As our teachers told us in school, houseplants play an important role in freshening air in our home. Humans and animals breathe in oxygen and let out carbon dioxide; plants absorb it and process it back into the oxygen. Another benefit of having houseplants is it can clean toxins in the air and make your home a better place. Since not all of us are natural gardeners, some houseplants may be harder to grow than others. So, I compiled a list of easy to grow houseplants that can keep your home’s air clean and fresh.
English Ivy
English Ivy is an easy to grow and low-maintenance houseplant. Aside from filtering formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide and ammonia, it is also known to combat mold. Just put it in direct sunlight and water it weekly to keep the soil moist. It can aggressively grow but you can always trim the ends when it gets too long.
Florist’s Chrysanthemum
Florist’s Chrysanthemum also known as the Garden Mum, is the best houseplant when it comes to removing five common toxins, according to NASA. They tested hundreds of plants and Florist’s Chrysanthemum was the best performer due to its effectiveness in removing ammonia, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene and xylene.
To easily grow a Garden Mum, just put in direct sunlight and give it a small amount of water every other day. Since it’s a perennial flower, it only flowers for six weeks and it only filters the air when it’s flowering.
Peace Lily
Peach Lily is also a good performer when it comes when it comes to toxin removal, according to the NASA test. It is very easy to maintain, you only need to water it once a week. Since it is an evergreen plant, you can just put it in the corner of your house.
Dracaena
There different types of Dracaena plants but all of them have the same benefits, they are great air filters. Dracaenas are very low-maintenance plants and requires very little water. They can filter common air toxins, except ammonia.
Lady Palm
This tall and easy to grow plant mainly target ammonia. As a member of the palm family, Lady Palm grows with a woody, upright stems. Although it is easy to grow, you may have to transfer it in a bigger pot after 3-4 years or when it outgrows the grow bag.
To effectively grow a Lady Palm, put it in a place with bright, indirect sunlight and keep the soil evenly moist. It will take a while before it fully develops into its tree-like shape, but once it does, it will be a good decoration in any part of the house.
Other people, especially those who don’t like plants would recommend getting an air filter instead but air filters can’t beat nature. Aside from being a good decoration and air filter, houseplants are cheaper, easier to grow and maintain.
