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Better Living Through Plants

All plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, but some actually remove chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde from the air. The most effective air cleaners are Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen), Spathiphyllum (peace-lily), Syngonium (arrowhead vine), Hedera (English ivy), Dracaena (cornplant), spider plants, and Scindapsus (devil’s ivy). Daisies and chrysanthemums are good, too. Aim for roughly 15 plants for every 1,500 square feet in your house. Remember that your plants need to breathe, too — dust them gently with a damp cloth. Keep their soil or root area clear — some of the air-cleaning action occurs there. The most comprehensive guide to air-cleaning plants is B.C. Wolverton's How to Grow Fresh Air.

A good source for information about indoor air quality is the EPA’s “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality,” available at www.epa.gov/iaq.

Posted by GreenClean at July 6, 2005 11:05 AM