You wouldn’t expect to find a connection between NASA and home air purification – but there is one. In the 1980s NASA collaborated with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America to study houseplants best for air purification in space stations. This collaboration discovered several that were very effective in doing just that. Luckily, they are just as effective here on earth, where they can be productive allies in your efforts to purify indoor air.
Aloe
Aloe grows very well in the home as long as it gets plenty of sunshine. It can help scrub the air clean of vapors from chemical-based cleaning agents and paints. The gel inside the plant is also good at soothing cuts and burns.
Spider Plant
This is one of the hardiest house plants you can find, and it’s extremely good at neutralizing many airborne chemicals. A partial list of some of the nasty things it helps to control includes formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene and xylene. As an added bonus, this plant is known for its lush foliage and attractive white flowers.
Gerber Daisy
A brilliant flowering plant that adds lots of color to any room and only requires ample sunlight, this plant helps remove trichloroethylene and benzene. These are chemicals typically brought into the home with dry-cleaned laundry and printed material with inks.
Snake Plant
The snake plant is one of the houseplants best for air purification because it filters harmful vapors from personal care products such as toilet paper, tissues and deodorants. Fortunately, it can tolerate the humid, low-light conditions found in bathrooms.
Golden Pothos
This is a very tolerant plant that works well in the garage, where formaldehyde from car exhaust can be found. Even without sunshine, this vine will grow and spread prolifically, all the while helping to purify the air.
Contact Us
Our family at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning has been helping other families in the Twin Cities area for 40 years with home comfort issues, and we’d like to help with any issues you might have, too. Please contact us today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air purification and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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