Plants Can Improve Indoor Air Quality

Are house plants a (literally) green solution to one of the major challenges to improving indoor air quality in modern construction and architecture?  For decades, people have been concerned about the indoor air quality in tightly sealed buildings.  Paradoxically, those buildings that are most energy efficient, may have the highest problems of indoor air toxicity.

In the 1980s, NASA conducted studies to test the hypothesis that domestic plants have a mitigating impact on the level of toxins in the air of a well insulated home.  The study found that certain plants can actually pull from the air such harmful substances as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde, all of which are carcinogenic, or suspected to be so, for humans.  Additionally, formaldehyde’s role as the basis for many industrial resins makes it a relatively common pollutant in buildings, as noted by the California Air Resources Board in 2005.

That said, not all plants are equally effective for improving indoor air quality by removing various toxins from the air around you.  NASA’s initial studies in the 1980s noted that certain plants will be best suited to your campaign to clear the air in your home or office.  Some are specialized such that they very efficiently remove formaldehyde, like the green spider plant.  Others are more suited to removing trichloroethylene and benzene, but the plants that seem to be the most effective overall, according to the study, are bamboo palm and peace lily.  A full, comprehensive list of these plants and their individual levels of potency for restoring air quality indoors is available  here.

Additional solutions to improve indoor air quality include ensuring your home has ventilation fans to bring in good air and exhaust potentially harmful air.  Central vacuum systems and HEPA air purifiers are also recommended solutions for creating a healthy environment in your home air.