According to a study by NASA in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) there are certain plants that can help purify the air around your home in small quantities. This is great news because according to the American Society of Horticultural Science, in some areas indoor air can be 12 times more polluted than the air outside. This is generally due to compounds in furnishings, paints and building materials.

Houseplants are not only an essential part to keeping your air clean, but they’re very pleasing to the eye! Not to mention, they are relatively inexpensive. Below are some of our favorite houseplants that help purify our offices and homes while adding flair to our space at the same time. We suggest taking a trip to your local plant nursery to find the best deals and tips on how to care for the plant(s) that you choose!

5 Houseplants to Help Purify the Air in Your Home

Areca Palm

The Areca Palm is not only the perfect addition to your home if you love palm trees, but it also purifies your space and removes certain chemicals from the air that you breathe. It is one of the few indoor house plants that is naturally biologically engineered to take in carbon dioxide that we breathe out and turn it into oxygen. Amazing! Plus, it’s so dang cute.

Recommended care: This plant does well in indirect sunlight and needs to be watered often.

Dracaena/Dragon Tree

The Dracaena or Dragon Tree is another great indoor plant for air purification. This tree helps remove formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene and carbon dioxide from your air plus, it gives your home a modern and desert feel! Usually, plants release about 97% of the water they are given. This is definitely the case with the Dragon Tree as is helps with humidity control, decreasing incidences of colds, dry skin, coughs, and sore throats.

Recommended Care: This plant needs reasonable sunlight. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. It is recommended to keep this plant in a room with higher ceilings as it does have the ability to grow up to 8 ft. tall.

Snake Plant

The Snake Plant is particularly known for its beautiful scale-like leaves with vibrant yellow edging. Not to mention, it is one of the easier plants to take care of so it’s a great starter plant if you’re looking to call yourself an official plant lady or gent.

Similar to the Areca Palm, the Snake Plant converts our carbon dioxide into oxygen to help purify the air while we sleep. It is one of the few plants that has the ability to do this particularly at night. It also has the added benefit of absorbing harmful pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.

Recommended Care: One of the reasons this plant is so popular is because they are low maintenance and do not require much attention in order to grow well. Be sure to not overwater this plant. Water only when the soil is dry. This plant does best in an area with indirect sunlight.

Spider Plant

The Spider Plant is similar to the Snake Plant in that it features different dimensions of green and yellow throughout its leaves. It is also another very popular plant due to it being relatively easy to grow. It can thrive well even when neglected for days!

The Spider Plant is great at removing harmful chemicals like the other plants on this list (such as carbon monoxide, xylene, formaldehyde and toluene). According to NASA, the spider plant is one of the best house plants at removing formaldehyde in particular, which is a commonly found household chemical. It is also another plant that helps with humidity control. As the plant absorbs the water that you feed it and reaches the roots and then the leaves, that moisture is released back into the air!

Recommended Care: This houseplant grows well even if neglected. The Spider Plant thrives in both low light and partial sunlight. It is suggested that this plant be kept in a spot with bright indirect sunlight. Water well but do not allow the plant to become too soggy. These plants prefer to have their soil dried out in between watering.

Rubber Plant

The Rubber Plant is a modern and rich-colored plant that is relatively low maintenance. With its large leaves, it can absorb airborne chemicals and break them down, making them harmless. As an added benefit, Rubber Plants also help remove bacteria and mold spores in the air of your home!

Recommended Care: Rubber Plants are great for first time plants owners because they are low maintenance. The soil should be allowed to dry in between watering. This plant handles under-watering better than over-watering. They can generally thrive in limited light and can live well in most places of your home.