Best houseplants to improve air quality?

[alsoSarah]

Are certain houseplants better than others at improving indoor air quality?


Or, do they all help to about the same degree?
DH and both tend to have, ummm, "not-very-green" thumbs (is there such a thing as having a brown thumb?) with houseplants (our feline fiend doesn't help), but we'd like to try again, especially as we'll be living with new carpet for a few weeks.

Any recommendations would be appreciated, as would any info you might have on whether or not said plants would be dangerous if ingested by a toddler or cat.

Thank you for your time and your advice,

alsoSarah

[momto l&a]

I think Spider plants are really good for improving air quality, sorry I cant remember more about it. I just rememder my mom had read it somewhere so we had at least 2 in every room.
They are very easy to grow, requiring very little care

[Bella's Mama]

See if your library or local bookstore has How to Grow Fresh Air by Dr. B.C. Wolverton. It will provide you with a wealth of information! Because formaldehyde is the most commonly found toxin in indoor air, I'll list the plants that are the most efficient at removing it: (these are listed in order of efficiency) Boston fern, Gerbera daisy, Dwarf date palm, Janet Craig(I have never heard of this one, now Jenny Craig is a different story) Bamboo palm, Kimberley Queen fern, Rubber plant, English ivy, Weeping fig, Peace lily, Areca palm, Corn plant, Lady palm, Schefflera, Dragon tree, Warneckei, Lily turf, and Dendrobium orchid. The houseplants most efficient at removing xylene and toluene are: Areca palm, Dwarf date palm, Moth orchid, Dumb cane, Dragon tree, Dendrobium orchid, Dumb cane, King of Hearts, Kimberley queen fern, Warneckei, Lady Jane, Corn plant, Weeping fig, and Peace Lily. The following plants received the best overall rating based on removal of chemical vapors, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and transpiration rate: Areca Palm (8.5), Lady Palm (8.5), Bamboo Palm (8.4), Rubber Plant (8.0), Janet Craig (7.8), English Ivy (7.8), Dwarf Date Palm (7.8), Ficus Alii (7.7), Boston Fern (7.5), and Peace Lily (7.5). If you need anything else, pm me. I would be happy to look up something Dr. Wolverton's book if you need me to.

[oceanmommy]

Wow ! Bella's mom said it all

I just wanted to add a plant called chinese evergreen is supposed to be very good for air quality. I heard that astronauts have evn taken them into space :

I got mine at a local plant store.

[alsoSarah]

Oh, thank you, thank you!

You mamas are the greatest! I don't know what I would do without this place!

I will definitely feel less creeped-out about having to live with carpet now!

I am going to print out this thread and take it with me when I go plant shopping!

(Bella's Mama, I especially appreciate the time your response must have taken... )

I'm just going to stop now, before I cause a worlwide exclamation-point shortage..

also Sarah

These dolls and toys confuse me so,
confound it all, I love it though!- Jack Skellington

[MamaOui]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Quirky]

Great info as far as air cleaning, but please please please look up the toxicities before you go shopping!! For example, I'm fairly sure that dumb cane and peace lily are very toxic. As in, they can kill you if you ingest them. I don't really know about all the others, but I know that there are some houseplants that are toxic to both kids and animals.

http://www.nybg.org/plants/factsheets/poison.html

http://www.blankees.com/house/plants/poisonous.htm

edited to add: these lists may not be comprehensive, but they're a start. just run a search on google for poisonous houseplants and you'll find a lot of sites.

[Bella's Mama]

Jane is correct, Dumb Cane IS poisonous! All species of dieffenbachia are commonly called dumb cane. Their sap contains calcium oxalate, so ALL parts of the plant are poisonous! Biting any part of the plant will cause the throat to swell and loss of speech that can last for several days. I am so sorry I didn't mention this in my previous post! It was late, and I was just trying to give you the majority of the list so that you had a lot of options! I always make it a rule to ask when I purchase a plant, and then I always double check for myself by going to the library and doing a little research. If you need any other information pm me, I can consult one of my MANY books on the topic!