Houseplants have long been known to purify
our toxic indoor air. How many houseplants do you need to purify your
indoor air? Keep reading to find this out, and more!
Air Purifying Plant Numbers
There was a famous NASA study that was conducted back in
1989 that found that many houseplants are able to remove many toxic and cancer
causing volatile organic compounds from our indoor air. Formaldehyde and
benzene are two of these compounds.
Bill Wolverton, the NASA scientist who conducted this study,
provided some insight into the number of plants per room that you would need to
help purify indoor air. Although it is difficult to say exactly how many plants
are needed to purify indoor air, Wolverton recommends at least two good sized
plants for every 100 square feet (approximately 9.3 square meters) of indoor
space.
The bigger the plant and leafier the plant, the better. This
is because air purification is influenced by the surface area of leaves
present.
Another study, funded by Hort Innovation, found that even
just one houseplant in an average room (4 meters by 5 meters room, or roughly
13 by 16 feet) improved air quality by 25%. Two plants produced a 75% improvement.
Having five or more plants produced even better results, with the magic number
being 10 plants in a room of the size previously mentioned.
In a larger room (8 x 8 meters, or 26 by 26 feet), 16 plants
were needed to provide a 75% improvement in air quality, with 32 plants producing
the best results.
Of course, all of this will vary on the size of the plant.
Plants with more leaf surface area, as well as larger pots, will produce the
best results. Bacteria and fungi in the soil actually use broken down toxins,
so if you can expose the surface of your soil in your potted plants, this can
aid in air purification.
Plants for Clean Air Indoors
What are some of the best plants for clean air indoors? Here
are some of the good options that NASA reported in their study:
- Dracaena (Dracaena marginata, Dracaena ‘Janet Craig,’ Dracaena ‘Warneckii,’ and the common “corn plant” Dracaena)
- Philodendrons (Philodendron selloum, elephant ear philodendron, heart leaf philodendron)
Houseplants have long been known to purify
our toxic indoor air. How many houseplants do you need to purify your
indoor air? Keep reading to find this out, and more!
Air Purifying Plant Numbers
There was a famous NASA study that was conducted back in
1989 that found that many houseplants are able to remove many toxic and cancer
causing volatile organic compounds from our indoor air. Formaldehyde and
benzene are two of these compounds.
Bill Wolverton, the NASA scientist who conducted this study,
provided some insight into the number of plants per room that you would need to
help purify indoor air. Although it is difficult to say exactly how many plants
are needed to purify indoor air, Wolverton recommends at least two good sized
plants for every 100 square feet (approximately 9.3 square meters) of indoor
space.
The bigger the plant and leafier the plant, the better. This
is because air purification is influenced by the surface area of leaves
present.
Another study, funded by Hort Innovation, found that even
just one houseplant in an average room (4 meters by 5 meters room, or roughly
13 by 16 feet) improved air quality by 25%. Two plants produced a 75% improvement.
Having five or more plants produced even better results, with the magic number
being 10 plants in a room of the size previously mentioned.
In a larger room (8 x 8 meters, or 26 by 26 feet), 16 plants
were needed to provide a 75% improvement in air quality, with 32 plants producing
the best results.
Of course, all of this will vary on the size of the plant.
Plants with more leaf surface area, as well as larger pots, will produce the
best results. Bacteria and fungi in the soil actually use broken down toxins,
so if you can expose the surface of your soil in your potted plants, this can
aid in air purification.
Plants for Clean Air Indoors
What are some of the best plants for clean air indoors? Here
are some of the good options that NASA reported in their study:
- Dracaena (Dracaena marginata, Dracaena ‘Janet Craig,’ Dracaena ‘Warneckii,’ and the common “corn plant” Dracaena)
- Philodendrons (Philodendron selloum, elephant ear philodendron, heart leaf philodendron)