When you spend most of your time indoors it’s important to make sure that your air quality is on point, which is not exactly an easy task considering how many of our everyday household products, such as furniture polish, window cleaners and wall paint contain high levels of air-polluting toxins. These items, and many more, invisibly leach harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia into the air that we breathe. Short-term exposure to these chemicals can have adverse effects on your health, ranging from minor nuisances like mouth or throat irritation all the way up to severe cases of larynx and lung swelling.
Fortunately, many houseplants – as well as being relatively inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing – act as super lo-fi air purifiers. Here are just a few examples of some indoor plants that can help filter out some of the nasty junk lurking around your house…
1. A Snake Plant is the absolute easiest plant to care for — no green thumb required. Also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, a snake plant help absorbs formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides.
2. Peace Lilies, or Mauna Loa, requires little sun and produces pretty flowers. Place one of these beauties in your bathroom or laundry room to help remove mold spores.
3. A pet-friendly Bamboo Palm acts as a natural humidifier and can help neutralize formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene.
4. Besides being known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, Aloe has been known to remove xylene and formaldehyde from the air. Plus, Aloe is great to have around for minor cuts or sun burn.
5. A Spider Plant is another great low-maintenance plant that removes carbon monoxide and other toxins. They are easy to propagate so you can easily divide them up and place them in as many rooms as you’d like.
This article originally appeared on Lucky Blog and is republished here with permission.
