Better Breathing Through Houseplants

It’s been cold for a while here in my part of the United States, and the air in our house has been re-re-re-circulated.  It’s not quite time to open the windows and let in some fresh air, but did you know that you can improve the air quality in your home or office, plus add some beauty and ambience, by keeping a few houseplants?  Here are the top air-cleaning plants according to NASA:

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Spider plant(Chlorophytum comosum)

Golden pothos or Devil’s ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)

Peace lily(Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’)

Chinese evergreen(Aglaonema modestum)

Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)

Heartleaf philodendron(Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)

Selloum philodendron(Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)

Elephant ear philodendron(Philodendron domesticum)

Red-edged dracaena(Dracaena marginata)

Cornstalk dracaena(Dracaena fragans ‘Massangeana’)

Janet Craig dracaena(Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’)

Warneck dracaena(Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’)

Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)

Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

Pot Mum or Florist’s Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)

Rubber Plant(Ficus elastica)

Boston fern(Nephrolepis exaltata “Bostoniensis”)

Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)

Dwarf date palm(Phoenix roebelenii)

Areca palm(Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Dendrobium orchid(Dendrobium sp.)

Dumb cane (Camilla)(Dieffenbachia   )
Warning:  The leaf of a dumb cane is mildly toxic to humans and pets, and can cause a temporary burning sensation.

Dumb cane (Exotica)(Dieffenbachia)

Moth orchid (Phalenopsis sp.)

Further Reading:

Wikipedia’s list with more info
NASA’s Clean Air Study