bathroom with a large window providing all day of bright indirect lighting and only a couple hours of direct lighting.
The bathroom is often humid which spider plants love as they absorb the humidity.
Placing a spider plant in a bright bathroom will help the plant create long arms with new spider plant babies for propagation.
The plant does great in a humid basement with windows and in a bedroom with minimal lighting. Keep in mind the plant will grow best in a sunny room, but it can handle lower lighting as well.
3. Peace Lily
This is another easy indoor plant to keep in your home to purify the air as they can absorb VOCS.
They also add humidity to your home and can handle lower lighting rooms.
4. Pothos
Pothos remove toxins from the air and can grow very leggy or bushy depending on how often you prune it.
It is very easy to keep alive as it can handle poor lighting situations and neglect.
6. Rubber Plant
A rubber plant can absorb airborne chemicals and increase oxygen levels to improve air quality. from the air.
This plant prefers medium to bright lighting and only requires watering about once a week or when the top of the soil feels dry.
7. Boston Fern
Another plant that can boost the humidity in the air while removing toxins is the Boston Fern.
This plant is relatively easy to care for and will do best in a humid sunny bathroom.
Another perk about the Boston Fern is that it’s considered pet friendly.
8. Fiddle Leaf Fig
A fiddle leaf fig is a beautiful indoor plant with large leaves and it can grow several feet tall.
This plant helps increase oxygen levels and can remove a small amount of airborne toxins. Fiddle leaf figs are easy to care for, but they can be a bit finicky.
Make sure to give these guys a little more attention when it comes to proper watering and don’t make any abrupt changes to the plant.
Fiddle leaves prefer consistent watering, but don’t overdo it or they might end up with root rot. They should only be rotated about an inch or so every couple of days to even out their growth.
If you move the plant several feet at a time, the leaves might droop for a couple of weeks.
9. String of Hearts
This is a unique plant in the succulent family with heart shaped leaves that grow in long cascading vines.
A string of hearts is very easy to care for beginners and can remove a small amount of toxins and increase the oxygen levels in your home.
10. Umbrella Plant
This easy to care for plant earned its name from the umbrella-like appearance of the leaves.
Purifies the air of toxins such as toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde while boosting oxygen reducing carbon dioxide buildup.
11. Haworthia
The Haworthia is a succulent with a zebra like appearance on the leaves and is easy to care for. You can basically forget your own this plant and it will survive as it needs very infrequent watering.
This indoor plant is not on the top of the list for purifying the air, but it does make a small impact. Most succulents absorb a small amount of toxins and boost oxygen.
Conclusion
Almost every indoor plant has some air-purifying benefits, but the best way to improve air is to have a variety of plants. Several plants in a room can make a bigger impact on reducing toxins instead of a single plant.