6 Houseplants That Will Detox Your Home
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FEBRUARY 01 2022 /

6 Houseplants That Will Detox Your Home

Clean your indoor air with houseplants!

We’d all like to think of our home and office space as places where we are safe and healthy. After all, the majority of us as humans spend more than 90% of our time inside! Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Furnishings, upholstery, synthetic building materials, cleaning products, and other household items used in our homes and office spaces are all responsible for putting harmful chemicals and toxins into the air. Without proper care and air filtration, our bodies end up absorbing these toxic contaminants.

Common Toxic Contaminants (Houseplants Will Help With):

Trichloroethylene

  • Found in printing inks, adhesives, paints, varnishes, and metal degreasers.

  • Commonly given off by furniture.

  • Believed to be a contributing factor in the depletion of the ozone.

  • Can cause liver and kidney cancer.

Benzene

  • Not safe at any exposure level.

  • Responsible for the aroma around gas stations.

  • Given off by gasoline, paint, rubber, tobacco, smoke, detergent, and a variety of synthetic fibers.  

  • Can cause bone marrow failure and leukemia as well as damages to the kidneys, lungs, liver, heart, brain, and DNA strands in humans and animals.

Formaldehyde

  • Used for manufacturing building materials, household products, and hair products.

  • Can cause myeloid leukemia and other rare cancers.

Xylene

  • Used as a solvent in rubber, paint, printing, leather and in medical industries.

  • Found in airplane fuel, gas, and cigarette smoke.

  • Long-term exposure leads to headaches and cognitive impairment.

Toluene

  • Used to manufacture paints, pharmaceuticals, and rubber.

  • Found in gas and adhesives.

  • Can cause fatigue, confusion, weakness, memory loss, dizziness, and liver and kidney damage.

Ammonia

  • Primary building block for many pharmaceutical products and commercial cleaning products, also used in foods and fertilizers.

  • Classified as IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health).

  • Toxic to aquatic life.

So how do we go about combating toxins and improving our overall indoor air quality?

  1. Make your home shoe-free.

  2. Avoid dry cleaning or choose an organic dry cleaner.

  3. Keep your carpets cleaned. 

  4. Install water filters on your shower heads and sink taps. 

  5. Bring in a mold professional to address any mold growth. 

  6. Avoid pressboard/ particle board furniture–stick to real wood furniture. 

  7. Install air filters into your HVAC system.

  8. Invest in a few indoor plants that are pros at air filtration!

Number eight is the big one here. According to a NASA study, these six indoor plants play a major role in removing harmful indoor air contaminants:  1. Peace Lilies have powerful air filtration capabilities, filtering pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and ammonia. The peace lily tends to prefer shade and should be kept moist but is relatively easy to grow and flowers for most of the summer.  However, if you suffer from tough allergies, a peace lily might not be a good choice. Even though they’re great at removing indoor toxins, the peace lily gives off pollen and floral scents that worsen allergies.   2. Snake Plant or “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue is one of the best indoor plants for improving air quality, especially good at removing formaldehyde. Snake plants are relatively cheap and require very little care. Note: keep your snake plant in your bedroom. Unlike most indoor plants which take away O2 at night, snake plants give off O2 which will help you sleep better.  3. Aloe Vera Plants are typically known for their gel and it’s healing abilities but they’re also great indoor air filters that remove traces of benzene in the air from the household cleaners we use.  Aloe plants require very little attention and are pretty tough to kill–best for any of our not-so-green thumb friends out there. 4. English Ivy reduces the amount of airborne fecal matter (perfect for homes with pets), formaldehyde, and benzene. English Ivy likes both sun and shade–try for indirect sunlight if possible. Water your English ivy occasionally.  If your mind wanders often at work, here’s a good plant for you. Putting an English ivy plant in your office will help absorb benzene, which will allow you to focus much better! 5. Weeping Fig is a type of ficus that helps filter formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from your indoor spaces. Weeping figs need just the right amount of light and water, which can make them difficult plants for indoor plant beginners.  The living room is a good location for a weeping fig but keep in mind these guys can grow tall.  6. Gerbera Daisies are exceptional at filtering benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Similar to the snake plant, the gerbera daisy takes in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen at night. These beautiful flowering indoor plants take a little more effort to care for than most others–read up before you make a commitment to a gerbera daisy.   Use a gerbera daisy to bring bright color and cleaner air to dull rooms.  If you decide to introduce one or two of these indoor plants to your home, let us know what you think. Do you find yourself breathing easier, sleeping better, or feeling healthier?  If protecting more than just the air quality of your home is a concern of yours schedule a service with us. Our specialists are trained to check for and resolve any indoor home issues.
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