Best air-purifying houseplants – Part 2

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Lady palm-(Rhapis excelsa) species of fan palm well cultivated around the world

Yellow Mum- Chrysanthymum (Chrysanthemum morifolium )

Boston Fern, Sword fern-(Nephrolepsis exaltata)

Peace lily-(Spathiphyllum)

Aloe vera

Today, I’m continuing the writing about indoor plants, which can help filter the air inside your home of pollutants- plants that clean the air and relieve allergies making the closed indoor environments healthy and comfortable. Not only do you have a quick–fix inexpensive solution to freshen up your indoor air, you will also create a comfortable and personal style to your home.

People are interested in the inexpensive and natural solutions that improve the quality of indoor air, especially from plants. This is not only because it cost much less, but the benefits of using plants as natural alternatives to remove pollutants, to absorb allergens, to purify air and maintain humidity levels, naturally stabilizing them at recommended levels, for allergy sufferers are much.

The benefit of using a plant to create humidity is that it will have a natural regulating effect rather than generalizing the heavy stagnant air that often accompanies electric humidifiers.

Here are more plants with full disclosure on how they make your home healthier to live in.

Aloe Vera
Sunshine loving succulent that boast plenty of powers. Namely it gets rid of formaldehyde and benzene in the air. More than that, it’s easy to grow and care for and it’s gel doubles as a medicinal salve, that the ancient Egyptians dubbed it the “plant of immortality”.

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)
The peace lily is a practical choice for its ease of care, even for those that don’t have green thumb. and affordable price. They require very little light or water to remain healthy, which is one of the main reasons why they’re one of the most popular to keep in your home. However, those are not the only reasons to bring these plants into your home. Others include its natural beauty as a flowering plant and its ability to filter the surrounding air of Volatile Organic Compounds including benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene. Simply put it in a dark corner, give it water once a week and this little plant will help purify the air around that general area. In fact, Spathyphyllum should never be put in direct sunlight, as the rays of sun may lead to leaf burn. While they are great to have inside your home, they also work well as a groundcover around your home, especially in areas where grass is hard to grow because of the shade.

Boston fern, Sword fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata) is native to tropical region throughout the world originating in humid forests and swamps.
Not all ferns make good indoor choice, but the Boston fern is an exception. They are a little fickle, sure. However, if you take good care of them, they will return the favor by sapping formaldehyde, xylene and toluene from your surrounding.

Hedera helix (English ivy, European ivy ) Often called English ivy or European ivy , Hedera helix is another popular houseplant that helps filter airborne toxins inside your home.

Hedera helix definitely gets the job done where cleaning indoor air is concerned:

Benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylere,toluene and even fecal
Particles are no match for this charming creeper. Additionally, other studies have indicated that English ivy also helps reduce mold in your home.
This evergreen climbing vine is extremely popular in outdoor landscaping. It is used as groundcover in areas where grass is hard to grow, or perhaps climbing up the side of a wall or tree trunk. Because of its “carefree nature”, it has grown in popularity over the years.

However due to it spreading aggressively, horticulturists say you should be hesitant in using it outside and should only keep it as an indoor plant. This prevents it from invading other plants around your home, and has the added benefit of purifying the air in your home.

Caring for Hedera helix is quite easy. Keep it at constant temperature, give it plenty of sunlight and water generously with well-drained soil. If you do these three things, English ivy will return the love with cleaner air in your home.

Anthurium andraeanum (Flamingo lily)
Anthurium andraeanum is a beautiful evergreen plant that is most known for its gorgeous flowers that last for weeks. According to NASA it’s incredibly effective at removing airborne formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene and xylene in your home or office.
Unfortunately, Anthurium andraeanum is not the easiest plant to grow indoors. If you decide to grow this houseplant, be sure to give it plenty of indirect light. The blooms love to soak in the rays, and you will be rewarded for weeks with their beauty. The hard part about this plant, it needs high-humidity environment to thrive. If relative humidity falls below 50%, your plant may start to die. Having a humidifier in your home is the easiest way to avoid this. You also want to make sure the soil stays moist at all times.

Chrysanthemum morifolium (florist mum, pot mum, florist Chrysanthe)
Sometimes called Florist’s Daisy or Hardy Garden Mum, this houseplant is another popular perennial plant that people like to have in their home. Unlike Peace lilies, this houseplant likes direct sunlight and medium amount of water.

With proper care and the right type of soil, Chrysanthemum morifolium will start to produce lots of beautiful blooms of various colors. These blooms not only help brighten the room, they als help cleanse the air of many chemicals that are common in homes. These include formaldehyde, xylene, ammonia, benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene.
Lady Palm or Broad leaf Palm, (Rhapis excelsa), is another beneficial plant to have a in the home. Native to Asia, this evergreen perennial small palm thrives both outdoors and indoor environments. NASA discovered it’s one of the best indoor plant at cleansing the air of formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, and xylene in the home and office. While outdoor palm can grow to a range of 6to 12 feet, lady palm grown in container indoors will stay much smaller. Plants prefer to be out of direct sunlight. Be sure to water it appropriately.

Bamboo Palm or Reed Palm, (Chamaedorea seifrizii]
Conversely, bamboo palms love light; though, they will grow in low light conditions. When growing them indoors, be sure to start with a healthy plant full of dark green leaves. Transfer your palm to anew pot 2 inches larger than the pot it came in. Choose a pot with adequate drainage and water it immediately. Water your bamboo palm whenever the soil surface feels dry. Don’t forget to use a time- release fertilizer to help it grow and it will happily convert carbon dioxide into oxygen while scrubbing air clean. Palms are one of the best indoor plants that cleans air.

Get Clean Air With Houseplants And Healthy Potting Soil
That’s right, it’s not just the houseplants themselves that purify the air, it’s the soil and roots too. Healthy soil is teeming with bacteria and other microorganisms that contribute to breathable air in your home or office. Every single one of these plants are great tools to improving your indoor air quality. For most part, they are easy to care for, beautiful to have around and help you breathe easier at night.

Pollen, dust, pet dander, smoke, and a long list of airborne chemicals are common pollutants that can be found in nearly every household. The benefits of these plant purifiers is in their use as tools to improve air quality indoors; to reduce toxic chemicals in your air; to help provide allergy relief; to eliminate the sources of the pollutants working to cleans the air, all the time ,in order to help you stay healthy.