Plants have a soothing effect on us and the power of plants to purify the air and imbue it with life cannot be ignored.

You may wonder whether plants are actually able to purify toxic air. Well, NASA has scientifically proved that some house plants are very effective air purifiers. They had conducted research on them when they were hunting for options to find a lasting source of clean air for their astronauts in extended space travel.

Here are the common, but powerful plants that effectively purify the air in our homes.

The Snake Plant

The snake plant is also endearingly called Mother-in-Law’s tongue as its leaves are long tongue-shaped with pointed tips. It helps to eliminate at least 107 known air pollutants, including carbon monoxide and nitrogen monoxide, formaldehyde, chloroform and benzene among many others. It also produces abundant oxygen throughout the night making it an ideal plant to be kept in the bedroom. The best thing about this plant is that it can go without water for a week and survive in just about any climate.

The Money Plant

The Money Plant is a common household plant in India and apart from its assumed ability to bring material abundance, you will be happy to know that it is very effective in cleaning the air of toxins. It is capable of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. VOCs are formed inside the house from synthetic paints or carpets and are considered to be hazardous.

The Peace Lily Plant

The Peace Lily is a very popular indoor plant. This air purifying plant is effective in eliminating all common indoor pollutants like those generated by furniture, electronics and cleaning products. The good news is that it can survive in indirect sunlight with minimal watering making it an ideal house plant.

The Bamboo Palm

The Bamboo Palm, also known as the Areca Palm is an excellent natural humidifier that transpires a litre of water in 24 hours. Therefore, it is well suited for dry climates as well as for those with breathing troubles. This low maintenance plant is capable of removing many air pollutants, especially formaldehydes, benzene, and carbon monoxide.

The above plants not just enhances the aesthetics of your house, but also gives you clean air. That’s ample reason to adorn your house with indoor plants.