Check Out the 12 Best Air Purifying Plants For Every Home and Skill Level, Hand-Picked for You by Our Team.
Healthy, lively plants are a warm and welcoming addition to any home, but if you’re not a great plant parent, you might feel a bit overwhelmed at just how many options there are to choose from—big plants, small plants, hanging plants, succulents and so much more.
There are a few things that can take your home to the next decor level, whether you're an interior design master or still use the same furniture you shared with your college roomies. Ready for the easiest way to upgrade your home decor vibe? Snag some indoor plants!
Before you get nervous, you should know that you don't even have to be a plant expert to be able to flaunt some gorgeous greenery in your space. As a plant parent myself, I'm here to tell you that there are hundreds of options you can shop for online to find the house plants that are most compatible with your lifestyle and living space. But before you start your indoor plant search, consider a few factors.
To make your selection a little easier, we spent several months researching the most popular houseplants and consulting with several plant experts, using our findings to put together a list of the best indoor air purifying plants for different skill levels and environments.
We also used our own experience and testing with these plant varieties to recommend the best options for your home.
From long, trailing vine-y house plants to ones with blooming flowers, indoor plants make amazing housewarming, congratulatory, and birthday gifts, too. See below for the 12 best indoor air purifying plants:
1. Snake Plant
Snake plants, known also as “mother-in-law’s tongue” and sansevieria, are one of the easiest houseplants to take care of. This awesome plant is very easy to grow and beginner friendly.
Native to southern Africa, snake plants are well adapted to conditions similar to those in southern regions of the United States or in Southern Europe. Because of this, they may be grown outdoors almost all year round in USDA zones 8 and warmer. Snake plants spread by sending out underground runner roots and may become quite invasive, so treat snake plants like you would do with bamboo or other invasive species: only plant it in contained areas or garden beds.
Too much water and freezing temperatures are two of the very few things that can really affect this plant in a negative way. Soggy soil will cause root rot almost certainly, and extended exposure to cold temperatures can severely damage the foliage.
2. Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant is an easy, stunning succulent that makes for a great indoor and outdoor companion. And can also relieve pain from sun burns when applied on the skin.
Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the aloe family. The plant is stemless or very short-stemmed with thick, green, fleshy leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem. The margin of the leaf is serrated with small teeth.
Before you buy an aloe, note that you’ll need a place that offers tons of bright sunlight (or artificial sunlight). Direct sunlight can dry out the plant too much and turn can turn its fleshy leaves yellow, so you may need to water more often if your aloe lives in an especially sunny spot.
Warning: the gel from aloe vera leaves can be used topically, but should not be eaten by people or pets. It can cause unpleasant symptoms such as nausea or indigestion and may even be toxic in larger quantities.
3. Peace Lily
The peace lily plant is an elegant, flowery plant that makes for a great indoor and outdoor addition. Peace lilies bloom in spring with long-lasting flowers that hover gracefully over the green leaves.
Peace lilies are tropical, evergreen plants that thrive on the forest floor, where they receive shaded sunlight and consistent moisture and humidity almost year-round. Replicating these conditions at home is the key to growing your peace lily to be happy and healthy.
With enough light, peace lilies produce white flowers starting in the early summer, continuing to bloom throughout the year if kept in the right conditions.
Most household varieties of peace lily grow up to 16 inches tall, but larger outdoor cultivars can have leaves that reach up to 6 feet in height. Peace lilies are not cold-resistant plants, so they can only be grown outdoors in very warm, humid climates (USDA Zones 10 or 11).
4. Pothos
The pothos plant is a vibrant vine-growing plant that makes for a great indoor addition. Pothos plants are hardy, and one of the easiest houseplants to grow.
Pothos (also called Devil’s Ivy) is a tropical vine with shiny, heart-shaped leaves that often present a gold, white, or yellow variegation. It is one of the easiest houseplants to grow for beginners.
Native to the tropical South Pacific, pothos can now be found throughout the world as an attractive, easy-to-care-for houseplant. Its vining nature makes it a great choice for use in hanging pots, draped across shelves, or climbing up a wall and surfaces.
Pothos gets its other common name — Devil’s Ivy — thanks to its vigorous growth and its proclivity for bouncing back to life even when in the worst conditions.
5. English Ivy
The english ivy plant is a fast-growing evergreen vine that makes for a great outdoor addition. English ivy plants are hardy, and one of the easiest houseplants to grow.
English ivy (Hedera helix) is considered an evergreen perennial. It is also classified as a woody vine. English ivy can act as a ground cover, spreading horizontally, but it is mostly used as a climber vine, due to its strong aerial roots, which allows it to attach even to the smoothest of surfaces.
The plant will eventually bear some very small, greenish flowers, but it is grown primarily for its evergreen leaves. The best time to plant English ivy is normally spring. Remember that English ivy is a fast, aggressive grower that is considered invasive in many areas. You should also keep an eye on children and pets because English ivy is mildly toxic to both humans and animals.
6. Weeping Fig
The weeping fig plant – also known as ficus benjamina – is a fast-growing evergreen tropical plant that makes for a great indoor or outdoor addition.
Weeping fig (also known as the ficus tree, or ficus benjamina) is a large broadleaf evergreen tree in tropical and subtropical climates, but it is more often found as a potted plant in homes, offices. Ficus benjamina plants are very hardy, and one of the easiest houseplants to grow.
This elegant plant has slender branches that stem from a light gray trunk, with dense, glossy dark leaves. When grown indoors, the plants are normally pruned and kept about 3 to 8 feet tall, and their trunks can be braided for decorative appeal.
