When my husband and I moved into our home a few months ago I had no idea what to do with the indoor balcony space that overlooks the living area. The space is kind of awkward in the way that it’s quite narrow and there isn’t much space to fit furniture in it. Initially I wanted to turn it into a meditative space with rugs and throw pillows but as the plants started to pile up because I’m plant obsessed I figure why not turn the space into a jungle.
While in the process of creating the indoor jungle balcony and researching tropical plants I found out that there are certain plants that are better at cleaning the air in your home. NASA did a Clean Air Study back in 1989 and the results suggest that certain indoor plants provide a natural way of removing toxic agents from the air like formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia to just name a few. I’m sure that all plants have the natural ability to clean the air but these select few are just better at it.
If your home or office doesn’t have much air flow and the indoor environment is stagnant this can allow for pollutants to build up to levels that can be harmful to breath in all day. I live on a fairly busy street in LA so I wanted to make sure that a good portion of the plants in the jungle weren’t just pretty to look at but also useful. Here a a few on the NASA Air Cleaning List you can find the full list here.
Air Cleaning House Plants
Peace Lily
Spider Plant
Dwarf Date Palm
Bamboo Palm
Variegated Snake Plant
Heartleaf Philodendron
Cornstalk Dracaena
Rubber Plant
Banana Plant
Mary Kay
I am so beyond obsessed with your living space. The colors, the vibes and the aesthetic. You truly live a beautiful life Jules! I have been wanting to add plants to my space forever! Both my mother and grandmothers had green thumbs and I ache to have one too.
Thank you for the information. I love the rubber and banana plants the most! Xx