What You Need to Know About Easy Care Houseplants that Purify the Air
Houseplants are wonderful additions to the home that add life, color and purify the air in living spaces.
Green up a space and it instantly feels more alive.
And my motto is the more plants the merrier.
How Do Houseplants Purify the Air?
Houseplants clean the air through a process called photosynthesis.
They remove toxins from the air by converting exhaled carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen.
Years ago, NASA researched how houseplants purify the air by diffusing toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzane, and trichloroethylene and filter the air we breathe.
It’s a pretty cool landmark study – you can read it here.
When I first started gardening, I was more of an outdoor gardener than an indoor gardener.
Over the years, I’ve been increasingly adding more plants to my home and the result is pretty amazing: we are sick less often.
Now I’m not suggesting or guaranteeing that you’ll never get sick but we have experienced far less colds and viruses through the years since adding more houseplants to our home.
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The Benefits of Adding Houseplants that Purify the Air
By adding a few plants, we have the ability to improve indoor air quality.
Do you get sick a lot or have bad indoor allergies?
Indoor air pollution directly impacts our health and comes from a variety of sources that include benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toluene.
In addition to purifying the air, houseplants add life and character to both indoor and outdoor spaces.
They boost our mood and breathe life into otherwise empty spaces.
Low Maintenance Houseplants that Purify the Air
For best practices, you’ll need about two plants per 100 square feet.
But since I’m giving you an easy-care, hard to kill list of plants, having more plants around will be pretty simple.
Oh, and if you want to know how to care for these houseplants, follow these tips for success.
And here are some tips to help you learn how to care for plants in winter.
Snake Plant
Snake plants are one of my favorite houseplants.
They are super low maintenance, hardy succulent that thrives on neglect.
Sounds pretty easy right?
They can handle almost any light conditions.
Put them in a room with at least one window and don’t over-water them.
To give you a frame of reference, when mine is indoors, I water them maybe once a month.
They are so cool because they thrive on very little water and light as well as add lots of drama and life to living spaces.
My husband thought I was nuts for keeping this one at the cabin because there are times when we aren’t there for several weeks to possibly months, but it can go a long time without care.
If you are new to gardening or think you kill everything, try caring for a snake plant. You’ll find the most success with this one.
Aloe Vera
Aloe plants are another succulent plant that are super easy to care for.
They love a bright sunny spot and do not overwater because they prefer dry conditions.
Much like the snake plant, I probably water these like once a month.
I started with one Aloe plant and it’s been sprouting lots of babies.
Learn how to propagate aloe plants here.
Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese Evergreen is a great starter plant for beginning gardeners because it tolerates low light and drought, but also loves humidity.
Bathrooms are a great spot for them.
If kept in a less humid room, mist the leaves occasionally to keep them from browning.
Also, if it gets enough sunlight, it may produce a bloom.
I haven’t seen one yet on mine, but I’ll let you know when it happens!
Flamingo Lily
Flamingo Lily’s are gorgeous flowering houseplants that can bloom year-round but need indirect sunlight, humid temperatures, and water to thrive.
They do not like wet feet though, so check the soil before watering to be sure it is dry.
My daughter is a new plant mom and chose this one to start with.
Don’t you love those pretty flowers?
Peace Lily
Peace Lily symbolizes sympathy.
They work grow well in partial sunlight, humid climates, and produce blooms.
If you have a pet, peace lily’s can be toxic to them. Be sure to keep out of their reach.
Spider Plant
Spider plants are resilient houseplants that grow well in bright, indirect sunlight with lots of water.
They are very easy to propagate when mature because they produce these little spiderettes that can be removed and rooted in water or soil.
Pothos or Devil’s Ivy
Pothos is one of my favorite houseplants because it looks great on a shelf and vines down.
This plant loves indirect sunlight and only needs to be watered when dry.
If you are a self-proclaimed plant killer, try pothos because it’s nearly impossible to kill.
And it is so easy to propagate pothos too.
Philodendron
There are so many varieties of philodendrons.
I have a split leave philodendron that I picked up from Lowe’s several years ago.
When I purchased it in a small pot, it had only five leaves.
After one summer on my deck, it grew exponentially and gives off a tropical vibe.
Philodendrons thrive on very little care but they do need a good amount of light, so when indoors keep them near a bright sunny window.
This is my split-leaf philodendron and it LOVES to be outside! It requires such little care throughout the year and it so easy to grow.
If you are new to gardening or feel like you kill everything, start with one plant from this list and follow my tips on houseplant care.
