If I told you there were 3 plants that is easy to grow, easy to care for, don't need much light, are perfect for indoors, and between them help to decrease molds and many of the common airborne toxins would you believe me? Well it is true! Let me introduce you to my top 3.
Many of us have seen in passing the NASA top 10 list of air cleaning plants, but I would like to talk about 3 in particular.
English Ivy. Peace Lily. Golden Pothos.
Why These 3?
When looking for some good air cleaning plants, we want to make sure they are easy care, and remove multiple toxins and pollution issues. We have such a wide range of airborne chemicals in our home air today from carpets, furniture and clothing materials, cooking practices, plastic household goods and cleaning materials, not to mention the junk brought in from shoes (FYI - leave your shoes OUTSIDE!).
Together, these 3 plants do a very good job of helping to decrease the bas qualities of our indoor air, while also creating new oxygen to help energize our homes.
English Ivy - Typically seen as growing up exterior walls, trees and poles in many Tudor style homes, English Ive can be a great indoor plant. They thrive in shadier ares, dont require a lot of care, and help detox quite a few things. Many health coaches actually consider them one of the best.
English Ivy can help to reduce Formaldehyde, one of the most common modern toxins from carpets, flooring glues, and furniture materials. It has also been show to help reduce molds and air borne fecal bacteria.
** Please note you shouldn't leave near children or pets, place high, and a small # of skin sensitive people may experience a rash when touching them, so try to look, use and not touch to often.
Peace Lily - Another one to keep away from pets and babies is the Peace Lily, but it is a very potent toxin eliminator. It eliminates acetone, which is emitted by electronics, adhesives, and is found in certain home cleaners.
It also can cleanse VOC benzene, a carcinogen that is often found in car chemicals like gasoline, tobacco smoke, furniture wax, polishes, and paints.
Golden Pothos - The second vine on this list, the Golden Pothos targets some other toxins that are very common; formaldehyde (again), but it is also useful for getting rid of both benzene and carbon monoxide.
A great pace for these in in or near garages, from door, and in cooking areas as many of these toxins are strong in cooking and car exhaust, so these chemicals are often found on shoes.
To Finish With
Remember, while these plants are useful, they are not the all and end all. many of the studies done were in very small, enclosed areas, so thinking placing a couple plants around the home is good enough just does'nt cut it. The key is reducing; though keeping windows open a crack, taking shots off outside, using natural cleaners, avoiding odor emitting products like candles, incense, soaps, chemical air fresheners, and laundry detergents. Avoiding burning foods, or having the BBQ beside an open window. Prevention is the key.
There are also some very good air cleaners available that can help clean the air as well, but remember, many of these only catch the toxins, and none of them create new oxygen. So consider a mix of nature and technology. Look at products like the Air Doctor, or the new Molekule air cleaner, or any TrueHepa air filtering devises and vacuums.
You can also consider picking up a FooBot, a revolutionary new monitoring device that monitors your indoor and outdoor air, giving you warnings when it gets out of healthy levels using a simple, green, orange, red system.
While these plants, and many more are great for the air, they are still a small % of the Design Your Health equation to a thriveLIFE.