3 Air-Purifying Indoor Plants

Created By RISC | 1 year ago

Last modified date : 1 year ago

Plants can absorb particles and toxins to improve your home’s air.​

​Plants photosynthesize during the day, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. But they reverse this process at night, which might make you worry about putting them in your home or bedroom.​

But rooms need good ventilation in any case. We exhale more carbon dioxide than plants, especially in a closed bedroom with air conditioning, which can leave us exhausted and cause headaches.​

So, which plants work best indoors?​

You should first consider their ability to improve air quality and absorb toxins. The form of leaves, such as hairy, rough, oily, and of plants, such as leafy or dense, can determine how well they absorb air pollution. These physical properties aid in collecting PM2.5 or absorbing pollutants via stomata during photosynthesis.​

Other toxins in the air, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene, can be absorbed by some plants in addition to tiny particles. Toxins come from paints, glues, sprays, cosmetics and perfumes, chemicals, or burning. Plants grown indoors should be resistant to harsh conditions and require less light.​

RISC suggests 3 plant species that it has researched. All 3 plants require relatively little light, resist interior temperatures, and can reduce air pollution.​
• Episcia cupreata: velvet-like texture ground cover that captures particles with its hairy, rough leaves
• Amioculcas zamiifolia (Lodd.) Engl.: oily-leaf plant coated by hydrophobic wax on leaf surfaces that traps pollutants​
• Dracaena trifasciata: a type of succulent whose air-purifying performance is under study

RISC is studying several species if you’d like more information on air-purifying plants. Find out more at https://www.risc.in.th/plants​

Story by Panpisu Julpanwattana, Senior Sustainable Designer and TREES-A Specialist, RISC