You may not know this, but the average household has a lot of chemicals in the air that can be harmful to your health. A great way to address this problem is by purchasing an indoor plant.
This article contains a list of plants that produce the most oxygen. Make sure you choose your plants carefully, as certain plants might have trouble in certain environments.
Not only will these plants help to clean up your home’s air, but they also look great!
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Peace Lily
The peace lily is a relatively small plant compared to the other ones on this list. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t great at cleaning the air inside your home!
These plants are quite easy to grow, making them a great choice for a plant keeping beginner. The peace lily will add some pollen and floral scents to your home, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something a bit more incognito. Because of this, it might not be the best idea to have a room full of these plants.
The peace lily will flower throughout most of the summer. This is a plant that’s best suited to shady areas.
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Snake Plant/Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Do you have a history of killing your houseplants? Then the snake plant might be for you!
This plant is one of the hardest plants on this list to kill. All it requires is a little bit of water, but not too much. This plant prefers mostly dry conditions.
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Bamboo Plant
The bamboo palm is one of the more sun-hungry air purifying plants. This plant will need to be fully exposed to light in order to survive.
Be warned though, bamboo palms can grow to a huge size. A typical bamboo palm will be between 4 to 12 feet high. Their large stature means they are one of the best indoor plants for clean air.
Another reason to consider bamboo plants is that many birds also love it, for example, Cardinals. Old bamboo leaves act as great nest-building material. So, bamboo can clean your air and attract birds to your home, whether you have an open terrace or you can just provide the grayish-brown leaves for birds as nesting material.
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Garden Mum
NASA regards this plant as one of the best air cleaning plants. These plants are quite popular. So you should easily be able to find them at your local garden store.
Another great thing about this plant is you can plant it in your garden after it flowers.
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Rubber Plant
The rubber plant has been a popular indoor plant for many years.
It grows very well in a variety of temperatures. It can even handle cold temperatures as low as 40 F! This makes it a great low maintenance plant.
The rubber plant is a good choice if it will not have access to much light. While the plant prefers to get a decent amount of light, it can still thrive under dim conditions. You will need to make sure this plant avoids staying in direct sunlight.
Another thing to consider is the milky sap of the rubber plant can irritate your skin. You might have to wear gloves when you’re handling it.
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Dwarf Date Palm
If you treat a dwarf date palm well, it can easily survive for decades. Ideally, it needs to be placed in semi-sunlight in an area that’s free of drafts.
The dwarf date palm is very good at removing chemicals from the air. For example, it is particularly good at ridding the air of xylene.
One thing to consider is this plant has sharp spines near the base of the leaf stem. This means it might not be appropriate if you have pets or children.
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Boston Fern
The Boston fern is very effective at removing formaldehyde from the atmosphere. Formaldehyde is found in things like plastic garbage bags and gas stoves.
This is a plant that prefers bright yet indirect sunlight. The Boston fern requires a little more attention than some of the other plants on this list. You’ll need to keep its soil moist and mist the plant often with warm water.
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Areca Palm
The areca palm is very effective at removing toxins from the air that are hazardous to human health.
You should be aware that this plant puts out a lot of water vapor. This makes it a great addition to your home if you live in a dry climate. These plants can reach heights of up to 12 feet.
When you’re purchasing an areca palm, you should look for a plant that has a large trunk. Sometimes, these plants have trunks that are undersized. This can cause a lot of complications as the plant grows taller.
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Dracaena Janet Craig
This is another one of the air purifying plants that can live for decades under the right conditions. The dracaena plant prefers to live in medium light situations, but it can certainly adapt to low light.
This plant is rated as one of the best for removing trichloroethylene from the air. If you don’t have much of a green thumb, then this plant is a great choice. It’s fairly easy to take care of one.
You should be aware that the dracaena is susceptible to insects and mites. If the plant becomes infested, you can simply remove them by washing the plant with soapy water.
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Ficus Alii
This plant is great at removing harmful chemicals from the air. It grows indoors easily and it’s also unlikely to attract insects.
One thing to keep in mind is that it shouldn’t be placed near air conditioning or heating vents. Doing so could cause the plant to lose its leaves.
The soil also needs time to dry out. If the leaves of the plants turn yellow, this could indicate that you have over-watered it.
Before You Buy
A quick note here before you head out to your local nursery. Make sure you know the size of the plant you’re getting, the light levels of your home, and irrigation system you need.
If you need help, read more here.
Choose Plants That Produce the Most Oxygen for Your Home
As you can see, there are a wide variety of plants that produce the most oxygen. Make sure you choose carefully, as many of these plants will have a difficult time in certain environments.
Want to learn more ways of eliminating waste from your home? Take a look at the waste section of our blog!
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