Three houseplants that remove dust and toxins from your home

Three houseplants that remove dust and toxins from your home

03/22/2023

Gardening: Expert reveals air purifying houseplants

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Indoor plants are a great way of making homes healthier for residents as they can purify the air, boost mood as well as lower stress levels. They can also help to remove harmful toxins from the air, such as formaldehyde, as well as help to remove dust from the air, which can also benefit those with dust or pet allergies.

Dusting is an extremely important household chore, especially in spring, as it can help a number of different health issues.

This includes asthma, itchy eyes and throat as well as coughing, all of which could be made worse by a high level of dust in the home.

However, if you have a lot of surfaces to dust, this can be a tiresome job and often one which is left for weeks on end.

According to research by NASA, there are certain indoor plants which can help to reduce dust levels in the home by as much as 20 percent.

READ MORE: Easiest methods to dry clothing indoors as cold weather continues

They do this by capturing dust particles on their surface, with large houseplants often having large leaves to perform this job.

They do however, not recycle the dust, and do need to be wiped regularly with a microfibre cloth to allow them to thrive.

English ivy

According to NASA’s study in 1989, English ivy has fantastic air-purifying properties, with the ability to absorb many airborne toxins.

Not only can it help to improve the air quality, it can also help to remove moisture in the air, great for homes suffering from mould.

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Zach Morgan, a horticulturalist and gardening expert at Fantastic Services, said: “This is a plant that’s really easy to care for. 

“It’s especially great if you often dye your hair at home because English ivy is said to reduce levels of chemicals that can be found in many salon products. 

“It’s also a great plant for the bathroom because it’s said to remove mould. However, English ivy is toxic to cats and dogs so if you have pets, make sure it’s completely out of their reach. 

“Give it a generous amount of water and at least a few hours of direct sunlight daily. It should also be able to thrive at lower levels of sunlight.”

Peace lily

The peace lily is also on NASA’s list of top air-cleaning plants and this air-purifying plant can help to filter out toxins too.

This includes benzene, formaldehyde, ethylene and ammonia. To keep this plant effective at reducing dust, make sure the soil is exposed to the air as pollutants can be absorbed straight into the soil.

Zach added: “This reduces dust in the room and can remove any irritants to your eyes, nose and mouth. 

“The peace lily takes a little more effort to keep happy as it requires morning sunlight only, frequent misting and damp soil. 

“Keep in mind that it’s also toxic to pets. Peace lilies are great for improving your work-life balance as they remove toxins that can cause stress.”

Weeping fig

The weeping fig is an attractive houseplant, great for larger spaces inside the home as it can get quite tall.

According to NASA, the weeping fig is one of the top contenders for cleansing airborne toxins, which can build-up from carpet and furniture cleaning. 

Make sure to regularly clean this plant with a duster to keep its leaves free from dust particles.

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