As most tropical plants, weeping figs are fast growers and may need to be repotted up to once per year, but do so in the early spring for best results. Weeping fig is mildly toxic to humans and pets.
7. Bird of Paradise
The bird of paradise plant – also known as strelitzia – is a regal tropical plant that makes for a stunning indoor or outdoor addition.
The regal Bird of Paradise plant, with its large leaves and magnificent flowers, are native to South Africa, though they have come to be associated with tropical scenes across the world and are often used as landscape plants in warmer regions of the Asia, United States and Southern Europe. In colder climates, they can be grown indoors as an impressive houseplants.
The distinctive bird of paradise (Strelitzia) is one of the best-known tropical flowers. It is closely related to - and often confused with - the banana plant.
The bird of paradise plant is named for closely resembling the tropical bird named in the same way. It is quicker to grow than many tropical plants and makes for a vigorous, easy growing indoor plant. It can be moved outside in the summer and thrives outdoor for half the year.
Bird of paradise usually flowers in late winter or early spring, but it can flower at other times of the year when provided the perfect conditions. Strelitzia is mildly toxic to cats and dogs.
8. Boston Fern
The Boston fern plant is an ancient, beautiful forest shrub that makes for a stunning indoor or outdoor addition.
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), also known as sword fern, is a very popular fern species that grows in many tropical and subtropical areas around the world. In North America, it is considered a common houseplant and is easy to care for, as it doesn’t require a lot of sunlight.
Outdoors, this plant thrives in swampy, tropical, and forested areas, and makes a great choice for shaded gardens in warm climates. Like most other fern species, Boston fern is a slow grower and is best planted outdoors in the fall or spring or indoors year-round.
Its sword-shaped, blue-greenish foliage contains tiny leaflets and grows from a spike, unfolding only when fronds grow large enough. Ferns are a national symbol in New Zealand, and in the maori culture the young, spiral-shaped sprouts of ferns are called “koru” which means new life, growth, and rebirth.
9. Spider Plant
The spider plant produces a rosette of long and thin leaves that look like the long legs of a spider. These indoor air purifier plants look especially nice in a hanging basket and are one of the easiest air purifying plants to grow.
Despite their creepy name, spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are among the most popular houseplants to grow. When grown indoors, these warm-loving perennials will survive even in harsh conditions, and by recreating their native tropical environment by with warm temperatures and humid air they can grow to impressive sizes.
These plants grow rosettes of slim leaves that can stretch from around 10 to 20 inches long. The leaves can be solid green or striped in white. Mature plants send out long stems that bear small, star-shaped flowers. If the flowers are fertilized, a small fruit forms. Once the flowers fall off, tiny plantlets form in their place, which ultimately grow their own roots and can be separated to create new plants.
Spider plants are fast-growing plants that can be planted at any time, as long as they are not exposed to frost or extremely arid conditions.
10. ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant are arguably one of the easiest indoor air purifying plants to grow, and has glossy leaves so beautiful that are often confused for plastic.
ZZ plants, also known as Zanzibar gems, are extremely low-maintenance houseplants characterized by their glossy, oval-shaped leaves that shoot upward. The spotless leaves are waxy and so deep green that sometimes these plants are mistaken as artificial ones.
They are slow-growing plants, so you won't need to repot them too often, but when you plant or repot a ZZ, do so in the spring or summer when it's in an active growth phase, this will ensure the best chances of survival. These plants are mildly toxic to humans and animals.
11. Rubber Tree
The rubber tree is a gorgeous tropical plant that grows fast and has stunning glossy leaves. They have been used for centuries to extract latex.
Ficus elastica, also known as the rubber plant, is an unusual-looking plant native to the tropics of Southeast Asia. This long-living plant has oversized, oval-shaped leaves with a rich emerald tint and can grow quickly, easily reaching up to 100 feet tall in its natural habitat. It's not the easiest plant for beginners, though, because it's not very forgiving if it doesn't get the care it needs. However, it's often grown indoors as a houseplant, where it can be planted and cared for year-round, and its size is kept more manageable.
When it comes to growing a rubber plant, care is straightforward. It needs abundant light, moisture, and warmth (it is a tropical plant after all). Give it a southern or eastern exposure, but keep it several feet away from the windows, and you'll be rewarded with a stunning exotic addition to your indoor air purifying plants collection.
12. Monstera
The monstera deliciosa is a tropical climbing plant that produces huge, fascinating leaves. These indoor air purifying plants look especially nice in a hanging basket and are one of the easiest houseplants to grow.
Native to the rainforests of Central America, the big, Monstera deliciosa plant is also known as the "split-leaf philodendron". This easy-to-grow climbing evergreen can be found in many designer spaces for its "wow" factor.
Indoors, the plant has a slower growth rate and can grow in height about 1 to 2 feet a year. Its naturally glossy large heart-shaped leaves have a characteristic split. You'll also find intricate aerial roots growing out of the soil which benefit the plant by supporting the stems that hold leaves that can grow up to 3 feet long.
Plant outdoors in the right zone at any time during the year and it will also produce tannish-cream flowers pollinated by bees and edible juicy fruit with the combined flavor of pineapple and banana. However, fruiting is not common in houseplants. This beautiful plant can be mildly toxic to pets.
Summary
Regardless from how good you are with plants, it’s clear that adding them to your home will improve both the décor as well as the overall health of your environment.
When it comes to plants, automated plant care systems usually have poor results with them, as they cannot cope with the complexity of the different needs of each different plant. Only truly smart plant care systems like KORU can adapt to each plant's different needs, helping them to thrive by measuring light, temperature, humidity and soil moisture.