5 Houseplants That Improve Indoor Air Quality

An important component of greener homes and buildings is good insulation to prevent heat from escaping so less energy is used to maintain indoor air temperature. The downside is that well-insulated buildings don't allow indoor air pollution to escape. We don't often think of indoor air as being harmful, but the smoke from cooking, and gases from carpets, furniture and paint, among other things, lingers inside buildings and can cause severe health problems.

Common houseplants have been shownto help clear the air of toxic gases and volatile organic compounds, such as those found in new shower curtains and glue. Of course, this doesn't help you if your thumb is less than green, so in addition to purchasing plants to help clean your air, unless you're a master gardener, you're going to want plants that are so easy to grow they can stand a little benign neglect. You also want houseplants that are really easy to find and have proven abilities for cleaning polluted air.

These plants like to grow in lots of light, so find sunny spots in front of windows for them.

Peace Lily
Purple Waffle Plant

These plants grow best in indirect light, so put them near a window but not where they will get much direct sunlight.

English Ivy
Asparagus Fern
Spider Plant