We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Shopping
Home
Decor

Posted on Jan 15, 2021

8 Air Purifying Plants That Are Almost Impossible To Kill And Look Great In Any Home

They'll help improve your life and they're hard to kill.

by Christine Forbes

BuzzFeed Staff

Did you know that many common household items contain benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and other nasty stuff? Well, if you're looking to improve the quality of air in your home, consider buying a plant. Studies suggest that houseplants can absorb some of the chemicals mentioned above.

Bob's Burgers // Fox

Granted, you'd need a lot of plants to significantly improve your air quality, but plants have many other benefits as well, including enhanced mental wellness.

Here are some of the most durable air-purifying plants to help improve your living space with minimal plant parenting skills required:

1. Pothos will forgive you for being a neglectful or inexperienced plant parent. It's a sponge for formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and more.

2. Aloe plants are simply too good for us. They absorb formaldehyde, benzene, AND the leaves are the ultimate hair and skin moisturizer. It's a top tier low maintenance plant, I don't make the rules.

3. Chinese Evergreens help to eliminate benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. If you have a poorly ventilated room, this will definitely come in handy!

A Chinese Evergreen plant with lush foliage

4. Peace Lilies can add some tranquility to your home during these trying times. Want to help drain harmful things like ammonia (found in many household cleaners)? Grab one of these babies.

A flowering Peace Lily sitting on a table. It has large leaves and white flowers

5. English Ivy can withstand more than the average bear, so to speak. I propagated mine for two years (a big no-no) and it's still kicking! Its gift to you: helping to nip mold and fecal matter from the air. It can take care of toxins such as carbon monoxide, trichloroethylene, and more.

6. A Parlor Palm because even though traveling may not be safe, you can still get that ~tropical vibe~ from home. They tackle the toxic fumes in cigarette smoke making them one of the BEST plants for air quality.

7. Snake Plants reward your neglect by absorbing toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene — which can be found in paint, cleaning fluids, and spray adhesives. Please don't water this plant more than once every two weeks, I beg 😭.

A person holding medium and large-sized Snake Plants

8. And Spider Plants add pops of color to any room while helping to eliminate formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. Plus, it's one of the most most adaptable houseplants you can have.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Looking for more stuff to help make your house a home? Check out the best places to buy inexpensive furniture online, the best places to buy couches online, cute home decor you’ll wish you knew about sooner, or check out all of our home content for even more great ideas.

Browse links

8 Air Purifying Plants That Are Almost Impossible To Kill And Look Great In Any Home

Did you know that many common household items contain benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and other nasty stuff? Well, if you're looking to improve the quality of air in your home, consider buying a plant. Studies suggest that houseplants can absorb some of the chemicals mentioned above.

Here are some of the most durable air-purifying plants to help improve your living space with minimal plant parenting skills required:

1. Pothos will forgive you for being a neglectful or inexperienced plant parent. It's a sponge for formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and more.

2. Aloe plants are simply too good for us. They absorb formaldehyde, benzene, AND the leaves are the ultimate hair and skin moisturizer. It's a top tier low maintenance plant, I don't make the rules.

3. Chinese Evergreens help to eliminate benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. If you have a poorly ventilated room, this will definitely come in handy!

4. Peace Lilies can add some tranquility to your home during these trying times. Want to help drain harmful things like ammonia (found in many household cleaners)? Grab one of these babies.

5. English Ivy can withstand more than the average bear, so to speak. I propagated mine for two years (a big no-no) and it's still kicking! Its gift to you: helping to nip mold and fecal matter from the air. It can take care of toxins such as carbon monoxide, trichloroethylene, and more.

6. A Parlor Palm because even though traveling may not be safe, you can still get that ~tropical vibe~ from home. They tackle the toxic fumes in cigarette smoke making them one of the BEST plants for air quality.

7. Snake Plants reward your neglect by absorbing toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene — which can be found in paint, cleaning fluids, and spray adhesives. Please don't water this plant more than once every two weeks, I beg 😭.

8. And Spider Plants add pops of color to any room while helping to eliminate formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. Plus, it's one of the most most adaptable houseplants you can have.

Looking for more stuff to help make your house a home? Check out the best places to buy inexpensive furniture online, the best places to buy couches online, cute home decor you’ll wish you knew about sooner, or check out all of our home content for even more great ideas.

What's your favorite product?

8 Air Purifying Plants That Are Almost Impossible To Kill And Look Great In Any Home

Did you know that many common household items contain benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and other nasty stuff? Well, if you're looking to improve the quality of air in your home, consider buying a plant. Studies suggest that houseplants can absorb some of the chemicals mentioned above.

Here are some of the most durable air-purifying plants to help improve your living space with minimal plant parenting skills required:

1. Pothos will forgive you for being a neglectful or inexperienced plant parent. It's a sponge for formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and more.

2. Aloe plants are simply too good for us. They absorb formaldehyde, benzene, AND the leaves are the ultimate hair and skin moisturizer. It's a top tier low maintenance plant, I don't make the rules.

3. Chinese Evergreens help to eliminate benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. If you have a poorly ventilated room, this will definitely come in handy!

4. Peace Lilies can add some tranquility to your home during these trying times. Want to help drain harmful things like ammonia (found in many household cleaners)? Grab one of these babies.

5. English Ivy can withstand more than the average bear, so to speak. I propagated mine for two years (a big no-no) and it's still kicking! Its gift to you: helping to nip mold and fecal matter from the air. It can take care of toxins such as carbon monoxide, trichloroethylene, and more.

6. A Parlor Palm because even though traveling may not be safe, you can still get that ~tropical vibe~ from home. They tackle the toxic fumes in cigarette smoke making them one of *the* BEST plants for air quality.

7. Snake Plants reward your neglect by absorbing toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene — which can be found in paint, cleaning fluids, and spray adhesives. Please don't water this plant more than once every two weeks, I beg 😭.

8. And Spider Plants add pops of color to any room while helping to eliminate formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. Plus, it's one of the most most adaptable houseplants you can have.

Looking for more stuff to help make your house a home? Check out the best places to buy inexpensive furniture online, the best places to buy couches online, cute home decor you’ll wish you knew about sooner, or check out all of our home content for even more great ideas.

Share This Article

What's your favorite product?

6. A Parlor Palm because even though traveling may not be safe, you can still get that ~tropical vibe~ from home. They tackle the toxic fumes in cigarette smoke making them one of the BEST plants for air quality.