Did you know houseplants can clean the air in your home? Houseplants that can improve your health and clean air as well as add to your home decor?! Yes, please!

So, this is a controversial subject in the “houseplant Instagram world.” In the 1980s, NASA researched houseplants and their abilities to clean the air of VOCs – Volatile organic compounds.

Nailpolish paints and other objects give off VOCs, and in large quantities, they can cause serious issues. Knowing that they were sending astronauts into space in highly sealed space crafts led them to conduct these studies. The studies showed that yes, plants can purify the air, but it needs to be a sealed environment. So, with that said, unless you are living in a little bubble, your plants are no purifying the air as they would a spacecraft. But that doesn’t mean that your houseplants aren’t not purifying the air a little. So, the more, the merrier. Plants still do something. According to the scientists, you would need between 100 to 1,000 plants for every 10 square feet to make a measurable difference in fighting indoor air pollution.

The average person spends 90% or more of their day inside and based on reports about pollution and smog, many people believe that indoor air is safer, but in many cases, the closed environment indoors can lead to a build-up of a toxic soup of chemicals from tracked in dirt and pesticides to harmful off-gassing from carpets and cleaning chemicals.

Fortunately, there is something you can do that is affordable and healthy for cleansing the indoor air in your home or office and making it a safe place to live and breathe.

Here are 11 plants that are not only beautiful but have also been proven to clean the air of harmful toxins!

Top 11 Houseplants for Clean Air in Your Home

1. Areca Palm This lush tropical palm not only has an elegant appearance to beautify your home, but has been proven in studies to remove harmful chemicals such as xylene and toluene from the air.
2. Snake Plant Also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, this attractive plant is great for bedrooms because it actively converts CO2 into oxygen at night.
3. Money Plant An adorable little tree for any corner of your home, this plant can remove formaldehyde from the air. Formaldehyde can cause cancer and is found in many home furnishings including carpet, synthetic fabrics, and wood glues.
4. Peace Lily As beautiful in person as it is in name, the peace lily will bring peace and light to your home with its toxin-busting power. It was proven by a NASA study to remove a wide range of chemicals including gasoline, paint fumes, tobacco smoke, and more.
5. Aloe Vera Long known for its skin-soothing properties, this hardy succulent is also great at soaking up toxic chemicals like benzene which is found in paint and many indoor cleaners.
6. Spider Plant This tidy little tropical plant doesn’t require a lot of care and absorbs mold and common allergens like pet dander.
7. English Ivy No houseplant collection is complete without a charming creeper and what is better than a pretty ivy that can suck formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, and even trace amounts of carbon monoxide out of the air.
8. Boston Fern is a regular favorite not only because of its pleasing appearance but because it generates more oxygen per square inch than almost any other plant. It also transpires water, making it a natural humidifier.
9. African Violets These pretty flowers offer a much-needed punch of color to the usual houseplant lineup and as well as being easy to care for with their minimal sunlight requirements, they are great oxygen creators and pollutant reducers.
10. Chinese Evergreen As well as offering a splash of color to any decor, the Chinese Evergreen is lush, lovely, and easy to care for. Bonus: It has been proven to remove the toxins that become airborne from using common household cleaners and detergent.
11. Chrysanthemum Usually associated with decorating cemeteries, these lovely flowers are easy to grow indoors and can remove a myriad of toxins from indoor air. As well as purifying the air and brightening your home, they also make a healthy tea that can boost your immune system and offer anti-inflammatory properties.

Out of this list, the Peace Lily is my favorite. We have ours in our sun porch and it flowers every couple of weeks during the Spring/Summer Months. It is relatively easy to take care of and adds a beautiful pop of green to our overly white sunporch.

RELATED: 6 Houseplants That Would Love to Live in Your Bathroom

Indoor plants are not only good for boosting your mood by brightening and beautifying your indoor space, they can also boost your health by increasing the oxygen and decreasing the toxins in the air in your home. Rejuvenate and thrive with these 11 life-sustaining plants.