The Best Indoor Plants That Improve Indoor Air Quality

I have always loved to have a variety of indoor plants in our home and at the office. Now, I am finding that besides giving off oxygen, plants can also clean our air.

In the 1980s, a study was done by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). It was originally intended to find ways to purify the air for extended periods of time in the orbiting space stations. This study has also helped us with buildings here on Earth as well.

Newer homes and buildings are designed for energy efficiency. They are tightly sealed so as to not let air conditioning or heating escape. Also, the building materials are synthetic in modern construction and have been found to produce pollutants that stay trapped in the unventilated buildings. This is where the term "Sick Building Syndrome" came from.

It is a well known fact indoor plants are good to have because they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The NASA/ALCA study showed that many household plants can also remove harmful pollutants such as trichoroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde from the air as well.

Benzene is a commonly used solvent. It is in items such as gasoline, paint, plastic, inks, oils and rubber.

Trichloroethylene is a commercial product. It is used in a variety of industrial uses. It is used in printing inks, paints, varnishes, lacquers and adhesives.

Formaldehyde is found in virtually all indoor environments. It is found in urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle board or pressed-wood products. Grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue and paper towels are treated with urea formaldehyde resins and many household cleaning agents contain formaldehyde.

NASA/ALCA's research determined that some plants are better than others in purifying the air indoors. Below is their recommended list of plants for treating indoor air pollution.

Heartleaf philodendron - Philodendron scandens `oxycardium'	Elephant Ear Philodendron - Philodendron domesticum	Spider Plant - Chlorophytum comosum

English Ivy - Hedera helix	Janet Craig Dracaena - Dracaena deremensis	Cornstalk Dracaena - Dracaena fragrans Massangeana

Warneckii' Dracaena - Dracaena deremensis	Weeping Fig - Ficus benjamina	Golden Pothos - Epipiremnum aureum

Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa'	Philodendron Selloum	Chinese Evergreen - Aglaonema modestum

Bamboo Palm - Chamaedorea sefritzii	Snake Plant - Sansevieria trifasciata	Red-edged Dracaena - Dracaena marginata