The quality of air indoors is just as important as it is outdoors, because on average, a significant amount of time is spent by people inside their homes.
What’s more interesting is the fact that the inside air isn’t void of toxins and chemicals.
Plenty of pesticides and harmful toxins are part of the air because of the products we use in our homes, such as vinyl flooring, and air fresheners.
If you’ve started to feel worried already, there is good news.
You can use indoor plants to not only decorate your home but also to purify its toxins are present.
Plants work opposite to human breathing by producing oxygen and sucking carbon dioxide from the environment.
They provide greener air for breathing, soothing the eyes, and other benefits while absorbing the harmful toxins and preventing diseases from occurring, as a result.
Here are the top 5 plants you should use to detoxify your home:
1. Aloe Vera
We all know the skin cleansing effects and benefits of aloe vera; how great is the fact that the plant is also a wonderful air purifier!
Aloe vera absorbs the chemicals that slip into the environment from various cleaning products and the plant also adopts brown spots if the toxicity reaches high levels, giving you a warning signal to take immediate action.
2. Purple Waffle Plants
If aloe vera is too thorny for your liking, consider going for the purple waffle plant.
It is rated as one of the best detoxifiers in removing the top five indoor pollutants by researchers at the University of Georgia.
It is a low maintenance plant that also serves the purpose of decoration beautifully.
3. Areca Palm
Areca palm has the eighth highest rate in removing formaldehyde- a chemical that is found in carpeting frequently and responsible for causing asthma and other inflectional and pulmonary diseases.
The plant is also useful in dry winter weather as it helps restore moisture.
4. Peace Lily
This lily absorbs common chemicals such as trichloroethylene and benzene that are found in plastics and paints.
It also absorbs xylene found in adhesives and can easily thrive in both a shaded and a bright home, provided you remember to water it once a week.
Lilies are toxic though, and while this lily is quite peaceful as its name suggests, it can still be toxic to your pet.
5. Rubber Plant
The rubber plant filters benzene, ammonia, and formaldehyde, and its thick green leaves also add aesthetic beauty to the space.
You may need to water it frequently and place it in high light, all the while keeping it away from the reach of children and pets as it can be poisonous if consumed.
Bonus: 6 Pothos- Ivy
These plants are able to clean the air of benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, xylene, and carbon monoxide.
However, the thing I really like about these plants is they are also able to clear away harmful radiation from electronic devices.
The bonus about these plants is that they are easy to keep alive even as just cuttings in water.
What I Do
We keep either a vase with cuttings or an ivy plant in our bedrooms, in our schoolroom, in our office, and several in the kitchen.
When my girls were younger I put a Peace Lilly by their crib (its nickname is ‘closet plant’ because they stay alive with little light).
I don’t have much of a green thumb when it comes to indoor plants but I have managed to keep those 2 types of plants alive without much fuss.