7 Air Purifying Plants to Freshen Up Your Interior With

If the air in your home is a little stale, you have a few options. Turning on the air conditioner or opening the windows to let a breeze in are not options in the cold winters. Using air purifiers can be effective, but you have to constantly ensure that they are full. You can even get those scented oil sticks and put them around the place, but they are not all that effective in bigger rooms.

If only there was some sort of natural air purification system that requires very little maintenance, efficiently cleans up the air, and costs very little to have at home? Well, of course, there are plants. You may already grow some potted plants at home and have been into horticulture for quite some time. But did you know that some indoor plants can actually help to purify the air?

So, if you’re looking to freshen up your interior and introduce a natural and clean scent into your home, then consider any of these indoor plants. 

Why Get Plants That Purify the Air?

Do not limit yourself to plants that exclusively purify the air surrounding you, make sure to often opt for ones that enhance your interior too!

If you have a potted plant or two but don’t feel like the air in that area is clean, well there you have your problem: you only have a couple of plants. Sure, a single potted plant can do its part in cleaning up the air, but the results are barely noticeable as there is just too much air to cover for just one plant.

However, if you really get into horticulture and grow a ton of plants, the collection of plant life may be able to purify the air and the effects could be felt. But this takes knowing what kind of plants to grow indoors, since not every plant is able to purify the air as effectively as others. Keep in mind, that there are plenty more air purifying plants out there, so you can totally keep a balance between the ones that purify the most and the ones that look attractive in your interior.

1. Rubber Fig

Don’t be fooled by its name, it's not actually made of rubber!

If you’re going to get a plant to purify the air, it might as well be one that’s been recommended by NASA. That’s right, NASA officially recommends and uses Rubber Plants to create oxygen and purify the air in space, because they are so effective at it. They are very low maintenance and sturdy, are a great humidifier, and can successfully cleanse the air in a given area.

So, if you plant a few of these around the house, you can expect to have cleaner air and won’t have to use any more purifiers when you want to freshen up the interior. It’s natural, sustainable, and grows very impressive vibrant green leaves that will brighten up your interior, aside from cleaning it as well.

2. Flamingo Lily

The red flamingo lily guarantees cleaner air and a pleasant interior.

Looking for a little color with your air cleansing? The flamingo lily is the way to go. No better place to start than its appearance, because as you’d expect from a plant named after the actual birds, flamingo lilies are gorgeous and rich pinkish-red, with cute little yellow pollen tubes. They are very colorful, especially with the surrounding green leaves that contrast the beautiful red.

Aside from looking pretty, flamingo lilies are great at purifying the air. They also don’t require much in terms of care. Keep them in bright rooms and remember to water them biweekly. So long as they get a little brightness, though not direct sunlight, they’ll grow healthy and attractive. 

3. Bamboo Palm

Air purification comes in all sizes, and the bamboo palm is here to prove that.

Bigger plants are fantastic for cleaning up the air. The bamboo palm, for example, comes with tons of thin, wispy blades, that provide a lot of surface area for them to absorb the dirty air and clean it up. The bigger and leafier the plant, the more air it can circulate and clean up. So, place these in areas with plenty of traffic. Living rooms, hallways, and kitchens (as long as they’re away from smoke and harmful chemicals) are all great examples of where the bamboo palm can keep the air clean.

Maintenance of the bamboo palm is a walk in the park. Simply water once you feel the soil getting a little dry, but don’t drown it. Bamboo palms may be big plants, but it may take a while for the water to run out. 

4. Dieffenbachia 

The green dieffenbachia, aka the dumb cane, has a rich green color that can give your interior a biophilic aesthetic.

If you find dieffenbachia, then you can call it by its far more approachable name, dumb canes. These plants come with large, limp leaves, that are longer than they are wide. The outer edges of the leaves are usually rich green, with the leaves higher up typically looking darker. But running through the center of each leaf you can see bright yellowish-white veins decorating each one.

The foliage of dumb canes is very good at cleaning the air of toxins. Their large leaves are able to catch a lot of those nasty particles in the air and filter them out. But to make this happen, dumb canes require regular moisture as they should not dry out. At the same time, they also fear too much water, so try not to overwater them as well. But once you find that nice balance in the watering pattern, then you should get into the habit of knowing exactly how much of it they need. 

5. ZZ Plant

Many homeowners use ZZ plants for air purification, and for good reason!

The dark green leaves of the ZZ plant make it a great indoor plant if you’re looking to bring some biophilia into the interior. The bulbous shapes of the leaves make them very attractive and stand out. But what also makes the ZZ plant worth having inside is because it can actually catch all those tiny toxins, such as benzene and xylene, from the air and absorb it, cleaning up the air and preventing any health hazards from arising. ZZ plants also thrive in low-light settings.

One very important thing to take note of the ZZ plant is to keep it away from your pets. ZZ plants can actually be quite toxic to your furry friends, so if you have pets at home and want to plant ZZs, consider placing them in a room inaccessible to your pets. Or to be on the safest side of things, forego this plant entirely. There are other options that are not toxic to your pets and even if they may not look like the ZZ plant, it’s still not worth taking the risk.

6. Philodendron

Philodendrons help with clearing up dust, but require lots of sunlight and water.

Though they can grow in very small containers, philodendron plants produce very large heart-shaped leaves, that can cleanse the air, so long as you have a few planted around the area. Philodendrons are great at removing the formaldehyde from the air, a chemical that typically comes from building materials. Plant several philodendrons, especially after a recent construction or renovation project, as they can help clean up the dusty air of the formaldehyde that could cause health concerns in the future.

Philodendrons love sunlight, so make sure they get plenty of it. They also need a lot of water and fertilizer to flourish. However, regardless of the maintenance and care, philodendrons are very adaptable plants and can easily get used to your indoor temperatures and other conditions. They may look small and fragile, but you should not doubt their survivability for a second. 

7. Peace Lily

A little sensitive to lack of water, peace lilies often require a dab more attention than most air-purifying plants.

If you wish to not only freshen up the air but also get rid of harmful compounds, then the peace lily is one of the best choices out there. Peace lilies have been decorating interiors for quite some time and homeowners have been noticing how much cleaner the air is when they’re around. So, this is why they make for such amazing indoor plants. Get some grow plant lights, and get planting!

They are somewhat needier when it comes to maintenance, unfortunately. As with many other plants out there, they require constantly moist soil to grow properly. They won’t die out the second the soil becomes dry, but the leaves will start to wilt and brown. So, remember to water peace lilies regularly and to keep the soil moist for longer, don’t put it under direct sunlight.