Plants to purify the air and help you sleep better

Keeping your home’s air clean is essential, especially in the bedroom. Air pollutants can quickly build up in your house due to its stagnant, closed-up environment.

Bad air quality can result in something called “sick building syndrome.” This causes people to experience dizziness, headaches, nausea, as well as irritation to their eyes, ears, and nose.

Human-made air purifiers and filters can be expensive and most also require electricity to do their job. Thankfully, nature has provided us with its own air purifiers in the form of plants. All they require is a little water, light, and love, and they’ll clean the air in your home continuously, 24 hours a day.

Maybe you’ve had some trouble growing houseplants in the past. That’s why I’ve made a list of plants that are great for improving your air quality and are also very hard to kill. You can take advantage of the purifying power of plants, even if you don’t have a green thumb!

But first, let’s discuss exactly what’s in your home that these plants can help remove.

Your Room Might Not Be as Clean as You Think

Even if you regularly vacuum and clean your house, there might still be invisible chemicals lurking around. That can be a big problem because most people spend more than 90% of their time indoors.

Your home might contain harmful chemicals like ammonia, formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene without you realizing it.

Pollutants come from a wide variety of items in and around your house. Upholstery, synthetic building materials like plastic, rubber, glues, and cleaning products can all be a risk.

So can natural irritants like pollen, bacteria, and mold.

Even outdoor pollution like car exhaust can be an issue if you live near a busy road.

Source:lovethegarden.com

Plants Can Help

In 1989, NASA scientists performed a study to see if plants could help purify air conditions for astronauts living aboard spaceships and to provide long-term oxygen if bases were ever established on the moon or other plants.

Source: nasa.gov

They found that some plants are able to remove as much as 90% of harmful chemicals like ammonia and formaldehyde within just 24 hours. I guess you could say that plants are a space-age technology!

It’s not just some exotic plants from the rainforest that have the ability to purify the air. Some of the best air-filtering plants are very common houseplants that you can pick up from any garden center.

Plants can do more than just improve air quality too! They also make people feel better. Hospital patients report lower stress levels and blood pressure when they’re in a room with plants.

According to a study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, just the mere presence of plants can boost your ability to focus and reduces mental fatigue.

How Does It Work?

Plants take harmful gasses out of the atmosphere when they take in carbon dioxide. They then store the chemicals in their roots and cells.

Some chemicals also get further broken down by fungi in the soil. Through photosynthesis, the plant processes the carbon dioxide into oxygen and releases it back into the air.

The NASA study recommends that you have at least one plant that takes up an 8–10-inch pot for every 100 square feet in your house. So if your home is 1,500 square feet, you should theoretically have as many as 15 plants in your house if you want to maximize their air purifying qualities.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com

I realize the idea of having 15 new guests in your house can be overwhelming and most people won’t go to that extreme. But every new plant you’re willing to adopt will help make your air quality a little bit better.

I’d recommend at least having two or three plants in your bedroom if you have space. You might notice a significant impact on your quality of sleep just from that small change.

You also don’t need all of your plants in one area of your house either. You can spread them out. Keep at least one plant in the “chemical hotspots” of your home, like your bathroom and kitchen where you use the most cleaning products. That’s where they’ll add the most benefit.

Factors to Consider When Buying a House Plant

There are different factors to consider when picking out some new air filtering plants.

Pet safety. Some plants listed below are toxic to both dogs and cats. You’ll either want to put them up out of reach or not have them at all.

If you have a pet that likes to get into things, you might want to opt for only non-toxic plants. If you’re ever unsure about a plant’s toxicity, check the ASPCA website.

Light requirements. Some plants love full sunlight, while others do best in the shade. Take the lighting in the various rooms of your home into account when thinking of what plants you’re going to buy, and where they’ll go.

Water requirements. You might love plants and want to tend to them every day. Or you might just be looking for the least effort required and a plant you can just water once a week.

Appearance. Plants aren’t just a functional hunk of metal like human-made air purifiers. You want something that you’ll enjoy looking at every day and get some joy from. There are enough different varieties available that you should be able to find something that speaks to you personally.

Here Are Some of the Best Air Filtering Plants

Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

This plant needs to stay moist. It prefers high humidity and indirect light, which makes it an excellent choice for your bathroom. It removes formaldehyde more efficiently than any other plant, and it’s non-toxic to pets.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

The peace lily produces fragrant flowers all summer long. It does best in shady areas, so it’s great for indoors. However, it’s worth noting that it produces pollen, which can make your tabletops dirty, and it’s toxic to pets.

Snake Plant / Mother-In-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria laurentii)

This is probably the most durable, forgiving, and hardest to kill plant on the list. It prefers drier conditions and only some sunlight, so you just need to give it occasional watering and care. Plus it has a pretty hilarious name. But it is toxic to pets.

Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

If you want beautiful flowers as well as air purification, this might be the plant for you. However, it comes with a bit of extra work. They require lots of sunlight, but also cool temperatures, and won’t survive for long above 70F.

Feeding them monthly with fertilizer will help produce lots of flowers. Gerbera daisies live a bit shorter than other plants on this list, only about two or three years, but they’re non-toxic to pets.

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

English ivy requires a little extra love. Different varieties prefer different light levels, ranging all across the spectrum from bright, indirect, to low light. Water it generously during growth periods, but don’t overwater it in the winter. Plus, be aware that it’s toxic to pets.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Source:petals.com

Spider plants grow quickly and look awesome in hanging baskets. Sometimes they even make beautiful little white flowers. They’re a hearty plant that can survive a bit of forgetfulness and are non-toxic to pets.

One cool thing about spider plants is that they will produce their own little baby plants. You can start off with just one spider plant. By rooting the babies and growing them into their own plants, you can easily end up with a dozen or more after a few years.

Dracaena

Source:greenerynyc.com

Dracaena is a genus of more than 100 trees and shrubs. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some varieties can grow to six feet or more but can be managed by pruning.

Dracaena plants like moist soil, but not soggy. If leaves start turning yellow or drooping, it’s a sign of overwatering. They enjoy sunny rooms ideally with temperatures of 60-70F, although they are forgiving of warmer temperatures as well. These plants are toxic to pets.

Aloe vera

If you recognize only one plant on this list, it’s probably this one. Aloe vera is a succulent that needs to drain properly and doesn’t do well in standing water.

Its leaves contain a gel that is anti-inflammatory and has healing properties. However, they also contain a compound called saponin which is toxic to pets if ingested.

Plants For Better Air Quality

Our modern homes can become filled with chemicals and other irritants if we aren’t careful.

Everything from carpets to plastic can add dangerous substances like formaldehyde or ammonia to our air. Even the products we use to keep our home clean can add residual chemicals.

These chemicals can make us feel sick in a number of different ways.

Luckily, plants can help to remove as much as 90% of these chemicals from the air and safely store them in their cells and roots.

If you don’t have any houseplants right now, consider picking up one of the plants listed above, or ask for one as a gift. If you already have some plants, consider getting more to add to your bedroom, as well as areas of your house that you use chemicals and cleaners.

Not only are plants beautiful and calming to look at, but they can also help keep you a bit healthier too!

What’s your favorite houseplant?