Most people collect indoor plants because they are pretty. True, their beauty is undeniable, but they offer much more than that – among others, plants increase humidity, remove harmful particles from air, reduce carbon dioxide, reduce headaches and stress, and improve mental health. And while all houseplants have something to give, some species offer more than others, and that’s why they are on the top of our list:

Peace Lily

This beautiful, dark-leaved and white-flowered plant is a huge favorite thanks to its capabilities of removing toxins from air, including toxins that are a result of smoking. Besides these advantages, peace lilies are easy to care for, resist pests quite well and are happy in lower light conditions, too. Remember to be careful with watering – in fact, this plant will indicate its thirst by drooping, so you’ll always know the right time for watering.

Spider Plant

Spider plants are a great addition to your plant collection, as they purify the air, too, absorbing carbon monoxide from it. Spider plants are easy to propagate, so if you get one plant, after a while you might have enough for every room in your home. Make sure to place them in indirect sunlight and water them weekly.

Red-edged Dracaena

Dracaenas can grow from small houseplants to tall trees, but as they grow slowly, you don’t need to worry about the space (at the beginning, at least). Dracaenas are quite popular nowadays, as this plant not only looks like a tropical palm tree, but it also clears the air from unhealthy chemicals like formaldehyde and xylene. And they usually aren’t expensive either!

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a well-known plant, mostly due its connection to various skin care and pain relief creams and tinctures. This plant, in fact, contains a gel that helps with sore skin and healing wounds, but the plant itself also removes chemicals like formaldehyde from air. To keep an aloe alive, however, you will need to remember that this plant is basically a succulent, so it doesn’t need frequent watering. Make sure to pot yours in a terracotta planter to avoid root rot!

English Ivy

This plant is not only easy to care for, but it also humidifies and purifies air – it reduces chemicals like xylene, formaldehyde or benzene. It is also quite easy to propagate, so it’s usually easy (and cheap) to acquire. To keep your plant happy, give it a lot of indirect light and water it regularly!

Snake Plant

The snake plant is one of the best beginner plants and is almost impossible to kill. It also does a fantastic job at filtering the toxins out of the air and survives well in lower light making it the perfect air filter to add to any corner of your house as long as a window is present in the room. Allow your soil to dry out in between waterings and allow good drainage to keep these beautiful plants happy. 

Now more than ever it is becoming apparent how important the air we breathe really is. Breathing polluted air increases levels of toxins in our bodies, can lead to increased headaches, trigger asthma, and decrease energy levels as well as countless other health inhibitors. Choosing to use plants to help purify and clean the air that you breathe is so beneficial not only for your health but for the health of the world. Reduce your stress, increase your energy levels, eliminate harmful toxins, and add some style to your house all with one easy step. Buy more plants.