- April 19, 2018
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Indoor Air Quality
If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you know that pollen and air pollution can aggravate your symptoms — and no one with allergies wants more itchiness and puffiness than they’ve already got.
New energy efficient homes are great, but they’re also more airtight than homes built in the past; synthetic building materials plus tightly sealed spaces can mean an uptick in indoor air pollution — which isn’t exactly helpful for allergy sufferers. The good news is, there are a ton of house plants that can help with allergies. Not only are these amazing for purifying the air of those pesky allergens wreaking havoc on your nasal passages, but they add beauty and greenery to your home, which is great for stress relief and boosting your mood, too.
1. Marginata
Marginata, $16.57, Amazon
The dracaena marinata colorama is a tricolored dragon tree houseplant that’s pretty low-maintenance, and easy to grow indoors. It thrives in low light, and you’ll want to let it get a bit dry before watering. According to West Coast Nurseries group, it can help purify the air of chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, as well as help control humidity. With narrow, cream and yellow striped green leaves, these plants can grow up to 15 feet. The leaves turn a lighter color if they don’t get enough light, but develop brown spots if exposed to too much sun.
2. Peace Lilies
Peace Lily, $28.95, Amazon
This easy-to-care-for evergreen doesn’t need a lot of water or light to flourish, and will tell you when it needs watering — the leaves will begin to droop. The peace lily, or spathiphyllum, is amazing for ridding the air of benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, according to the NASA study.
3. Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen, $16.54, Amazon
The aglaonema, or Chinese evergreen, is another low-maintenance houseplant that functions as an amazing natural air purifier. It grows best in low light, and needs pretty minimal watering about every few weeks or so. Place it in a warm, somewhat humid spot in your home for best results.
4. Janet Craig
Janet Craig, $4.99, Amazon
Another dragon tree variety, the Janet Craig, or dracaena fragans, is a super easy house plant to grow. With bright, shiny green leaves, this floor plant can grow pretty tall — so prune it back in the spring or early summer if it starts to crowd your space.
5. Gerber Daisies
These cheerful little beauties not only add a touch of simple charm to your space, they’re great for controlling benzene — a byproduct of plastics, pesticides, cigarette smoke, and synthetic fibers. Simple to care for and grow, daisies do best with lots of light; and they don’t like crowding, so make sure to space them well if you grow them from seeds.
6. Bamboo Palm
Bamboo Palm, $48.99, Amazon
This houseplant is popular for its tropical look, and is also amazingly effective at maximizing air quality. According to the NASA study, Bamboo palm can effectively clear out chloroform, carbon monoxide, xylene, and formaldehyde, and has powerful insect-repellent properties.
7. Swedish Ivy
Swedish Ivy, $4.99, Amazon
Swedish ivy is a low-pollen houseplant, and a great option for the newbie gardener. Swedish ivy makes a great hanging plant, and loves bright, indirect light throughout the year. It grows quickly and easily without a lot of maintenance, but be careful to keep it in rooms that don’t dip below 60 degrees F.
Remember that allergies don’t have to keep you from enjoying some greenery in your home — you’ve got lots of options for growing some green inside while avoiding allergens, and cleaning up your indoor air to boot.