Is the air in your house as clean as it could be?

How to help scub the air inside your house, without chemicals, sprays or tiresome chores!

NASA Study House Plants Clean Air

* What? NASA studying plants?  YES!! Here's why this is important....

Common indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only decorative, but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings.

NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) have announced the findings of a 2-year study that suggest a sophisticated pollution-absorbing device: the common indoor plant may provide a natural way of helping combat “SICK BUILDING SYNDROME”.
Research into the use of biological processes as a means of solving environmental problems, both on Earth and in space habitats, has been carried out for many years by Dr. Bill Wolverton, formerly a senior research scientist at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Based on preliminary evaluations of the use of common indoor plants for indoor air purification and revitalization, ALCA joined NASA to fund a study using about a dozen popular varieties of ornamental plants to determine their effectiveness in removing several key pollutants associated with indoor air pollution. NASA research on indoor plants has found that living plants are so efficient at absorbing contaminants in the air that some will be launched into space as part of the biological life support system aboard future orbiting space stations.

Here is an incomplete list of their findings...

Plant	Benzene (NASA)	Formaldehyde (NASA) (Wolverton)	Trichloroethylene (NASA)	Xylene and Toluene
English Ivy (Hedera helix)	Yes	Wolverton	No	No
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)	No	NASA	No	No
Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)	No	NASA	No	No
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')	Yes	Wolverton	Yes	No
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)	No	No	No	No
Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)	No	NASA, Wolverton	No	No
Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')	No	NASA	No	No
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)	No	NASA	No	No
Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)	No	NASA	No	No
Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)	No	NASA	No	No
Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)	Yes	NASA	No	Yes
Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')	No	NASA	No	No
Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')	Yes	Wolverton	No	No
Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)[4]	No	Wolverton	No	No
Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)	Yes	Wolverton	Yes	No
Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)	Yes	NASA, Wolverton	Yes	No
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)	No	Wolverton	No	No
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis")	No	Wolverton	No	No
Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)	No	Wolverton	No	Yes
Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)	No	Wolverton	No	Yes
Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)	No	No	No	Yes
Dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium sp.)	No	No	No	Yes
Dumb cane (Camilla) (Dieffenbachia)	No	No	No	Yes
Dumb cane (Exotica)(Dieffenbachia)	No	No	No	Yes
King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii)	No	No	No	Yes
Moth orchid (Phalenopsis sp.)	No	No	No	Yes

The recommendation of NASA is to use 15 to 18 good-sized houseplants in six- to eight-inch (203 mm) diameter containers in a 1,800-square-foot (170 m²) house.


While more research is needed, Wolverton says the study has shown that common indoor landscaping plants can remove certain pollutants from the indoor environment. “We feel that future results will provide an even stronger argument that common indoor landscaping plants can be a very effective part of a system used to provide pollution free homes and work places, ” he concludes.
Each plant type was placed in sealed, Plexiglas chambers in which chemicals were injected. Philodendron, spider plant and the golden pothos were labeled the most effective in removing formaldehyde molecules. Flowering plants such as gerbera daisy and chrysanthemums were rated superior in removing benzene from the chamber atmosphere. Other good performers are Dracaena Massangeana, Spathiphyllum, and Golden Pothos. “Plants take substances out of the air through the tiny openings in their leaves,” Wolverton said. “But research in our laboratories has determined that plant leaves, roots and soil bacteria are all important in removing trace levels of toxic vapors.

Want to scrub your air? Look no further than Wal-Mart, Target or your local nursery for a few of the plants listed above! Double check that none of them are toxic to your dog, cat or bird BEFORE buying it... Better to be safe than real sorry later!

Enjoy the almost Spring weather!!