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Plants as Natural Air Fresheners

By Diane Hanson

We are constantly inundated with advertisements, convincing us that we need a multitude of air fresheners to make the air “cleaner” and smell “fresher”. However, air fresheners available in the market contain a host of chemicals such as petroleum distillates, p-dichlorobenzene, formaldehyde, and aerosol propellants, all of which can be highly toxic and may increase the incidence of many health problems.

Health risks from regular exposure to chemicals found in air fresheners may cause headache, earache, irregular heart beat, depression, respiratory problems as well as diarrhea in babies.

There are many ways to clean the air in your home or car without spending money on air fresheners. And, one of the best ways to freshen the air indoors is to use plants.

By converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, plants actually filter the air and eliminate a number of harmful household pollutants, including formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

According to research conducted by NASA, tropical plants that survive in areas of low light are the best. Some of the plants listed below are more effective than others at filtering particular chemicals so make sure to use a combination of plants.

What Plants Are Good for Air Cleaning?

Aloe Vera

Aglaonema Modestum – Chinese Evergreen

Chamaedorea Seifritzii – Bamboo Palm

Chlorophytum elatum – Green Spider Plant

Chrysanthemum morifolium – Pot Mum/Florists' Chrysanthemum

Dracaena Janet Craig – Janet Craig

Dracaena Marginata – Marginata

Dracaena Massangeana – Mass Cane/Corn Plant

Dracaena Warneckii – Warneckii

Gerbera Jamesonii – Gerbera Daisy/African Daisy

Hedera Helix – English Ivy/Common Ivy

Philodendron Domesticum – Elephant Ear Philodendron

Philodendron Oxycardium – Heart Leaf Philodendron

Philodendron Selloum – Lacy Tree Philodendron

Sansevieria Laurentii – Mother in Law’s tongue

Scindapsus aureus – Golden Pothos

Spathiphyllum Mauna Loa – Peace Lily/Mauna Loa

When using plants to filter the air in your home, position them so there are 2 plants per 100 square feet. Let’s say, if your home is around 1000 square feet, then you’d want ten twenty plants around your home.

If you’ve multiple levels in your home, you’ll want to divide the plants between the 2 floors. However, NASA’s guideline is to use 15-18 plants in a home of approximately 1800 square feet.

Keeping plants indoors not only freshen and neutralize the air, they also add a nice green touch to your home. Why not head down to your nearest nursery and get a few pot of indoor plants today?

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