10 Best Air Purifying Houseplants

Last Updated: December 31, 2021

Why choose Air Purifying Houseplants?

Having houseplants around your space has a wide variety or benefits. Not only do all of the plants on this list look great, they also help massively in purifying and cleaning the air in your home. You will need quite a few plants in your spaces to really make a big difference – but we’re definitely not going to complain about that!

We’re always looking for new reasons and excuses to buy houseplants but this is actually a very valid one, with studies from the likes of NASA confirming that houseplants do indeed scrub volatile compounds like formaldehyde and benzene from the air.

1

Snake Plant

Sansevieria Trifasciata

The bold and striking leaves of the Snake Plant make it stand out wherever you put it! Not only are they slow-growing, but they transcend upwards so are great for small spaces or that corner you never know what to do with. They have some of the sturdiest leaves or any houseplant, and their sharp leaf tips have given the plant the nickname of mother-in-laws-tongue!

When it comes to care, Snake Plant are super easy to look after, they can adapt to a range of light levels (are great low light plants), prefer dry soil and don’t need much attention in the way of misting or repotting etc. So if you want a low maintenance, sturdy houseplant, then the Snake Plant is your perfect match!

Find out more in our Snake Plant care guide.

2

Devil's Ivy

Epipremnum aureum

These are pretty unique houseplants because they actually prefer lower-light conditions over anything else! That’s where the name comes from, as they are well acquainted with the darkness. If you have a variegated variety, it will actually start to lose its pattern if placed in too much sunlight. So you don’t need to feel guilty about putting a Devil’s Ivy in a shady spot because it will actually love you for it.

They are also pretty hardy plants in terms of their other care requirements. They don’t need complicated watering schedules or specific pruning so are perfect for any new plant parents. You can’t really go wrong with these at all!

When it comes to styling the Devil’s Ivy plant, shelving is where they thrive as it gives it room to cascade dramatically out of the pot. They can be trained to grow upwards by a wall or moss pole so the option is yours.

Find out more in our Devil's Ivy care guide.

3

Peace Lily

Spathiphyllum wallisii

There’s a reason that Peace Lilies are so popular, and it’s not just because of their incredible white flowers. They are super low maintenance plants that can adapt and thrive in most homes. They can tolerate all light levels which is super rare for houseplants.

Our favourite thing about the Peace Lily is that it really helps us plant parents out by drooping its leaves when it really needs water. This can help you spot underwatering before it’s really a problem. Within minutes of watering, the leaves will perk up – it’s pretty cool! And if we haven’t sold you on the Peace Lily yet, then you should probably know that they are also one of the best plants at purifying the air and removing chemicals from your home!

Find out more in our Peace Lily care guide.

4

Spider Plant

Chlorophytum comosum

Spider Plants are the perfect plant for a houseplant beginner as they are super easy to care for, grow pretty quickly, and produce an abundance of spider babies which can be propagated in seconds.

The best thing about Spider Plants is that you would really have to try to kill them as they adapt to and survive in most environments and don’t mind being a little neglected. They even show you when they need more water by going quite light green. But after a little bit of water, they spring back to full health in minutes.

As your plant matures, you’ll start to see it sprouting little spiderettes which you can choose to remove from the plant to create new Spider Plants. They really are the gift that keeps on giving.

Find out more in our Spider Plant care guide.

5

Aloe Vera

Aloe Barbadensis Miller

Although Aloe Vera plants are commonly loved for their gel, they are much more than just their health and beauty benefits, as they make for a super minimalist and forgiving houseplant! Like most other succulents, Aloe Vera plants don’t need much tending to as they thrive in dry coarse potting mix. But it is important that they get a good amount of bright light or will become quite straggly.

As they mature a little, you’ll see lots of little Aloe pups popping up which can be very easily removed from the mother plant and propagated! Aloe plants are super affordable and you can pick them up basically anywhere that sells plants, even supermarkets will often sell them in the summer months.

Find out more in our Aloe Vera care guide.

6

Boston Fern

Nephrolepis exaltata

If you want to bring some jungle indoors, then the lush Boston Fern is the go-to! However, looking after them isn’t always easy as they can be a little fussy when grown indoors. There are two main things that your Boston Fern needs; bright sunshine and high humidity. This means you need to be prepared to mist your Fern daily to avoid crispy leaves.

The one downside we find to owning Boston Ferns is that they do shed a lot of leaves so you’ll find yourself tidying up after it quite a lot. But with the right care, they’ll reward you with luscious green wilderness.

Another great thing about Boston Ferns is they are pretty cheap and you shouldn’t run into too much trouble finding them in plant shops around the world.

Find out more in our Boston Fern care guide.

7

Dragon Tree

Dracaena draco

The Dragon Tree was actually our first ever houseplant and ignited our initial love for caring for indoor plants many years ago. Native to Madagascar, it’s a timeless plant that brings elegance and style to every room. They are also super easy to care for and are great at purifying the air which makes them the perfect entry-level houseplant.

You’ll have a hard time trying to kill a Dragon Tree as they are pretty drought-tolerant and forgiving when it comes to light, temperature levels and humidity so it’ll adapt well to every spot in your home.

Although they can reach up to 6 metres in their natural outdoor habitat, they’ll only ever get to about 1.5/2 metres when grown indoors (and even this will take years and years) so you don’t need to worry about it getting too big to handle.

Find out more in our Dragon Tree care guide.

8

Rubber Plant

Ficus elastica

The name Rubber Plant comes from the latex in the leaves, which was once used to actually make rubber! They are a great plant to bring a little bit of that rainforest feel right into your home. And whilst they can reach about 30 metres in their native environment, when potted in your home they’ll be much smaller don’t worry!

Caring for your Rubber Plant doesn’t have to be difficult. Good light levels and not too much water are the basics to remember. As they are native to Southern Asia, they love humidity and will really struggle with dry air so regularly misting will keep your plant happy and healthy.

Find out more in our Rubber Plant care guide.

9

Weeping Fig

ficus benjamina

Hardy and easy to care for, that is why Weeping Figs are loved all around the world! They’re happy in bright, indirect light levels and don’t have any special watering requirements at all – making them great for beginner houseplant parents. The only major quirk to note is that they don’t care to be moved around, this can actually cause a quite serious shock to the plant and cause some damage. If you want to make sure that your Weeping Fig (ficus) is going to thrive we’d recommend investing in a humidifier, keeping the humidity up will keep your plant happier and much healthier too!

It’s also good to know that Weeping Figs are completely non-toxic, meaning they’re pet and child friendly!

Find out more in our Weeping Fig care guide.

Fiddle and Thorn is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Take our houseplant survey!

Quickly respond to our 30 second houseplant survey and get 75% off our Complete Houseplant Care eBook!

Take the Survey

No thanks...