5 Plants That Can Help Improve Air Quality in Your Home

Here's your excuse to buy more houseplants.

By Tehrene Firman, Dr Oz The Good Life

Just because you can't see pollutants in your home doesn't mean they aren't there. In an August 2016 study, researchers looked at eight common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — the potentially harmful compounds found in paint, cleaning supplies, and other common household items — and plants that excel at absorbing those compounds through their leaves and roots. Here are the five plants they looked at and the VOCs they absorb best.

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Jade Plant

This succulent isn't just fun to look at. Researchers also found it beats out the other plants at removing toluene — found in paint thinners, lacquers, and adhesives — where it wiped out 91 percent of the pollutant over a 12-hour sampling period.

Spider Plant

The chemicals found in items like ink and rubber weren't a problem around this guy. The spider plant, which gets its name from its shape, was the best at removing ethylbenzene (62 percent), p-Xylene (92 percent), and o-Xylene (93 percent) from the air over a 12-hour sampling period.

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Bromeliad

This plant is more than just a pretty face. Not only was it the most effective at removing pollutants overall — wiping out more than 80 percent of six of the eight compounds — but it also took the cake in getting rid of 92 percent of benzene, a gas found in cigarette smoke.

Dracaena

All of the plants were great at removing acetone — the chemical found in nail polish remover — but dracaena did the best, removing more than 94 percent of the chemical in only 12 hours.
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Caribbean Tree Cactus

And here we thought cacti couldn't get any cooler. The Caribbean tree cactus removed a handful of VOCs from the air: 80 percent of p-Xylenes, ethylbenzene, and acetone, and 60 percent of toluene, o-Xylene, and benzene.