Plants that Clean Indoor Air

We all use cleaning fluids, chemicals and more as well as newer home construction standards has resulting in essentially 'sealing' the air inside the home. Some families turn to eletronic air cleaners, but nature has provided an option - house plants! Below are four house plants that have been tested for their air cleaning ability that are among the best.

 

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) also is known as yellow palm or butterfly palm.

Care: Keep its root-ball damp, and mist the leaves with water often. Feed monthly with liquid fertilizer except in winter. Remove dead branches promptly.

Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) is one of the most effective houseplants for improving indoor-air quality, and it is highly resistant to most insects. It has fans, six to 12 inches wide, made up of shiny green leaves.

Care: Water generously, especially during spring and summer. Feed monthly with liquid fertilizer per label instructions. Leaf tips can be trimmed with pinking shears if they turn brown.

Rubber plant (Ficus robusta) is a hearty plant with thick, leathery, dark green leaves. It will tolerate limited light and cool temperatures and is very effective at removing chemical toxins from indoor air—the best of the ficus genus yet tested.

Care: Water regularly from mid-summer through autumn, but let the soil dry slightly between waterings. Water sparingly during the rest of the year—rubber trees struggle when overwatered. Feed monthly with liquid fertilizer during the summer only.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp) produces beautiful white flowers, making it one of a relatively small number of plants that bloom reliably indoors.

Care: Keep the soil evenly moist, and feed monthly with liquid fertilizer from spring through autumn. Discontinue feedings, and keep the soil slightly drier in winter. Wash the leaves occasionally with a damp cloth to reduce the odds of infestation by insects such as spider mites.

Read more ... Bottom Line House Plants