Yes, there are air cleaning house plants that do help to improve the air quality in our homes. This is especially true if we are living in a tightly sealed home. NASA has done extensive research on house plants for use as potential air cleaners on space stations and other possible space uses. There findings are that house plants do improve indoor air quality in some areas. Here's what was found...
Certain house plants were especially good at scrubbing the air of VOCs that off gas from carpeting, particle board and certain types of finishes. Some of the chemicals found to be absorbed were benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. One area that plants are not able to absorb are particulate pollutants such as tobacco smoke although some of the harmful chemicals are no doubt reduced. Of course the the best reduction plan for cigarette smoke is to keep it out of the home.
House plants that were found to be best were tropical and subtropical variety, which grow in low light conditions on the forest floor. Thus these are well adapted for home conditions where poor lighting is often found. The soil was also found to a contributor to air quality improvement due to micro-organisms that also helped to clean these pollutants also. So it is recommended to the soil be kept clear of debris so it can do its job as well.
So which plants made the list of best House Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality?
To be effective you will need quite few plants. One 6-8 inch potted plant per 100 square feet. But why not at least start with a few of these air cleaning house plants. Not only will you breath a bit easier, they also look nice too! Return from Air Cleaning House Plants to Indoor Air Quailty Page
