The vast majority of our lives is spent breathing indoor air. Whether at home or at the office, the quality of our breathing is only as good as the quality of air to take in. Fortunately, several species of house plant not only beautify our surroundings, but also purify the air you breathe. Here are some species you may want to add to your home or office: 1) Spider Plant

Wikimedia Commons Not only is the spider plant one of the best plants to help clean your air of impurities, it’s also one of the easiest to grow. Known for its “spidery” leaves, the spider plant can thrive under a wide variety of conditions. Just make sure it has well drained soil and bright, indirect sunlight. Also, when watering, don’t allow them to become too soggy. 2) Peace Lilly

Pixabay This beautiful and unique looking lilly is a an excellent houseplant and air purifier. It does best in the shade, doesn’t need that much sunlight and just needs to be watered once a week. It’s best to leave the soil moist, otherwise, only water it if the soil is dry. When the scientists at NASA did their clean air study, they found that the Peace Lilly cleans your home’s air of environmental contaminates such as benzene and formaldehyde. Unlike regular lilies, the Peace Lilly is not as toxic to pets, such as cats and dogs. 3) Florist’s Chrysanthemum - Chrysanthemum morifolium

Wikipedia When NASA did its clean air study back in the late 80’s, the Chrysanthemum, along with the Peace Lilly, emerged as one of the rock stars. It’s a beautiful flower that can remove some pretty nasty chemicals such as trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, and other chemicals from the air. Also known as the Florist’s Daisy or Hardy Gardener Mum, it’s best to fertilize your chrysanthemum once a month and water 2 - 3 times / week. 4) Boston Fern

Wikimedia Commons Since formaldehyde seems to be the biggest toxin we face indoors, you might want to move this plant to the top of your list, because the Boston Fern removes more formaldehyde from the air than any other plant. As an added benefit for houses with attached garages, these ferns are also very effective at removing from the air benzene and xylene, two toxic components of automobile exhaust. The downside of the Boston Fern is that it’s not as durable as some of the other plants on this list. From RodalesOrganicLife.com: _You need to feed them weekly in seasons when they’re growing, monthly during the winter, and they like to be watered regularly. Depending on the humidity and moisture levels in your home, you may need to water them or mist their leaves daily. _ 5) Palm Trees

Crocus From Rodale’s Organic Life: Palm trees seem particularly good at removing indoor air pollutants, specifically formaldehyde, and they’re relatively easy to care for. The best at formaldehyde removal is the Dwarf Date Palm, which is closest in appearance to the palm trees that remind you of warmer climates, but you’ll also get clean air with a Bamboo Palm, Areca Palm, Lady Palm, or Parlor Palm. Palm trees like cooler temperatures, preferably in the 60 to 75°F range. While it’s easy to take the air we breathe for granted. Here’s a list of just some of the indoor toxins that these plants remove. Trichloroethylene Fortunately, this industrial cleaner, which at one time was used as an anasthetic, has largely been phased out where it has some uses still in the dry cleaning industry where it is used as a spot cleaner. Benzene Benzene is mainly used as an intermediate for making other chemicals. Here’s a little more on it from its Wikipedia page: According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (2007), benzene is both an anthropogenically produced and naturally occurring chemical from processes that include: volcanic eruptions, wild fires, synthesis of chemicals such as phenol, production of synthetic fibers, and fabrication of rubbers, lubricants, pesticides, medications, and dyes. The major sources of benzene exposure are tobacco smoke, automobile service stations, exhaust from motor vehicles, and industrial emissions; however, ingestion and dermal absorption of benzene can also occur through contact with contaminated water. Suffice it to say, this chemical is present all around us and definitely not something you would want to be breathing in on a daily basis. Formaldehyde From the BranchBasics website: Formaldehyde, like pesticides, is a known carcinogen and is considered to be a universal sensitizer by the CDC (Center for Disease Control), which is a chemical that can make a person sensitive to all harmful chemicals if there is a big enough exposure.(1) Removal or reduction in exposure to formaldehyde is an important proactive move for your family’s health. The good news is, you can dramatically improve your air quality once you learn how to remove formaldehyde from your home. Sources of Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is found in manufactured wood products used as building materials such as OSB, plywood, MDF, and particle board. These manufactured wood products are also found in furniture like desks, bookshelves, beds, kitchen cabinets, and more. Although formaldehyde emissions from wood products reduce over time, there are many other invisible sources in the home. Formaldehyde is also added to paints, coatings, plastic products, pesticides, cosmetics, mattress ticking, leather goods, adhesives, glues, resins, synthetic fabrics, permanent press bedding, clothing, and drapes. Formaldehyde is a combustion byproduct of cigarette smoke and unvented, fuel-burning appliances like gas stoves and space heaters. Clearly this toxic chemical is all around us and definitely something that you want to cleanse from your air if at all possible! Ammonia Ammonia is probably the most well known of the household chemicals as it’s present in a good number of industrial and household cleaning supplies. From the New York State Department of Health’s Ammonia Fact Sheet: Ammonia is irritating and corrosive. Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the nose, throat and respiratory tract. This can cause bronchiolar and alveolar edema, and airway destruction resulting in respiratory distress or failure. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation. Ammonia’s odor provides adequate early warning of its presence, but ammonia also causes olfactory fatigue or adaptation, reducing awareness of one’s prolonged exposure at low concentrations.

How many of these plants do you have in your home?

Which ones are your favorites?