Breathe Easy With These Air-Purifying Plants

 We’re all aware that cycling behind a bus or walking down a street at rush hour with cars locked in a minor traffic jam isn’t conducive to the best air quality, but what about when it comes to the air in our homes?

Can plants help purify my home?

There are all sorts of nasty things in the air that no matter how hard we try, might find their way inside our homes. Studies have shown that there is likely to be two to ten times more pollution inside the home than outdoors. Fear not, there are plenty of things we can try to counter this, from better ventilation to activated bamboo charcoal; but our favourite, creative solution is house plants.

Through photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen and also remove toxins like ammonia, formaldehyde and benzene; countering headaches, sore eyes and lack of concentration. 

How many plants do I need to purify a room?

A study has shown that adding five medium-sized plants in a room could improve air quality by 75% and even mental health by 60% leading to improved health, wellbeing and productivity. We don’t think you can’t get enough of a good thing, so we encourage you to bring home as many as you think you’ll be able to keep alive!

The 7 best air-purifying plants to buy

Here is our favourite greenery to help you breathe easily: 

• Jade plant (money plant) – great at removing artificial toxins from carpets, paints and glues
• Peace lily – moderate sunlight will help your peace lily fight pollution 
• Lady palm – will help counter ammonia from cleaning products 
• Snake plant (mother-in-law’s tongue) – be sure not to overwater this one and it’ll help you breathe easy at night
• Spider plant – this one will fight against carbon monoxide and isn’t toxic to pets
• Aloe Vera – the perfect solution to kitchen toxins from when you need to clean up spills, plus its soothing sap will calm any accidental burns
• Dragon tree – great at catching the chemicals released from varnishes and hairspray  

Worried about keeping all your new house plants alive and air-purifying? Here are some great online resources from Patch to clue you in.