Plants For Fresh Air

Most green house plants will clean up a variety of pollutants in your home or office. Spider plants and heartleaf philodendron are good at removing formaldehyde from your air (from carpeting, fiberboard, plywood, resins, and natural gas). Also effective at this are azaleas, mother-in-law's tongue, poinsettias, and ficus. English ivy, marginata, and golden pothos combat benzene (found in tobacco smoke, synthetic fibers, plastics, and detergents). Peace lilies and dragon trees can clear up TCE (from paints, varnishes, and wood finishes). So surround yourself with these plants and others for healthier air where you live.

-- Anonymous, June 07, 2002

Answers

These indoor air issues generally relate to NEW houses or renovations (not tobacco smoke). I don't think it is legal to use formaldehyde insulation in house construction any more, at least in my state, and the older houses would have stopped outgassing formaldehyde many years ago, so it is no longer an issue here.

Even so, my kitties would very much like it if I were to buy them a spider plant...

-- Anonymous, June 07, 2002

Formaldehyde is part of the manufacturing process for carpeting. I don't think they have figured out how to do it without yet.

I remember a story in the news a short while ago about a company that had to send everyone home and air the offices out for a couple days because of the new carpet.

having been thru that situation before I can understand it. The office I was in had no windows that opened.

-- Anonymous, June 08, 2002