It’s amazing how many potential pollutants can be found in a home. For most of a winter day, our homes are closed tight with no windows or doors open to let out pollutants and let fresh air circulate. Toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene can be released from furniture upholstery, carpets, cleaning products, paint, plastics, and rubber. Carbon monoxide from the incomplete burning of wood and nitrogen oxides from cigarette smoke, vehicle exhaust, and smog can also be present in indoor air.
Then there are airborne biological pollutants. These include bacteria, viruses, animal dander, and dried cat saliva, house dust, and pollen. House mites, the source of one of the most powerful biological allergens, grow in damp, warm environments. Mold and mildew grow in moist places like central heating systems and are just one more source of indoor pollution.
Many common houseplants help fight pollution indoors. They are able to scrub significant amounts of harmful gases out of the air through the everyday processes of photosynthesis. The first list of air-filtering plants was compiled by NASA as part of a clean air study published in 1989, which researched ways to clean the air in space stations. As well as absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as all plants do, these plants also eliminated significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Other studies added to the list of chemical pollutants and the best plants to remove them.
NASA researchers suggest that the most efficient air cleaning occurs with at least one plant per 100 square feet. Even the microorganisms in potting soil remove some toxins. Yikes, who knew all that was going on right under our noses?
Some of the easiest houseplants to grow are some of the best to have in the home. Just about all the potted palms are good. Rubber plant, dracaena ‘Janet Craig’, philodendron, Boston fern, ficus, peace lily, Chinese evergreen, spider plant, snake plant, pathos, English ivy, and phalaenopsis orchids are high on the list of plants that fight indoor pollution.
If you have a cat of dog that you share your home with, most of the above plants aren’t safe for them if they are chewers according to the ASPCA website. While all plants clean the air only ferns, spider plants, areca, parlor palms, and phalaenopsis orchids from the above list are safe.
Other houseplants toxic for dogs and cats according to the ASPCA are asparagus fern, lilies, cyclamen, jade plant, aloe vera, azalea, begonia, ivy, mums, coleus, sago palm, kalanchoe, and rubber plant. Keep your pets safe by keeping toxic plants out of reach.
There are many houseplants that are safe for cats and dogs. Every plant photosynthesizes and cleans the air to some extent. Some of the common ones include African violet, aluminum plant, bromeliads, peperomia, areca palm, polka dot plant, cast iron plant, Christmas cactus, chenille plant, creeping Charlie, false aralia, Tahitian bridal veil, wandering jew, goldfish plant, piggy-back plant, and the succulents, donkey’s tail and hens and chickens.
With a little planning you can clean the air in your home while keeping the pets safe.
