1`

NASA’s Green List: 18 Plants That Make Your Air Cleaner & Fresher

In the late 1980s, NASA was on a mission to find the plant that would be the most effective at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen and clearing the air of other toxins. At the time, its research found a surprising number of plants had big impacts on air quality

Today, the research has been debunked — sort of. A 2019 meta-analysis of all studies done on the impacts of house plants on air quality showed you need somewhere between 10 to 1,000 house plants per square meter of your living space. The problem? Most studies of the impact plants have on air quality weren’t done in homes or offices, where outside air and ventilation come into play.

Regardless of whether or not they can act as natural air purifiers in small spaces, there are still many benefits to having plants inside of your home — and outside as well. Here, we’ve curated the plants NASA found worked the best at cleaning the air.

Dwarf Date Plant

Phoenix roebelenii, Dwarf Date Plant
Image Credit: さかおり – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

The dwarf date plant is a hardy plant that is perfect for drought conditions. It’s also a slow grower that can live for decades and grow up to 10 feet tall. While it’s a beautiful plant, it has sharp, needle-like spines that can tear your garments and penetrate the skin.

NASA found that this impressive-looking plant can eliminate toxic substances like formaldehyde, ammonia, and benzene from the air.

Boston Fern

Nephrolepis exaltata, sword, Boston fern house plant
Image Credit: Tbatb – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

Boston ferns are very decorative and super easy to care for. They don’t need a lot of sunlight, so you can put them anywhere in your home. To get the best purifying benefits of this beautiful plant, keep it warm and humid, and don’t put it next to air conditioners or heating vents.

Also, don’t forget to prune your fern, which encourages it to grow back healthier and gives you even more air-purifying benefits.

Kimberly Queen Fern

Kimberly Queen Fern
Image Credit: David J. Stang – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

The Kimberly queen fern is another impressive, bushy plant that thrives in your home with minimal care. Besides being a natural air purifier, it flourishes in the shade and isn’t toxic to your pets, which is a bonus because many plants can harm your beloved friends.

This plant is sturdy enough to tolerate sunny conditions, but you’re better off placing it in indirect light. It will thrive and make your air cleaner by filtering toxins.

Spider Plant

Spider Plant
Image Credit: W.carter – Own work, CC0/Wiki Commons.

NASA’s study found that spider plants could remove 95% of formaldehyde from a sealed plexiglass chamber within a day. If that’s not impressive enough, you may be persuaded to buy one of these pretty plants when you hear how easily they propagate.

The spider plant grows shoots or “spiderettes” that become baby plants you can pot separately and place all around the house. Their flowers are also very decorative.

Chinese Evergreen

Aglaonema, Chinese Evergreen house plant
Image Credit: Satirdan kahraman – Own work, CC0/Wiki Commons.

Chinese evergreen plants are ideal for novices. They are almost impossible to kill, and their size makes them ideal for your work-from-home desk or a coffee table. This slow-growing plant doesn’t need direct sunshine and will adorn your home for years.

NASA found that the Chinese evergreens filter benzene and formaldehyde, so they are as useful as they are decorative. Just keep them away from pets since they’re toxic to them.

Bamboo Palm

Bamboo Palm
Image Credit: Indonesiagood – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

Yet another fighter against polluters like benzene and formaldehyde, the bamboo palm is an elegant, tall plant that livens up any corner of your home you place it in. Besides its appearance and usefulness in filtering air, the bamboo palm also keeps the air humid, which is a bonus during winter.

Don’t place your bamboo palm in the shade. Make sure to re-pot it when it outgrows its container, and you’ll have a stylish addition to your home that’s also functional.

Weeping Fig

Weeping Fig, Ficus benjamina
Image Credit: PierreSelim – Self-photographed, CC BY 3.0/Wiki Commons.

NASA found that the weeping fig is perfect to get rid of toluene, formaldehyde, and xylene in your home. These toxic chemicals usually build up from stain removers and furniture cleaners, so the more you clean your home, the more weeping figs you need around.

To keep your beautiful ficus plant healthy, place it in an indirect light spot, and don’t move it often. However, don’t get a weeping fig if you have pets — it’s toxic when ingested.

Devil’s Ivy

Devil’s Ivy House plant
Image Credit: Jubair1985 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

Devil’s ivy is a beautiful plant undeserving of its name. Its broad leaves and vibrant green color make it ideal for a corner of your living room or the entryway. It’s also very easy to care for, and you can even get away with forgetting to water it regularly, which makes it perfect for novices.

