Potted houseplants are more than just decorative—according to NASA, they can also help cleanse the stagnant indoor air of pollutants. There’s even a name for the symptoms you might feel in an area lacking ventilation: “sick building syndrome”. 
If you’re concerned about the air quality in your office or living spaces, there
are NASA-certified plants that can help keep your breathing air clean.¹

How Do Houseplants Clean The Air?

As part of photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and light energy. During this process, their porous leaves also take in extra air particles, some of which
can affect our health. These particles are then processed into oxygen. After
years of research, NASA found the specific plants that are better at taking
in these key particles and gases than others.

Listed below are five of the most effective houseplants for cleansing indoor air:

1. English Ivy

   
   
   This vine isn’t only hardy and easy to care for, but it thrives in small, shaded spaces, including rooms with few windows. It absorbs formaldehyde, which
   can be found in synthetic carpet dyes and wood floorboard resins.²

2. Garden Mum

   
   
   This common flowering plant was found to be one of the best pollutant cleansers. During the NASA studies, it removed benzene, ammonia, formaldehyde and xylene from stagnant indoor air.³

3. Dracaena

   
   
   These foliage plants are easy to find in most garden stores and come in over forty different varieties. They remove formaldehyde, benzene, trichlorethylene, and xylene. One warning: if you’re a pet owner, you may want to avoid bringing a dracaena home, as it can be toxic for cats and dogs.

4. Peace Lily

   
   
   These shade-loving plants are extremely easy to grow, plus they flower in the summer. They remove ammonia, formaldehyde, benzene and trichlorethylene from the air. Try placing them in a shady spot and keeping the soil moist.

5. Aloe Vera

   
   
   Most of us enjoy aloe vera for its skin-soothing leaves, but this plant it also a hardy formaldehyde-fighter. Try placing it near a window, and make sure the pot drains properly, as over-watering can seriously damage this succulent.
   
   

These select plants are just a few of the air-purifying plants that NASA has suggested purchasing. Adding one or two to your living room can help improve your home’s air quality immensely, keeping your indoor air and breathing purified.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3230460/
2. http://www.livescience.com/38445-indoor-plants-clean-air.html
3. http://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air
   
   *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.