HOW TO

PURIFY THE AIR WITH PLANTS

Looking for a source of reliable information on the best air-cleaning plants? Few organizations have as vested an interest in healthy air in tight spaces as NASA, the agency responsible for the welfare of its astronauts, who can be confined to small spaces for months on end. The NASA Clean Air Study was originally published in 1989, and it turned out to offer a resounding endorsement to the power of houseplants, and its chief conclusion is just as applicable to your stuffy bedroom as a NASA space station.

NASA CONCURS; PLANTS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN “CLEANING” OUR AIR

The NASA study determined an acceptable ratio of air-cleaning plants per square foot: about one plant per 100 square feet. That said, healthy living experts like Dr. Rob Brown argue that in this case, the more, the merrier. Some types of air-cleaning plants, NASA found, do an even better job than others. All plants remove carbon dioxide from our environment — but, as the Clean Air Study showed, some also work to remove potential carcinogens, like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.