Clean Your Indoor Air With Houseplants for National Indoor Plant Week!

Most recently updated April 19th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Indoor plants are growing in popularity in American homes and workplaces, and also in places like hospitals, shopping malls, and hotels.

National Indoor Plant Week (September 16-22) was established to promote and increase public awareness of the importance of live plants in interior spaces. 

Anyone can participate in this holiday.  You can do your part with something as simple as giving a plant to a friend, or picking up a new houseplant for your kitchen or living room.

Houseplants and other indoor greenery improve your mental and physical well-being in a host of ways you’ve probably never thought about.

These days, with more people working from home, we’re spending more time inside our own homes than ever before.

By now maybe you’ve realized there’s a funky smell you’ve never noticed before, or the decor could use a little brightening – or maybe you’re just tired of watching screens and need to create something!

Plants can help clean indoor air, enhance your mood and create a soothing and cheerful living space.

I knew a guy who grew 200 potted marijuana plants in the attic of his apartment building…   But that’s not the kind of “mood enhancement” we’re talking about here 🙂

Growing indoor plants can really help alleviate loneliness and depression.

Caring for another living thing is very rewarding, especially when you see that living thing bloom and grow, all because of you!

No matter what your indoor space is like, there are many plants that would thrive at home with you – and be useful, too.

Some of my posts contain affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will receive a small payment at no additional cost to you. I do not get paid for recommendations, all opinions on this site are my own. See full Disclosure page here.

Ever wonder why you feel like you can breathe easier, focus better, and are simply happier in a room full of plants?

Studies Show That Indoor Plants:

• • • Clean Indoor Air
    • Boost mood
    • Increase productivity, concentration and creativity
    • Reduce stress and fatigue
    • Are medicinal and nutritious
    • Are decorative
    • Are therapeutic (and cheaper than a therapist)
    • Are good luck!  

Purchase Houseplants Online

If the stores near you have been closed by government mandate, or if you simply choose not to go out – you can order plants and gardening supplies and have them delivered to you at home!

Throughout this article, I’ve included photos of the recommended plants. Those plant photos are links to purchase the plants online. 

Just click any “click for info” photo for ordering information.

I’ve also included photos of my potted plants and gardens because they’re beautiful. 🙂

If you live in a modern city, you encounter pollution everyday.

It shows up on our skin, our hair and most of all, in the air we breathe.  But pollution is not just outdoors – it’s also inside the places we work and live.

Prevent Sick Building Syndrome

The term “Sick Building Syndrome” describes symptoms experienced by otherwise healthy people working in large commercial buildings.

Symptoms include:

• • • Sudden allergies
    • Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
    • Headache, dizziness, and fatigue
    • Respiratory and sinus congestion, and
    • Nervous system disorders.

In 1989, Dr. Bill Wolverton, a leading scientist in NASA’s Clean Air Study, found that when sick building occupants go away for a given time, “the symptoms usually diminish, only to recur upon re-entry into the building.”

Sick Building Syndrome is caused by indoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution is usually a result of toxic emissions from synthetic building materials, airborne mold, viruses, and pollutants.

Energy efficient construction, which makes spaces as airtight as possible, reduces the air circulation and introduction of fresh air into the space.

Toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene could be emitted into the air.

These toxins aren’t just found in big commercial buildings, they can be found in almost every home. 

The good news is, we can improve our indoor air quality with houseplants.

Plants absorb these harmful toxins, break them down into gentler byproducts, and store them in the soil to use later for food.

How Houseplants Clean the Air

Research shows that indoor plants help rid the air of common toxins and indoor pollutants.

In fact, one study found that bromeliad plants remove more than 80% of six volatile organic compounds (out of eight studied) in a 12-hour period, while the dracaena plant removed 94% of acetone (found in nail polish remover).

According to Gary L. Altman, CRC, HTR, associate director of the Horticultural Therapy Program at Rutgers,  “The air purification ability of plants depends on factors such as size of the plant, size of the indoor space, and amount of toxins in the air.”

He says 6-8 medium to large plants in a large room should be enough to make a noticeable difference in the air quality.

