Clean air plants

[taskeinc]

If you are concerned about the indoor air quality in your home or office space, consider getting a few houseplants to make all the difference and clean up the air you breathe.

The 24 plants listed below is a list that I compiled from my blog. I have in my home, about 8 of the 24 listed below.

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House plants that provide the greatest level of air purification

1. Aloe Vera
2. Areca Palm Tree
3. Bamboo Palm
4. Boston Fern
5. Chrysanthemum
6. Date Palm Tree
7. Dragon Tree
8. English Ivy
9. Ficus Alii
10. Heart leaf philodendron
11. Janet Craig – Dracaena
12. Lady Palm
13. Peace Lilly
14. Philodendrons
15. Rubber Plant
16. Snake Plant/Mother-in-Laws Tongue
17. Spider Plant
18. Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
19. Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
20. Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
21. Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
22. Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
23. Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
24. Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)

from aliveplants.blogspot.com

 

[claudine]

Wow, this is interesting, thank you for sharing this list. I have only 3 of them, including spider plant - I had to google it, I had no idea this pretty plant has such an awful name

 

[Lanie]

Thanks for this helpful list. I have had all of these plants at one time or another, and I know that the spider plant is an especially useful plant for cleaning the air. The tips of the long leaves turn brown because it does its job so well. I used to think that I was doing something wrong, but it is a normal process for this plant after all. Now I don't worry about it, I just clip those brown ends off at an angle and the plant continues to thrive and produces a lot of 'baby spider' offshoots.

 

[ChanellG]

Wow, what a list. I am expanding slowly, but I want to get a fern and an ivy. I'd read that the plant commonly known as mother-in-law tongue is really good at cleaning a specific chemical/toxin, but I can't remember which.

 

[Victor Leigh]

Hmm, interesting list. I see that the list is arranged in alphabetical order. I wonder, if it's arranged according to efficacy in cleaning the air, which plant will top the list.

 

[dhrynio]

Great list! Thanks for sharing!! Now I just need to work on gathering those! I bet my mother in law has a few of those and I can get cuttings!

 

[maddie]

I have about fifteen of those as mine are all indoor plants and I need to have them purifying the air indoors. You need to clean the leaves often to keep them working optimally. I like the spider plant especially the color and the way it shoots out little plants is beautiful. It actually sits on my coffee table instead of a flower arrangement.

 

[taskeinc]

I have about fifteen of those as mine are all indoor plants and I need to have them purifying the air indoors. You need to clean the leaves often to keep them working optimally. I like the spider plant especially the color and the way it shoots out little plants is beautiful. It actually sits on my coffee table instead of a flower arrangement.

You can mist your plants every day and that will not only keep the leaves clean, but misting also keeps insects away from your plants. The plants love the mist. I use a Windex bottle, just make sure you get all the Windex out, fill it with water and you're good to go...

I love this video about misting plants, it's short and to the point..

and my favorite plant, loves the mist ...

 

[maddie]

I do that for my window plants everyday.. but i have to get the house plants out to mist them.. I have to rotate my plants and keep them out in the sun every fortnight while another batch of plants take their turn inside the house.. I do have to juggle around with my plants a bit lol

 

[dhrynio]

I have about fifteen of those as mine are all indoor plants and I need to have them purifying the air indoors. You need to clean the leaves often to keep them working optimally. I like the spider plant especially the color and the way it shoots out little plants is beautiful. It actually sits on my coffee table instead of a flower arrangement.

People often forget about cleaning the leaves, I do mist them but I also have a big walk in shower and take ones like my ferns and give them a good rinse, then let them sit in the shower to soak up the moisture!

A funny side story, when I lived in California I had to get my California drivers license. I was waiting to take my written test and the lady went to go get some papers and she was gone a long time. She had a plant sitting there and it was covered in dust, I mean covered. I pulled out a few tissues and used them and my some water form my water bottle to clean them off. By the time she got back it was shining and new. She looked at it, looked up at me and this transpired

Her- did you clean my plant?
Me- *thinking oh crap I am in trouble* Uh.... yes maam.
Her- my coworkers give me so much hell because my plant is always dusty. They say it can't breathe. Thank you! I just never felt like doing it. *she learned towards me and whispered* You don't have to take the test, just go to the left so I can do your picture!
Me- *wiping the sweat from my brow* Thanks!

See it is always good to look out for plants and do it a good deed! I figure it upped my karma big time, I mean I helped it breathe right?

 

[maddie]

People often forget about cleaning the leaves, I do mist them but I also have a big walk in shower and take ones like my ferns and give them a good rinse, then let them sit in the shower to soak up the moisture!

A funny side story, when I lived in California I had to get my California drivers license. I was waiting to take my written test and the lady went to go get some papers and she was gone a long time. She had a plant sitting there and it was covered in dust, I mean covered. I pulled out a few tissues and used them and my some water form my water bottle to clean them off. By the time she got back it was shining and new. She looked at it, looked up at me and this transpired

Her- did you clean my plant?
Me- *thinking oh crap I am in trouble* Uh.... yes maam.
Her- my coworkers give me so much hell because my plant is always dusty. They say it can't breathe. Thank you! I just never felt like doing it. *she learned towards me and whispered* You don't have to take the test, just go to the left so I can do your picture!
Me- *wiping the sweat from my brow* Thanks!

See it is always good to look out for plants and do it a good deed! I figure it upped my karma big time, I mean I helped it breathe right?

That was a truly positive experience.. I tend to our common garden in our apartment block and there would never be a word of thanks from anyone.. not that I expect it.. I love plants and do this out of love.. the way you did it.. I often taking my misting can and mist all the plants there.. I love to see them bright and clean.
Now, that i haven't been so well lately the plants do look neglected.. maybe I should go down more often and do the misting again.

 

[dhrynio]

Go Maddie go!! Those plants need you to breathe! I can't help myself, I do dust and clean plant leaves when I am at other peoples places, usually when they are not looking. I may or may not have a touch of OCD.

 

[ladybugger]

Thank you so much for posting this. I have electric/uv air purifiers in my house. It is essential that we have clean air, and this is a really great list that I can start with. Aloe vera, from what I hear, is a miracle plant.

 

[ACSAPA]

I have an aloe vera plant outside in a big plant pot and the plant is huge and too heavy to move easily. How do people keep aloe vera plants without having them outgrow the pot and grow to weigh as much as a small child? Am I supposed to be removing the baby aloe plants from the pot? Am I supposed to be pruning it?
Right now I basically have 3 large aloe vera plants growing out of one pot because the one I had reproduced. I just want one big plant. It's kind of outgrowing the pot and getting out of control. Now it takes both my daughter and I to move the pot.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have had some of the plants on this list, and some of them, I have moved outside for the summer, and we are able to open the doors and windows so the air can flow through and freshen itself. The large palms really seem to like being outside during the summer anyway.
We have such a tiny trailer house that it is crowded with the plants all in here during the winter, but they look so good in the house and make it look summerish even in the cold.