Like most people these days, you’re probably no stranger to having to deal with some form of air pollution.
It’s an unfortunate consequence of how we live our lives in 2023 and something that we should probably be trying to minimize for the sake of the planet.
People are starting to realize this and hopefully it’s a problem that will be dealt with at some point soon, but it’s not going to happen overnight.
And for the sake of your own health, you should try and personally deal with it in your own home. That’s possible with detoxifying plants.
There’s a lot of plants on the market now that will actively fight off many toxins in the air and would make a great addition to your home.
If you’ve got pets, specifically cats, you should be careful about which plants you pick because some of them release pheromones that are very unhealthy for them.
Here are five plants that will detoxify your home but will also be safe for your feline friends.
- Spider Plant
Chlorophytum, which is more commonly known as the spider plant, is a great detoxifier for your home and it’s one of the easier ones to maintain too.
It’s a plant that you will commonly find in the homes of people who are new to gardening and maintaining plants because they can thrive in any lighting.
There’s no need for sunlight and you just have to regularly water it to keep it alive. The spider plant will absorb carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and xylene, making it a great purifier.
And it’s completely non-toxic too. You or your cat could actually eat the leaves of the spider plant if you wanted to, so it’s an entirely safe one for your home.
- Bamboo Palm
This is another plant that’s very easy to maintain in your home but it has a tendency to get pretty tall so be wary of that aspect.
It works really well as a natural humidifier for your home though, and much like the spider plant, it will help remove formaldehyde from the air.
Formaldehyde is a noted carcinogenic and it is also known to cause skin irritations as well as irritation to the eyes.
It’s a good plant to have if you live in high pollution areas or are near anywhere that there would be large amounts of gasoline.
This is because the palm is also effective in eliminating benzene from the air, a substance which is caused by the burning of petroleum and gasoline.
- Barberton Daisy
Again, if you’re near a shop or a house that is going to be emitting a lot of benzene into the surrounding environment, then this will be a great plant for you.
It is an ideal plant for increasing the overall oxygen levels in the air too and it will also deal with formaldehyde as well as another compound known as trichloroethylene. This is a horrible thing to have in the air as it can cause damage to your nervous system and it’s also classified as a carcinogenic.
If you live near a garage or an industrial area there will probably be some of this in the air because it’s used by mechanics and the like.
The Barberton daisy will keep it well at bay though and it’s another one that you can take care of with relative ease.
- Moth Orchids
The name ‘moth orchid’ doesn’t really sound all that healthy, but there’s a lot of benefits to having in your house.
It will absorb carbon dioxide and subsequently release oxygen into the air and it will also humidify the environment.
This will prevent seasonal allergies and it will also help you sleep better if you keep the plant in the bedroom.
Because it helps relieve stress and improves the air quality, it can help with healing too from various ailments and wounds.
The fact that it’s also a nice flower to look at is just an added bonus of all of this.
- Lilyturf
The lilyturf will deal with formaldehyde and with xylene like some of the other plants on this list, but it’s also effective against ammonia.
Ammonia is a prevalent gas in many homes because it is produced by a lot of cleaning products and also in the fumes of paint. This is horrible for your respiratory system. It can cause bronchitis and throat irritation but also long-term things like emphysema.
If you are a sufferer of asthma already, then the lilyturf is a great plant because it will help prevent a flare-up of that and could relief some of the discomfort.
Conclusion
So as long as you’re careful with your choice, you really don’t have to worry about poisoning your pets with plants.
There’s plenty of plants that are extremely effective in purifying the air, which will have absolutely zero effect on the health of a cat.
Very interesting I have spider plants which grow spiderettes I think that’s what you call the babies you just cut them off put in a small pot with soil before long you will have lots of Spider plants.x?♥️?
While very informative, this is not the year 2018.
Ha. This was an old post that I seem to have accidentally rescheduled for today. It was originally published in 2018 ?
Now the question is do I change the date back or change the article LOL