Consider Adding Houseplants to Your Indoor Air Cleaning Arsenal

houseplants inside a house

A lot of homeowners spend a ton of effort, time and money filtering and purifying their indoor air. Yet, even the best HVAC contractors in Cincinnati don’t always recommend one of the simplest ways to purify the air inside their home – houseplants.

While all plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, some varieties of plants also draw noxious chemicals from the air, including formaldehyde and benzene. These and other substances can contaminate indoor air as a result of household cleaning products, paints and stains, and even new furniture and carpeting. Following are some houseplant types that are especially good at cleaning indoor air:

Try Some of These Houseplants to Help Cleanse Indoor Air

Garden mum. NASA research on houseplants and air quality shows that the garden mum pulls ammonia, benzene, xylene and formaldehyde from the air, among other chemicals. Especially common in the fall, mums are easily purchased at garden and home-improvement stores, and you can plant them after they’re done blooming.

Aloe vera. Known as well as “the medicine plant,” aloe vera is simple to grow and does well in sunlight. Airborne chemicals it targets include benzene and formaldehyde. You’ve probably heard of the other benefits gel from the aloe vera plant provides: assisting in the healing of skin cuts and soothing skin irritations such as sunburn, insect bites and poison ivy.

Spider plant. The common spider plant is a great choice for people new to gardening and indoor plants. This likeable plant filters benzene, formaldehyde and even carbon monoxide. It also can filter the xylene that’s contained in stains, paints and varnishes.

English ivy. This common plant is especially adept at filtering out bacteria such as E Coli and toxins in the air, among them formaldehyde.

This is just a partial list of the long list of houseplants that will help keep your home’s indoor air clean and healthy. Others include

  • peace lily,
  • Dracaenas,
  • Boston ferns,
  • African violets and
  • chrysanthemums.

We don’t want to oversell the utility of houseplants as clean-air aids, however. You’ll still want to keep the air filter in your HVAC system clean; clean your house regularly; keep substances that emit VOC (volatile organic compounds) properly sealed and stored; and consider a whole-house air-cleaning system that works with your central heating and cooling system.

But the great thing about houseplants is they’re multi-taskers, cleaning indoor air at the same time as they make a room more attractive and natural-feeling.

Furnace Tune Up

$129 System Tune Up

Maintenance Club Members
Save $30

SCHEDULE NOW

Cool Cash Savings

Save up to $2100

With Purchase of a
Qualifying System

Schedule A Quote

Plus Special Financing

0% Up to 60 Months

Subject to credit approval.
See dealer for details.

Schedule a Quote

Get the Best of Both Heating Worlds With a Dual Fuel Heating System

Electric air-source heat pumps are great for energy-efficient, consistent heating during the winter. However, they aren’t perfect. When the outside temperatures fall below freezing for extended periods, most consumer heat pumps will struggle to heat your home comfortably. They have a hard time extracting sufficient heat energy from the outside air when its temperature falls substantially below freezing. That’s where a hybrid or dual fuel heating system enters the picture. They use a gas furnace to step in and take over from the heat pump during very cold weather. Natural gas heating is a cheaper option for auxiliary heating than the usual heat-pump backup, an electric coil.