NASA Study

NASA scientist Bill Wolverton’s investigation in the 1980’s also looked into the ability of common houseplants to remove a type of air pollutant, called “volatile organic compounds,” or VOCs, from the air.

VOCs are regularly released by common household products such as drywall, house paints, nail polish, shampoo,  and almost anything with a scent.

Their harmful effects can range from an itchy throat to nasopharyngeal cancer, and they can also be harmful to pets.

Unlike other types of air pollution, such as soot or pollen, VOCs can’t be filtered out of the air with a fine-grade filter.

This means that they can build up in sealed environments – such as apartments, hotels, laboratories or spacecraft.

For NASA, the problem was obvious.

The final results of these NASA studies on indoor pollution recommended 15-18 plants in 6-8 inch diameter containers to clean the air inside a whole 1800 sq ft house.

That’s roughly one plant per 100 square feet of floor space.

To help plants perform their best, they recommend keeping leaves clean and free of dust, and periodically taking them outdoors in natural sunlight to “recharge”.

Plants…In….SPACE!!

When NASA needed a cheap, easy way to filter the air on space stations — they chose the most common houseplants (at the time) to test.

When reporters wrote about the NASA study, they misinterpreted it as “these are the only plants that filter the air” as opposed to “all plants filter the air, but these are the only plants NASA had the time and budget to test”.

Plants for Air Purification

Here are some favorite air-purifying plants to choose from that would make a great addition to your home or office.

Snake Plant

This no-fuss tropical plant has thin, upright leaves with irregular banding that resembles the skin of a reptile.

Snake Plants have been shown to filter benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene.

Pothos

Forgiving Pothos is a good choice for people will no plant nurturing skills and less than ideal growing conditions.

The Pothos has been shown to filter benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.

Rubber Plant

This popular variety of ficus has thick upright stems with glossy, oversized leaves that can store water in case of drought.

Rubber Plants have been shown to filter formaldehyde.

Bird’s Nest Fern

The Bird’s Nest Fern makes for a lovely indoor hanging plant.

Ferns have been shown to filter formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.

Philodendron

The Philodendron has a reputation of being one of the easiest houseplants to grow.

Philodendrons have also been shown to filter formaldehyde.

 

BARBERTON DAISY

The colorful Barberton daisy is an effective cleanser of the toxins formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene, found in a range of household materials from paints to synthetic fibres.

ALOE VERA

A healing aloe vera plant will soothe any kitchen burns, and also purifies the air of formaldehyde and benzene, found in varnishes, floor finishes, and detergents.

BROAD LADY PALM

The Broad Lady Palm is one of the few plants that can help reduce levels of ammonia that can be found in a range of cleaning products.

They are expensive to buy fully-grown so you might want to shop around for a smaller one or start from seed.

RED-EDGED DRACAENA OR DRAGON TREE

Trichloroethylene and xylene are amongst the pollutants fought by this spiky, slow-growing Dragon Tree plant.

The leaves’ bright red trim which add a flash of colour to your home.

WEEPING FIG

Popular houseplants since the Victorian times, weeping fig plants can help reduce household levels of formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.

CHINESE EVERGREEN

The tropical Chinese Evergreen plant is proven to be an effective cleanser of formaldehyde and benzene, found in detergents and cosmetics.

Orchids

Orchids actually thrive on neglect, so don’t kill them with too much water and sunlight!

They filter xylene, a pollutant found in many glues and paints.

Orchids also respire and give off oxygen at night – so they’re great for the bedroom!

How Houseplants Make You Feel Good

Joy is the best reason to own house plants – not a marginal reduction in air pollution  🙂

Bringing plants into your home is about having something near you that’s alive, and that you care for. 

Having that living connection affects your mood, whether or not the plants are cleaning your indoor air.

Potting plants or doing indoor gardening is a great activity to do with your kids, too, especially if you’re practicing homeschooling.

Boost Your Health

“We evolved on earth amongst the grasslands surrounded by trees and plants,” says John Beirne, HTR, horticultural therapy instructor at the New York Botanical Garden and superintendent of horticulture at Willowwood Arboretum.

If you’re looking for some plant ideas locally, a great place to go – and also take kids for an outing – is the JC Raulston Arboretum.

“It’s no wonder plants make us feel at home—for eons they’ve fed our bodies and our souls.”

