What are the Best Plants that Improve Indoor Air Quality?

by Airrite Mech4 Air-rite Mechanical Services

You don’t have to live with musty, stale air inside your home anymore. While older homes may have plenty of fresh air coming in through drafty windows and exterior doors, you’re probably out of luck if you live in a newer home. New homes are sealed tight, so fresh air has almost no chance to work its way inside. So, what’s a person to do if you want to help improve the air quality inside your home or apartment? Adding a variety of indoor plants, known for their air improving qualities, is one way to solve the problem.

There are 8 excellent plants that naturally help remove toxins, including formaldehyde, from the air. Removing indoor air pollutants is very important when it comes to treating homes or businesses labelled with “sick building syndrome”.

As buildings became more energy-efficient, this reduced fresh air exchange inside the home. These airtight, super insulated homes resulted in people experiencing a variety of problems including skin rashes, itchy eyes, drowsiness, headaches, respiratory congestion and other allergy-like symptoms. Office buildings and homes are also filled with a variety of materials and equipment, such as paints, upholstery fabrics and electronics, which off-gas volatile compounds into the home further contributing to the indoor air pollution problem.

One world health organisation recently estimated that approximately 30 per cent of all new or remodelled buildings have varying degrees of indoor air pollution. Problems of this type have been reported in the United States and Canada as well as in most other highly developed nations of the western world.

Best Houseplants to Improve Air Quality

Here are just a few suggestions of what plants you can grow indoors to help cleanse and purify the air in your home or office. As a bonus, we only picked plants that are also non-toxic to cats and dogs, so you don’t have to worry about your fur babies accidentally snacking on the greenery in your home.

Broadleaf Lady Palm - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene, toluene and ammonia

Gerbera Daisy - Removes: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene

Dwarf Date Palm - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene and toluene

Boston Fern - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene and toluene

Lilyturf - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene and toluene

Moth Orchids - Removes: xylene and toluene

Spider Plant - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene and toluene

Bamboo Palm - Removes: formaldehyde, xylene and toluene

More Plants That Improve Air Quality

Just about any plant that can be grown indoors will help improve air quality in your home, apartment or office building. Use caution when using certain plants in your home; Aloe Vera, dracaena, English ivy, weeping fig, chrysanthemum and peace lily can be toxic if ingested.

Providing proper lighting, watering as needed for the plants’ requirements and fertilising on a regular basis are all keys to maintaining healthy plants at home. You also need to watch for signs of bug infestation or dust – use a damp paper towel to gently wipe off any dust or pests that accumulates on the leaves.

Plants, and people too, need plenty of fresh, circulating air to keep them healthy. To help rid your home of stale, stagnant air, a combination of AC, ceiling fans and room fans will help keep the air circulating in your home.

Air-Rite has been catering to HVAC requirements of homes and commercial spaces for over 29 years in Australia. We have a fleet of fully equipped service vehicles and highly trained personnel for all applications – whether it’s a small routine service, a fast-response emergency breakdown repair, or complex air conditioning system or refrigeration refurbishment or installation. We have the heart of a small business with large company capabilities. If you require an HVAC system of any kind, feel free to get in touch with us! We provide sales, installation, maintenance, and repairs.