On the air purifying side, devil’s ivy is perfect if you have high levels of formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene, so it’s also ideal in areas like kitchens.

Flamingo Lily

Anthurium andraeanum, flamingo flower
Image Credit: Rameshng – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.

Flamingo lilies are perfect for your home because they’re eye-catching, beautiful, and great at air purifying. The only catch is that they’re not easy to grow indoors and need lots of moisture, so only get one if you have a green thumb.

Unfortunately, flamingo lilies are also toxic, so look for a different air purifier if you have small children or pets.

Lilyturf

Lilyturf, house plant
Image Credit: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us/Wiki Commons.

Speaking of safe plants for kids and pets, lilyturf is your friend! This perennial plant that looks like grass also removes toxic chemicals like ammonia, toluene, and xylene from of your home.

Besides, lilyturf thrives in any condition, from partial shade to full sunlight, making it perfect for any room in the house. Try it in the bedroom and enjoy fresher air every night.

Broadleaf Lady Palm

Broadleaf Lady Palm
Image Credit: Forest and Kim Starr – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons.

The broadleaf lady palm is ideal for dark places because it can stay healthy without requiring a lot of light. These plants can grow to six feet tall, which makes them a dramatic feature in a darker area of your home.

They’re also efficient air-purifying plants, eliminating all the usual suspects, from formaldehyde to xylene and ammonia.

Barberton Daisy

Barberton Daisy, Gerbera
Image Credit: Johannes Maximilian – Own work, GFDL 1.2/Wiki Commons.

Also known as gerbera daisies, these dainty, beautifully-colored flowers can bloom indoors at any time of the year and last as long as six weeks. Between their flowering times, they have striking dark green leaves that are decorative on their own. To make things better, they’re safe for pets.

Barberton daisies love the sun and need a lot of water. If you treat them well, they’ll reward you with air purified of benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde.

Cornstalk Dracaena

Cornstalk Dracaena, house plant
Image Credit: Mokkie – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.

As its name suggests, this plant looks like a mini corn stalk. While it doesn’t yield any ears of corn, the cornstalk dracaena plant purifies your home and has also been found to reduce nitrogen dioxide when grown in bright, indirect light.

Low levels of nitrogen dioxide are good for your respiratory system. Besides, this plant is sturdy and can immediately brighten up any space.

English Ivy

English Ivy
Image Credit: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

English ivy is perfect if you enjoy at-home salon treatments with powerful chemicals like those found in hair dyes and nail polish. It filters out four toxins — trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene, which are common in these products.

Besides, English ivy looks great in a hanging basket and can add a touch of playfulness to your at-home hair or nail salon.

Snake Plant

Snake Plant, house plant
Image Credit: Peter A. Mansfeld, CC BY 3.0/Wiki Commons.

The snake plant, whose shape leads to its alternative name, “mother-in-law’s tongue,” are easy to care for and make great adornments for your bathroom because they’re tolerant of shade and need lots of humidity.

Snake plants can purify your bathrooms of formaldehyde, but be mindful that their leaves are non-safe for pets if ingested.

Red-Edged Dracaena

Red Edged Dracaena
Image Credit: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us/Wiki Commons.

Red-edged dracaena plants look beautiful in any setting and are long-lasting with minimal care. They’re also ideal for removing trichloroethylene, which is common in degreasers, paint removers, and adhesives from the air.

If you plan to make home improvements, get yourself some red-edged dracaena plants first and enjoy their natural purifying effects while working with chemicals.

Peace Lily

Peace Lily
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Peace lilies are as beautiful as they are effective at purifying the air. They have an excellent filtering system and are great for dry rooms because of their ability to release moisture.

To get your peace lily to bloom, place it in indirect light and give it lots of water — but not enough to make the soil soggy.

Florist’s Chrysanthemum

Florist’s Chrysanthemum
Image Credit: David J. Stang – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

You may only know chrysanthemums or “mums” as decorative flowers to be enjoyed in bouquets during the fall. Yet you can also have them as indoor plants, as long as they can enjoy bright sunlight.

Mums aren’t just decorative. NASA found a significant reduction in harmful polluting agents, especially benzene when it tested for it in the presence of these pretty blooms.

Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top