Plants that remove indoor pollution

Chances are that the indoor air is worse than the outdoor that you breathe. According to the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA), it’s often 2 to 5 times worse or more.

Buying an expensive air filtration and ventilation systems aren’t the only options when it comes to negating the problem. Scientists are finding other practical ways to clean the air inside your home and office – the right plants.

Plants are not only affordable but also eye-pleasing.

The air-scrubbing abilities of plants have intrigued researchers since long. Many scientists have been interested in the best houseplants that remove pollution from indoor air, an area even NASA explored in the 1980s.

The researchers have tested the common houseplants known as natural air filters and the common volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and they found that certain plants were better at absorbing specific compounds.

For example, all the plants studied could remove acetone — the pungent chemical that is abundant at nail salons.

Some of the common plants are as shown below:

These plants thrive out in the open in presence of sunlight – however if they are kept in the house for 10-12 hours it can change the quality of air for better.

Plants are capable of removing benzene, toluene, acetone, etc. from indoor air to the tune of 80% or more in a span of about 12 hours.