Photo: Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
How about a little carbon sequestration right in your own home? Scale down from the big maple or mighty oak and try a few different houseplants that have exceptional air-purifying abilities.
It has long been known that plants are natural air-filtering systems. Even on a commercial scale, it is believed that they can help in alleviating “sick building syndrome” in new or recently renovated buildings. Think of what they can do in the more compact space of your home or apartment.
According to experts, you should have between 15-20 plants per 1800 square foot area. Keeping plants healthy is the best way to maximize their effectiveness, but many of the top plants for indoor air filtration are easy-to-please, low-light tolerant, pollution-eating happy campers.
Besides adding that homey touch and bringing a bit of nature indoors, these houseplants can make your interior space a healthier place to be.
Excellent Pollution-Sequestering Plants
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) – Very popular with beginners, this plant propagates despite neglect.
- English Ivy (Hedera helix) – One of the most popular forms of Ivy, this plant is perfect for cascading or trailing from elevated planters.
- Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) – With beautiful wispy foliage, this plant is also known as the Reed Palm.
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) – Very easy to grow, this plant produces beautiful white spade shaped flowers.
- Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) – Solid, sword-like leaves grow straight up from the soil on this plant, also known as Mother-In-Law’s Tongue.
Benefits
Besides producing healthy results in air we breathe, gardening, whether indoor or out, is a relaxing and beneficial experience. Even soil itself has excellent filtration abilities; and scientists have recently found that when people are around certain strains of soil-borne mycobacteria, their immune systems are sharply stimulated. So, get a pot and start planting!
