NASA Approved House Plants
May 18, 2017
Is your house or apartment reminiscent of a lush tropical jungle? If you're like me, you probably have a rainforest in your living room. And why wouldn't you? Plants are pretty and they filter and purify our air. But did you know that certain plants help purify your air in different ways?
Air pollutants can come from household items: plastic bags, paints, lacquers, fabrics, detergents, pesticides, drugs, leather, cleaners, and fertilizers. These chemicals that pollute your air include ...
Trichloroethylene - causes dizziness, headaches, vomiting, coma
Formaldehyde - causes irritation of nose, mouth and throat
Benzene - causes drowsiness, increased heart rate, headaches, confusion
Ammonia - causes irritation to eyes, and throat
Xylene - causes dizziness, headaches, confusion, heart problems, liver and kidney damage, coma
(Not to mention that some plants can be toxic to your dogs and cats)
NASA conducted a study to figure out the best possible plants for your house. The results are as follows:
Peace lily and florist’s chrysanthemum are ranked top plants to have because they filter all chemical pollutants tested in the study. In second place is the English ivy plant, the variegated snake plant and the red-edged dracaena which filters all aforementioned chemical pollutants except ammonia.
In third place NASA recommends devil’s ivy, flamingo lily, lilyturf, broadleaf lady palm, Barberton daisy, and cornstalk dracaena. These plants filter out three out of the five tested chemicals. Lastly comes the weeping fig, bamboo palm, Chinese evergreen, spider plant, Kimberly queen fern, Boston fern, and the dwarf date palm which all filter out two of the five chemicals. Aloe also helps filter chemicals and has other medicinal qualities. Aloe can help heal cuts and burns and the pulp can also be used in juices.
To read the full report, click here