How About Some House Plants

Way back in 1989, NASA discovered that common household plants could detoxify indoor air by absorbing and removing harmful chemicals. Since that time, research has confirmed that plants do help improve indoor air quality.

For example, a 2020 review found that the primary effect on indoor air quality included reduced pollutant levels particularly formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene. Formaldehyde is a toxin commonly used in household products such as plywood, glues, insulation, some cosmetics, and other products. Benzene can be found in paint, cleaning products, and vehicle/industrial emissions. Toluene is used in oil refining and the manufacturing of paint, lacquers, and glues.

These chemicals found in building materials, furnishings, carpet, and other household items are known as Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs and they are responsible for much of indoor air pollution.

There are a variety of indoor plants to choose from that are easy to care for and lovely to look at. To see NASA’s recommendations, refer to the resource at the end of this section.

It’s worth noting that while house plants do help clean indoor air, they should not be used as a substitute for air purifiers.

It’s also worth noting that research indicates that indoor house plants have many other important health benefits including increased creativity, productivity, energy, concentration, and memory, as well as reduced stress. Conversely, it has also been found that when plants are removed from workspaces, there is a significant decline in attention and productivity and an increase in perceived stress.

Indoor plants in hospital rooms have also been shown to improve health outcomes and enhance surgery recovery.