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When it comes to pollution, many of us think about the outdoors: the smokestacks steaming along the highway, the exhaust from the semi that’s never passed emissions, the fire burning from a community barbecue. But indoor pollution is also a concern, and sometimes, even more so: we spend most of our lives inside our homes or apartments.
According to Medline Plus, indoor pollution comes in many varieties. These include mold, cigar and cigarette smoke, petroleum distillates, radon, formaldehyde, and lead. Different household products emit different types of pollution. For instance, pressed wood often contains formaldehyde while air fresheners contain all sorts of things: they might fill your air with flowery scents, but they fill it with chemicals, too.
Indoor air pollution isn’t entirely avoidable, but it’s easy to minimize. Not allowing anyone to smoke inside your home, using natural cleaners, opening windows on warm days, and vacuuming regularly all help. Plants help, as well, doing a very plant-like thing and encouraging pollution to “leave.”
Still, not all plants purify equally. To maximize the potential of your foliage, consider a pot or two of one of the following:
English Ivy: This Old House describes English Ivy as a plant that absorbs formaldehyde. According to the American Cancer Society, formaldehyde occurs in the environment naturally and inside our bodies, too. But it has the potential to cause cancer and has previously been linked to certain types of tumors in people who use it occupationally.
Ficus: Per Healthline, the Ficus helps eliminate formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and trichloroethylene, a chemical found in lubricants, paints, and works of art. A versatile shrub, some of these plants grow up to ten feet tall, even when grown indoors.
Spider Plant: If you don’t have much of a green thumb, the Spider Plant is a good choice: it’s relatively hard to kill and recommended for first-time plant owners. When hung from your ceiling or placed on a shelf, it helps reduce benzene and formaldehyde.
Peace Lily: This plant is popular among people interested in accentuating their apartment or home décor – it flowers, something not commonly seen in air-purifying shrubbery. It reduces benzene and acetone, but pet owners beware: it’s toxic to your tabby and poisonous to your pups.
Boston Fern: Like many other plants on this list, the Boston fern helps remove formaldehyde, making it a great addition for rooms with pressed wood furniture and synthetic carpet. This type of plant isn’t hard to take care of, but the care is specific; namely, it requires humidity and no direct sunlight.
You don’t need to turn your home into a greenhouse to take advantage of Mother Nature’s purifying powers, but adding a plant to each room can do wonders for your health, or at least, your peace of mind.