During the winter months, people tend to stay inside more frequently. Wouldn’t it be nice to have something around the house that looked nice and cleaned the air we breathe? Karin’s Florist has just the thing for you……plants. Some plants do so much more than just add color to your home or office, they can also help remove harmful toxins from the air. Even a single houseplant can make a difference in your home’s indoor air quality.

All plants remove carbon dioxide from where they are placed and in exchange, release oxygen into the room as part of the natural processes involved with photosynthesis. But NASA research shows that many common houseplants are great at removing other pollutants from indoor air.

The Peace Lily with its wide, glossy, deep-green leaves targets a variety of pollutants. The peace lily helps reduce the amount of benzene, formaldehyde, and acetone.

The Snake Plant, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, with its tall, pointed, succulent leaves is also a low-maintenance air cleaner. The snake plant is great for the bedroom because it produces oxygen at night, and it can flourish in low-light situations.  Snake plants excel at filtering out air pollutants common to household products and cleansers like formaldehyde and benzene.

The Spider makes a great office plant because it’s easy to propagate and share around the office. In addition to removing carbon dioxide, it can help reduce benzene, formaldehyde and xylene, a solvent used in the rubber, leather, and printing industries.

English Ivy is known for its glossy, leathery leaves and vining growth, English ivy ranks high on NASA’s lists for removing all types of tested pollutants.

Adding just one 6 to 8 inch-diameter plant can clean the air of a 10-foot-square room.  Living plants can do a lot to add indoor beauty and clean the air you breathe.