Green Steps | Greening with Plants

emerald star - chinese evergreen

Trying to eliminate toxins in your surrounding environment sometimes seems like it is a huge hurdle but it's really often those little steps you take that make a difference.  Such as bringing in some greenery into your home.  It not only adds a little "pretty" into your life but it does a great job in helping to fight pollution indoors.

Here is a list of plants that you might consider bringing into your home to help remove formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air: 

• Philodendron scandens `oxycardium', heartleaf philodendron
• Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
• Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana', cornstalk dracaena
• Hedera helix, English ivy
• Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
• Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig', Janet Craig dracaena
• Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii', Warneck dracaena
• Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
• Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
• Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa', peace lily
• Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
• Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
• Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
• Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
• Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

Most of these plants are available from your local nursery.  Based on the NASA study, it is also recommended that one plant should be allowed for approximately 10 square yards of floor space.  Which means for an average domestic living room of about 20 - 24 square yards, you would need about 2 - 3 plants. 


For more information about the study:  http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h110indoorair.html