Decorating tips: Top 15 Indoor houseplants improve indoor air quality but also can transform a room design wise... 1. Aloe Vera - can add a southwest flair, lakeside cottage feel, or a rustic atmosphere. The benefits: This easy-to-grow, sun-loving succulent helps clear formaldehyde and benzene, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based cleaners, paints and more. Aloe is a smart choice for a sunny kitchen window. Beyond its air-clearing abilities, the gel inside an aloe plant can help heal cuts and burns 2. Spider plant - adds a soft lightweight design that lends to many traditional settings as well as contemporary settings. The benefits: Even if you tend to neglect houseplants, you’ll have a hard time killing this resilient plant. With lots of rich foliage and tiny white flowers, the spider plant battles benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene, a solvent used in the leather, rubber and printing industries. As an added bonus, this plant is also considered a safe houseplant if you have pets in the house. 3. The Gerber Daisy - lends itself to a country kitchen setting or just a casual urban minimalist setting. The color adds brightness to a overcast day (perfect for uplifting)! The benefits: This bright, flowering plant is effective at removing trichloroethylene, which you may bring home with your dry cleaning. It’s also good for filtering out the benzene that comes with inks. Add one to your laundry room or bedroom — presuming you can give it lots of light. 4. The Snake plant - goes in absolutely any decor! Use it in the dining area, living area or the bedroom and bathrooms (since it requires minimal amounts of light) also perfect for dens! The benefits: Also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, this plant is one of the best for filtering out formaldehyde, which is common in cleaning products, toilet paper, tissues and personal care products. Put one in your bathroom — it’ll thrive with low light and steamy humid conditions while helping filter out air pollutants. 5. The Golden pothos - extremely versatile. Traditional, country, contemporary, modern, eclectic goes with anything! The benefits: Another powerful plant for tackling formaldehyde, this fast-growing vine will create a cascade of green from a hanging basket. Consider it for your garage since car exhaust is filled with formaldehyde. (Bonus: Golden pothos, also know as devil’s ivy, stays green even when kept in the dark.) 6 The Chrysanthemum -This colorful flower is perfect for the kitchen, craft room, kids rooms (hence filtering out benzene which is found in plastics). Perfect for the office as well. The benefits: The colorful flowers of a mum can do a lot more than brighten a home office or living room; the blooms also help filter out benzene, which is commonly found in glue, paint, plastics and detergent. This plant loves bright light, and to encourage buds to open, you’ll need to find a spot near an open window with direct sunlight. 7. The Red-edged dracaena - This is a contemporary or masculine styled plant. Its uses would be in dens, rec rooms, even work rooms in garages. The benefits: The red edges of this easy dracaena bring a pop of color, and the shrub can grow to reach your ceiling. This plant is best for removing xylene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde, which can be introduced to indoor air through lacquers, varnishes and gasoline. 8. Weeping fig (Ficus tree) - This is perfect for a den, livingroom, bedroom. It has a traditional setting, but really a tree doesnt have too much of a decorating barrier. The benefits: A ficus in your living room can help filter out pollutants that typically accompany carpeting and furniture such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. Caring for a ficus can be tricky, but once you get the watering and light conditions right, they will last a long time. 9. Azalea (Rhododendron simsii) - This flowering shrub would be wonderful in a romantic or cottage like setting or even a lakeside setting. However the problem with the azaleas thrive in cool areas it might be best to keep in a bright spot in a basement. The benefits: Bring this beautiful flowering shrub into your home to combat formaldehyde from sources such as plywood or foam insulation. Because azaleas do best in cool areas around 60 to 65 degrees, they’re a good option for improving indoor air in your basement if you can find a bright spot. 10. English Ivy - These scream traditional in every sense. You will find the ivy would be perfect in masculine, traditional kitchens, dens and the like. The benefits: A study found that the plant reduces airborne fecal-matter particles. It has also been shown to filter out formaldehyde found in some household cleaning products. 11. Warneck dracaena - The size of this plant which can get up to 12 feet in height suggest a traditional / masculine / country setting. Use in spaces where you desire bulk as it is hefty in size. Generally great rooms, recreational rooms or television rooms with large screens. The benefits: Combat pollutants associated with varnishes and oils with this dracaena. The Warneckii grows inside easily, even without direct sunlight. With striped leaves forming clusters atop a thin stem, this houseplant can be striking, especially if it reaches its potential height of 12 feet. 12. Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema Crispum Deborah) - A genuinely nondescript household plant. Will go in absolutely any setting and the benefits of removing toxins is a win win situation. The benefits: This easy-to-care-for plant can help filter out a variety of air pollutants and begins to remove more toxins as time and exposure continues. Even with low light, it will produce blooms and red berries. 13. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii) - Palm trees are not only for lakeside homes! :D They are great for livingrooms, diningrooms, dens, kitchens, bathrooms anywhere you would like to put these accent plants. Great for shady spots make great hall trees! The benefits: Also known as the reed palm, this small palm thrives in shady indoor spaces and often produces flowers and small berries. It tops the list of plants best for filtering out both benzene and trichloroethylene. They’re also a good choice for placing around furniture that could be off-gassing formaldehyde. 14. Heart leaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium) - Important note on this plant for children and animals alike - toxic when eaten! Perfect for offices or dens. Great houseplant for empty-nesters and get-away cabins! The benefits: This climbing vine plant isn’t a good option if you have kids or pets — its toxic when eaten, but its a workhorse for removing all kinds of VOCs. Philodendrons are particularly good at battling formaldehyde from sources like particleboard. 15. The Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) - These are great for livingrooms, dens, kitchens...generally anywhere you want them. They lend themselves to traditional settings, but can be used in country settings as well. Make sure you have enough space for them to grow as they can get rather large! Often confused with the Easter lily, these plants are not highly toxic to animals. May cause nausea and skin irritation when ingested for humans and animals alike. The benefits: Shade and weekly watering are all the peace lily needs to survive and produce blooms. It topped NASA’s list for removing all three of most common VOCs — formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. It can also combat toluene and xylene.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:19:45 +0000