You’ll be amazed at how good of a plant parent you actually are!
More Posts You May Enjoy
- 7 Ways to Keep Houseplants Alive
- How to Care for Plants in Winter
- The Secret to Keeping Houseplants Alive
- How to Propagate Aloe Plants
- Dividing Perennials
- Potting Bench Idea
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These are great tips. One of these days I’m gonna give house plants a try! I always love how they look!
Thank you Ann! I hope you do – you’ll enjoy them! xoxo
Great post! Love all the information about house plants. They’re so beautiful and help out our home environment as well!!
I couldn’t agree more Lori. Thank you!!! xoxo
I have some of these in my home already. One of my latest purchases is a pale snake plant. It’s so pretty and I know I won’t kill it lol! Good to hear that it’s also helping to purify the air in our home!
Those are my faves! They add a lot personality and are SO easy to care for! I bought one plant a few years so, and from that I now have like 6 (from propagation). Enjoy it Jayne!!!
So much great information! I’m so glad that houseplants are back in style. It takes me back to the 70s when all of the moms had a house full of plants.
Yes remember that? Now you can get cool plant hanging accessories like back then too! They are so cool aren’t they?
Lately, I have killed everything — except believe it or not — -two fiddle figs. They both have dropped a large amount of leaves all at once but then started sprouting new ones up at the top. Kind of transforming from tall skinny shrubs to trees. Fingers crossed.
That’s great to hear! I have not ventured into fiddle leaf figs yet but they are such beautiful plants! Maybe I’ll get one this year…
Stacy, I’m a new plant mom with a black thumb (in the past). I’m doing pretty well so far. A few succulents died. I’m sure I overwatered them. BUT a few of the others are doing well. Funny though, I didn’t know what they were until this article! I just thought they looked good so I bought them. Now I know how to care for them!! I’m subscribing … keep posting about inside houseplants as a long winter is ahead!!
Allison you made my day!!! Thank you! and I’m gong to be talking a lot about them over the next several months! xoxo
Great tips and you have some beautiful plants. I have recently started having more real plants and trying to keep them alive
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that! You got this!!!! xoxo
I always love learning about house plants! I have so many, it’s nice to know they are helping to purify my air!
Isn’t that so cool? I love having the greens in the winter too.
I haven’t had much luck with indoor plants. I was just thinking I may need to give some another try.
You definately should! Try one from this list but if I were to recommend some – I’d start with snake plant. They thrive on neglect – you can’t kill it if you tried! xoxo
Oh I so needed this! I want to get more plants, but they have to be super hearty or I’ll kill them.
These are a great place to start! You can do this!!! xoxo
Great post Stacy! I have most of these in my home. I don’t know what I would do without my houseplants 🙂
Thank you Jennifer! Me too! I love having them! xoxo
Thanks for this post! glad to know we have some of these plants already. During these times, it may just be important for our home when we are climate controlled or in polluted areas.
Absolutely Linda! I couldn’t agree more! Houseplants look pretty and clean the air – it’s a win-win! xoxo
Great round up of house plants! Love all your tips.
Thanks so much Marie! Happy Sunday! xoxo
What a fantastic, informative post. Thank you.
Thank you SO much Carol! xoxo
This is so great – wonderful information!
I really appreciate that! Thank you Darla!!!
I love this! Thanks for all the names. I’ll know exactly what to look for!!
Thank you so much Sharon!!! I’m so glad! xoxo
Chinese Evergreen and Philodendron are my favs!
I pinned this for later reference, thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that! I just picked up the chinese evergreen and love the foliage!!! Thank you for pinning!!! xoxo
I love your site. I am so happy I found it. We recently moved to a new home with a lot of natural light and I’m excited to add some plants. I never thought about them improving the quality of the air. I am part of KariAnne’s Mastermind group and that is how I found you.
I am so happy to hear that!!! It’s so nice to meet you through her! I will check out your blog too! xoxoxo
These are such great tips Stacy! I might even try to raise a sweet little indoor plant or two!
Outside plants I can do and they thrive. Inside not so much. lol I love the Chinese evergreen! What a pretty plant! I typically don’t have any live plants in my home. You have given such great information. It makes me want to give this black thumb another go.
You totally got this!!! Indoors I stick with easy care plants that are resilient. Try starting with snake plant – they are super easy and you can’t kill them if you tried!
So informative! I am such a black thumb! These would be perfect for me!
We will change that! There is a green thumb in there! Thank you so much!!! xoxo
Love it, fellow plant Mama!! I have the biggest crush on your potting bench!!
