According to a study by the NASA from 1989 can be twelve Houseplants improve air quality. We’ll introduce you to some plants and bring you up to date with the latest research.
According to NASA: These houseplants purify the air
The 1989 NASA study found that some indoor plants have an air-purifying effect and can filter harmful substances out of the air. Twelve plants were part of the experiment. We have summarized five for you:
# 1 Common ivy – Hedera helix
Common ivy, for example, can draw Bezol out of the air. This is a component of vehicle exhaust, for example. The houseplant can also help against mold. According to the house and garden, it removes up to 80 percent mold spores from the air.
# 2 piston thread – Aglaonema modestum
The piston thread can absorb benzene and formaldehyde from the air. It is also suitable for at home because it can also thrive in shady spots.
# 3 Mountain Palms – Chamaedorea seifrizii
This particular mountain palm can break down formaldehyde, benzene, trichlorethylene, acetone, ammonia, toluene and xylene (via Palmenmann). It is easy to care for houseplant, but prefers high humidity.
# 4 Dragon tree – Dracaena marginata
The dragon tree usually has colorful leaves and can usually tolerate the change between moisture and dryness well. The plant can filter xylene, trichlorethylene, formaldehyde and acetone from the air. By the way: Acetone is found in many nail polishes (via Emero).
# 5 bow hemp – Sansevieria laurentii
The bow hemp gets by with very less water and can withstand blazing sun rays. It can improve the air like hardly any other houseplant: it filters benzene, formaldehyde, trichlorethylene, xylenes and tulol (via colored leaf).
New study examines effectiveness
In 2019, a study was published in which the scientists working with Bryan Cummings and Michael Waring from Drexel University took a closer look at previous studies on air-purifying indoor plants. They came to the conclusion that houseplants can improve indoor air quality, but that this is not enough.
The results of previous studies cannot realistically be transferred to actual interiors. For example, the plants were grown in very small chambers.
Indoor plants are indeed able to filter pollutants from the air, but this would require between ten and 1,000 plants per square meter in a room. That shouldn’t be completely realistic for normal living space. However, there is information on numerous websites that specialize in plants that the indoor plants presented here are good for air quality. This is one of the reasons why many people choose a particular plant.
Sources: NASA study: “Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, 1989, Study:” Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies “(Journal fo Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 2019 ), House and Garden, Palmenmann, Emero, Buntplatt