A Breath of Fresh Air: Easy to Grow, Air Purifying Plants

These air purifying plants for your home and office remove toxins and offer some amazing health benefits.

It’s no secret that having plants around can provide many benefits – from heightened productivity to reduced stress, adding a little green to your area can improve several aspects of your life. One aspect that is incredibly important but often overlooked when it comes to health is air quality. While it may seem like a complicated matter to find and maintain air purifying plants for your home or office, there are several strains and types of plant that are nearly hassle-free.

Improved air quality enhances the benefits plants give, making life easier for those with asthma in addition to removing toxins. While everyone deserves a breath of fresh air, be cautious of having some of these plants around your furry friends as several options maybe be harmful to cats and dogs. Here are 5 low effort, air purifying plants that will have you breathing easy.

Photo: Drew Beamer via Unsplash

The Easiest – Spider Plants

With well over a hundred types, the spider plant will look phenomenal in a variety of planters, especially hanging pots. Because they need indirect sunlight, they are perfect for indoors. Simply maintain moist (but not wet) soil and potting mix, watering as little as once week.

Depending on the life cycle of your plant, you may need to add a few more watering sessions, but be careful of adding too much. Maintain proper drainage to ensure that overwatering doesn’t cause your plant’s demise. This plant will not only reduce toxins, it is typically a great option to have around children and pets.

The Most Effective – Devil’s Ivy (Golden Pothos)

Like the spider plant, Devil’s Ivy does not prefer direct sunlight, however a relatively bright area will allow this plant to thrive. Another similarity is the look – high places allows the tendrils and colorful leaves to cascade from the pot beautifully.

However, this plant prefers dryer soil, so make sure adequate drainage is a focus – overwatering will cause brown leaves. While Devil’s Ivy is one of the most effective at removing toxins from the air, keep this plant away from cats as it can prove toxic to them.

Photo via Pixabay

The Beauty – Chinese Evergreen

With a variety of colors, spots, and stripes available with this plant, it’s a given that it will add to your decor in addition to cleaning the air. Keep in indirect sunlight, with some strains needing a bit more light than others. Chinese evergreens prefer slightly dryer soil. As always, proper draining is a must. While beautiful and great at removing toxins, this plant should be kept away from dogs.

The Multitasker – Aloe Vera

The benefits of aloe vera are no secret, but cleaning air is an addition to an already amazing list of advantages. A tolerant plant, aloe loves sunny areas. Native to deserts, the plant prefers a succulent specific potting mix or DIY one with sand and potting soil. When it comes to watering, the soil will be dry the majority of the time with interspersed heavier watering sessions. Twice a month or so should work when it comes to how often to water. While great for you, this is a plant you’ll want to keep away from pets.

Photo via Pixabay

The Floral Choice – Peace Lily

A beautiful choice for those who want flowers in doors, the peace lily offers ease in addition to its air cleaning properties. The major enemy of this plant is overwatering – it actually deals better with under-watering and droughts. While you don’t want the soil to be dry, exercise caution and ensure proper drainage when it comes to watering.

In addition to taking care when watering, you will also want to keep this plant away from pets and children. This plant will work well in an office, as it prefers low lighting. While a peace lily may require a little more effort, watching the flowers bloom make all the extra consideration worth it.