Lots of great information! I love all the pictures! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you so much Kimberly!!
Stacy, I’ve never had a green thumb but this post has inspired me to get at least one plant in the house! Thank you
I am so glad to hear that! It starts with one! xoxo
What a great post Stacy. Sadly I seem to stink at house plants, but you have given me an extra good reason to give it another go! Thanks so much for sharing this great information.
Thank you Chas! I used to stink with houseplants too. If you try any from this list – try snakeplant – you literally can’t kill it. xoxo
Thank you for your time and effort in putting together these great pictures and tips. Around here (my home) I’ve been called the plant whisperer for my love of making things grow. Unknown to the others I used to be better at it. My old house I had the flower beds others envied. I could bring a rose stick back to life. Now our house has so much rock outside I can’t get anything really to grow, I’ve lost a few plants trying so now I am turning to house plants for now love my aloe. With your tips I now have a list to go plant shopping 😃 again thank you
I am so glad you are finding it helpful! It’s amazing how different climates produce different results. We have a cabin in VT and the gardening there is very different from here in NJ. I’m so happy to meet you Lisa. Happy Sunday!
Hi Stacy,
I really like your website. I have to admit that I have killed many plants by over-watering them, but I bought a watering meter and it works great. My apartment is full of plants — I wish I had a bigger apartment!
During the summer months, I have window boxes on the railing right outside my apartment door so when I open the door, I am greeted with beautiful colored leaves and flowers and they put a smile on my face.
My landlord also gave me and another tenant permission to plant a garden on a small piece of ground that was basically dirt. We started this project at the end of last summer with 4 different flowering plants and every one bloomed this summer. We were so happy. Next spring, we plan to plant at least 2 more plants.
I will continue to follow your website for helpful hints.
Hi Elena! It is so nice to meet you! That is great that you can plant a garden outside!!! I got the gardening but while my husband and I lived in a small condo with no outdoor living space area. I started with a few houseplants but was able to tuck some annuals in two of the front beds that was shared with our downstairs neighbor. I was so happy to be able to plant something outside! xoxo
Thank you for linking up at Embracing Home and Family! I am featuring this post on Friday! My mom is a house plant lady, so this post makes me smile! My daughters have caught on to her love for succulents, so my kitchen windows have been taken over!
Thank you so much Jennifer! I am so grateful for the feature! That is so cool – isn’t it so neat to see the kids get into it? Houseplants are a lot of fun – took me a while to get the hang of them and I love how the green up my house when we are in the throws of winter. xoxo
I just added a bunch of plants to the kitchen after remodeling but we added a large fan in there and it seemed like it was drying all the plants out so of course I overwatered everything and now they are mostly dead so then I got some succulents oops they thrive outside but inside all dead … I’m about to repurchase plants for my containers but want mostly small plants I had a calle Lilly that did great at first and I do have a couple little vines still hanging in there 🙀 I did try the glass bulb watering things where u fill it with water and it waters as need when placed in the plants with stem in the ground and I would like your opinion on these ?
Before these I killed about 30 orchids by leaving them in the ceramic containers I bought them in even . I’m about to try some new ones so I’ll try spider plants and vines and a new peace Lilly as it also is dead lol wish me luck and any updates would be great
Hi Sandi! I’ve never tried those globes before. I check the soil before watering with all of my plants and that has dramatically helped them thrive and survive. They also really appreciate a summer vacation so I set mine out on my deck after all danger of frost has passed and bring them in before the first frost here. Keep them out of direct sunlight when they are outside though. I hope this helps!!! xoxo
MISinformation on the NASA plant/clean air study. Often quoted, but incorrectly. Sure, plants clean the air. But to get that benefit, u would have to literally live in a greenhouse situation! That’s right. 5 or 6 isn’t gonna do much of anything. Hardly anyone gets this right. The clarification came out last year.
If you read what I wrote, I didn’t misquote anything. I mentioned the study and provided my personal experience with adding houseplants to my home – which I stand by. My house is not a greenhouse, but I do care for several plants. Since I started accumulating them, we have been sick less often. I attribute this to my plants. It’s my opinion. After reading your comment, I researched for an actual study by NASA clarifying it’s position and found nothing. It is correct that a certain amount of plants per square foot are needed to benefit. I have not measured that out in my home. I just enjoy caring for my houseplants and hope others find that same joy. The point of the blog is, there are easy care plants that purify the air and that anyone can grow these plants because they are very low-maintenance. Enjoy your day.