20 Best Air Purifying Plants

20 Best Air Purifying Plants

Cleaning Your Home Air Quality With Air Purifying House Plants

From the book Naturally Clean by Jeffrey Hollender, Geoff Davis and Meika Hollender

Using plants to help purify indoor air requires more than a few houseplants. Homes with indoor air problems as well as healthy homes seeking to stay that way won’t be able to accomplish their aims with a handful of potted plants on a windowsill. On the other hand, it’s by no means necessary to live in a jungle in order to get cleaner and healthier indoor air. Placing houseplants in reasonable abundance throughout the home will result in a healthier atmosphere than that found in a home where no plants are present at all.

Because the amounts and types of individual pollutants removed by plants differ from species to species, and because the levels of specific pollutants often vary significantly from home to home, there’s no set number of plants recommended by experts for maximum results. Instead, the general rule of thumb is “the more plants, the healthier the air.” This purification power can be maximized by choosing those plants found to have the greatest air cleaning abilities. Following is a list of 20 of the top choices for removing gaseous pollutants from indoor air.

Best Air Purifying House Plants

1. Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata Bostoniensis). This is the number one plant in overall purifying performance.

2. Areca palm (Chyrsalidocarpus lutescens). Another top overall performer.

3. Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa).

4. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii). One of the top rated plants for removing formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. Also noted for high transpiration rates.

5. Rubber plant (Ficus robusta). Excels at removing formaldehyde.

6. Dracaena Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis). Excels at removing formaldehyde.

7. English Ivy (Hedera helix). Excels at removing formaldehyde.

8. Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii). Especially recommended for removing xylene.

9. Ficus alii (Ficus macleilandii alii).

10. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.). Excellent for removing alcohols, acetone, formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene.

11. Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans Massangeana). Another good choice for removing formaldehyde.

12. Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum).

13. Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata). Good for removing formaldehyde and alcohols.

14. Florists mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium). A good seasonal choice for removing formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia.

15. Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii). Has a high transpiration rate.

16. Dracaena warneckei (Dracaena deremensis warneckei). Excels at removing benzene.

17. Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata). A top choice for removing xylene and trichloroethylene.

18. Schefflera (Brassaia actinophylla).

19. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum).

20. Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina).

Original article and pictures take www.ecolife.com site