According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA, indoor air has two to five times more air pollutants than outdoor air. It is essential to remove those pollutants as much as possible then. So, are plants the answer? What is the truth about the best indoor plants for air quality?
The truth about plants and indoor air quality is that while plants such as snake plants, english ivy, and others do remove some gases from the air, they’re not as effective as other ways of doing so. For money and spacing concerns, it would be better to focus on improving ventilation, regularly and safely cleaning, and investing in an air purifier.
What Pollutes Our Air?
The first step in understanding how plants affect our air quality is knowing that there are two different types of air pollutants: particulate matter and gaseous pollutants.
Particulate matter
Particulate matter is pollutants such as dust, bacteria, viruses, pollen, dander, and more.
Gaseous pollutants
Gaseous pollutants are pollutants such as carbon monoxide, ozone, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The last gaseous pollutant is the one we need to pay attention to. VOCs are substances that become gas at regular room temperature and pressure. They also need to contain carbon and be made up of two or more elements total. Some examples of VOCs are benzene, formaldehyde, and ethylene glycol. Some products that can give off VOCs are paints, varnishes, air fresheners, gasoline, carpets, and smoking.
Unfortunately, VOCs can cause quite a few health issues for people. These issues include irritated eyes, nose, throat, and headaches. They can also cause more severe issues such as cancer or damage to the kidneys. We always recommend talking with health professionals if you’re dealing with or concerned about issues such as these.
In 1989, NASA did a study proving that several different houseplants (such as snake plants) can help remove VOCs, such as benzene and formaldehyde, from the air.
Sounds like it’s time to get some plants, right? Unfortunately, as is often the case in life, things aren’t that easy.
Do Plants Actually Help With Indoor Air Quality?
The problem with NASA’s study isn’t that the data was wrong or that the experiment wasn’t done correctly. The problem is that the way the experiment was done doesn’t translate to the typical home or office environment.
NASA’s Experiment Flaws
In the experiment, the plants were put into small spaces no more than the size of eight medium-sized moving boxes put together. That’s not even close to the size of a typical room or building. The other problem is that the spaces in the study were sealed so the gases couldn’t get out. In a typical home or office, people are coming and going and doors are opening and closing. All of this moves gases around and gives them chances to escape instead of being absorbed by plants.
Are Plants The Answer?
So, does that mean plants can’t remove any VOCs from typical buildings? No, that just means they won’t be nearly as good at it as other means of removing them. To be as good, you’d need between 10 and 1,000 plants per meter squared. Those numbers come from a study published in 2019, which examined 12 previous studies.
Other Benefits Plants Provide
While plants may not be the best choice for removing VOCs, they do help us in other ways. These include decor and mental health.
Decor
Plants can add a lot of color and life to a room. You’ll want to be careful if you have pets or kids. A few plants, however, can go a long way in interior design.
Mental Health
Plants improve our mental health in a variety of ways. They can increase our creativity, productivity, and focus, and even reduce stress.
So, if plants aren’t the answer to improving our indoor air quality, what is?
Better Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality
Thankfully, there are several other ways to improve the quality of indoor air. These include improving ventilation, regular and safe cleaning, and getting air purifiers.
Improving Ventilation
Ventilation is when outdoor air comes inside. That’s already provided by your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. You can improve how well it does this by scheduling an appointment with an HVAC technician.
You can also improve ventilation by opening windows, which allows more fresh air inside. This is especially important when doing anything that can increase pollutants in the air. This includes painting, using cleaning chemicals, sanding, and other activities.
Regular And Safe Cleaning
Cleaning doesn’t just make rooms look nice, it also keeps us healthy, but only if done regularly and safely. This means using more natural cleaners, improving ventilation while cleaning, and deep cleaning every once in a while too.
Getting Air Purifiers
There’s a reason air purifiers are still around: they work. We’ve got lots of information for you about the types of air purifiers, but your best bet is a filter air purifier with a “High-Efficiency Particular Air” or HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter.
Having both of these removes particles and some gas pollutants from the air. Just remember to put them in the right spot and replace the filters according to product information.
The Best Plants For Indoor Air Quality
If you’re still interested in the very small benefits plants provide when it comes to removing VOCs from the air, below is a list of the best plants to help with that.
Please note that prices are subject to change and some are for seeds only. Quality is not guaranteed.
1. Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum Morifolium)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and ammonia.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright, indirect
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$3.99 – $14.99
2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and ammonia.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright, indirect
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
Humidity: High
Approximate Cost Range:
$6.99 – $42.00
3. Warneckii (Dracaena Deremensis)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Moderate to bright, indirect
Water: Let soil mostly dry out before watering again
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$12.99 – $159.97
4. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea Seifrizii)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Part sun or full shade
Water: Keep soil moist
Humidity: Medium to high
Approximate Cost Range:
$34.97 – $154.97
5. Snake Plant (Mother-In-Law’s Tongue or Sansevieria Laurentii)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright, indirect
Water: Let soil mostly dry out before watering again
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$5.99 – $42.49
6. Marginata (Dracaena Marginata)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Medium indirect
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$21.99 – $61.97
7. Janet Craig (Dracaena Deremensis)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Moderate to bright, indirect
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$14.99 – $199.97
8. Mass Cane/Corn Cane (Dracaena Massangeana)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright, indirect
Water: Keep soil slightly moist
Humidity: High
Approximate Cost Range:
$15.99 – $169.97
9. English Ivy (Hedera Helix)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright, indirect
Water: Keep soil evenly moist
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$4.99 – $66.00
10. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera Jamesonii)
Removes:
Benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Full sun with partial shade
Water: Keep soil moist
Humidity: Average
Approximate Cost Range:
$6.49 – $22.84
11. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema Modestum)
Removes:
Benzene and formaldehyde.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Low
Water: Keep soil slightly moist
Humidity: High
Approximate Cost Range:
$15.49 – $59.99
12. Weeping Fig (Ficus Benjamina)
Removes:
Formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.
How To Keep It Alive:
Light: Bright
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
Humidity: High
Approximate Cost Range:
$16.99 – $119.97
Key Takeaways: The Truth About The Best Indoor Plants For Air Quality
Unfortunately, when it comes to the best indoor plants for air quality, plants just aren’t as good as other ways of improving indoor air. Plants can remove very small amounts of volatile organic compounds, but it would be better to improve ventilation, clean, and get some air purifiers.
Still, plants do offer benefits such as improving our mental health and bettering our interior design, so they might still be worth considering.
What are your thoughts on plants and indoor air? How have they improved your life? Let us know in the comments below!