For example, one study found that when 28 new plants were placed in common areas of a heart and lung rehab center in Norway, patients with plants reported a greater increase in well-being than patients who didn’t have plants added to their space.

Houseplants Promote Healing

Experts say that a close relationship with plants also helps people  recover from illness or injury more quickly.

In fact, researchers at Kansas State University found that patients with plants in their rooms required less pain medication, had a lower blood pressure and heart rate, and felt less anxiety and fatigue when recovering from surgery than patients without greenery in their rooms.

Some plants even provide physical healing benefits.   For instance, aloe vera can be used to heal sunburn and other skin irritations.

Boost Your Productivity

That ivy sitting on your desk could be giving your a brain boost.

A study by the University of Exeter found that employee productivity increased by 15 percent after plants were introduced to a previously bare office.

“Plants were once – and still are – essential to human survival,” says one expert.

“Today, this innate connection can be observed by an overall reduction of stress, which in turn effects an individual’s ability to be creative and focus on tasks.”

The Journal of Environmental Psychology published a study found that College students who studied an office with plants had a longer attention span than those who were in an office without plants.

Other research shows that when indoor plants are present:

• • • Performance at work increases,
    • Staff well-being improves and
    • Employees take less sick days.

Feel Accomplished and Connected

In yet another study, when residents in an assisted-living facility learned how to pot their own plants and care for them at home, their quality of life improved.

Researchers say the improvement could be due to a feeling of accomplishment, or even the companionship people felt with their plants  – some said they talked and sang to them 🙂

“Any time someone takes ownership of something by doing it themselves, they exude pride in accomplishment,” says Gwenn Fried, manager of Horticulture Therapy at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation.

“In my experience, anyone who plants something will then take better care of it and nurture it—being able to nurture is part of the human experience and brings joy.”

Another benefit of home gardening or potting outdoor plants is healthy exposure to sunshine.

PLANT AN INDOOR HERB GARDEN

Keeping houseplants, outdoor garden beds, and indoor herb gardens are all good ways to connect with Nature and have the joy of nurturing living things at home.

You can keep your kitchen supplied with healthy fresh herbs all year with varieties that thrive on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights.

For best results, give each herb its own pot so that you can customize care and give it room to grow.

Which Herbs Can I Grow?

Perennial herbs are easiest to grow from young plants that you buy at a garden center.  You can also use small plants dug from the garden to bring indoors.  Many herbs can be started from cuttings, too.

Where Can I Grow Herbs?

• • • In natural light: South-facing windows have the brightest light and most hours of sun during the short, cool winter days.
    • Under grow lights: Full-spectrum growlights are ideal for all herbs. Place plants within a foot of the bulbs or follow the instructions provided with your lights.

---

The Best Herbs to Grow Indoors

Bay Laurel

The thick, flavorful leaves of this Mediterranean shrub are essential ingredients for soups and stews.

Pick individual leaves as needed or harvest a few from larger Bay Laurel plants and dry them for storage.

Chives

The spiky leaves of this onion-flavored herb add a mild kick to eggs, soups, and salads, and make pretty garnishes.

Use scissors to snip off individual leaves or give the whole Chives plant a “crew cut” to keep it tidy.

Mint

With dozens of flavorful varieties available, you could devote an entire garden to mint.

Choose from peppermint, spearmint, chocolate, orange, apple, banana and more.

Snip leaves and sprigs for tea and mixed drinks, salads and desserts.

 

Oregano

Thyme

The versatile flavor of thyme make it a key ingredient in nearly every cuisine of the world.

Its tiny leaves and trailing stems give it natural houseplant appeal, too.

Plants for Calming

Sometimes, all you need to lighten your mood is a touch of nature in any space, especially when you live in a city.

While Stanford University researchers recently confirmed the mental health benefits of hiking or simply spending time outside, bringing the outside in can also be a good solution.

How Nature Helps

Even brief exposure to nature has been shown to make us more altruistic and cooperative – even just touching real foliage elicits an unconscious calming effect.

But some plants are more calming than others. The following five plants have been described as “living, breathing antidepressants.”

Consider bringing some of them inside to ease stress and anxiety!