The Best and Worst Houseplants for Your Home

Houseplants add beautiful color and a fresh feel to your Brazonia, Texas, home. But did you know they can also boost your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ)? From pet-friendly plants to high-humidity plants, discover the best and worst options for your home.

Allergy-Friendly Plants

If your family members suffer from allergies or asthma, keeping your home’s IAQ high is essential. You may use a portable air cleaner or a whole-home air purifier that connects to your air conditioner, but adding houseplants throughout your home can also help with allergies.

According to NASA, English ivy is the best houseplant for filtering out airborne pollutants that can cause allergy attacks. Peace lilies are also great for air filtration, as they’re known for reducing toxins in the air. Avoid ferns and weeping figs, though, since these houseplants can trigger allergy attacks.

Pet-Friendly Plants

If you have cats, dogs, and other four-legged friends in your household, you shouldn’t introduce just any plant into your home. Whether your pets are overly curious or you just want to make sure they’re safe, you should always pick a plant that’s safe for pets.

Choose non-toxic greenery like money plants, spider plants, or Boston ferns. None of these plants will hurt your pets, and they even offer an extra perk. All of these non-toxic plants excel at removing toxins from the air. Place these plants throughout your home to remove everything from formaldehyde and xylene to paint fumes and smog.

Even if you like the way they look, avoid introducing plants into your home that are toxic to dogs and cats. Colorful flowers like amaryllis and begonias and greenery like boxwood and California ivy can all be harmful to pets.

Fragrant Plants

Air fresheners give your home a warm, inviting scent, but commercial products often release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. VOCs can linger and build up, causing respiratory problems even in people who don’t suffer from allergies.

Rather than filling the air with harmful chemicals, try natural fragrances instead. Jasmine is one of the most wonderfully fragrant houseplants, as it produces a beautiful floral scent that will brighten any room. If you prefer a clean, fresh scent, try a houseplant like spearmint, which produces a minty fragrance when placed in the sun. When fragrance is a priority, avoid plants like bamboo, which doesn’t have a scent.

Easy-Care Plants

Whether you’re introducing plants into your home for their IAQ-boosting powers or you just love the fresh, green environment they create, look for plants that are easy to care for. After all, you don’t want to invest in several new houseplants only to find out that you don’t have much of a green thumb.

When it comes to plants that can thrive in just about any conditions, snake plants are at the top of most home gardeners’ lists. These plants will brighten your space and improve your home’s IAQ, even if your home doesn’t get much natural light. They don’t require much water either, so there’s no need for a daily watering session.

If you’re looking for easy-care plants, take care to avoid high-maintenance greenery. For instance, elephant ear is sure to turn heads, but it requires constant watering. Along the same lines, autumn ferns need a specific balance between sun and water.

High-Humidity Plants

Texas can get incredibly humid during the summer months. Even though you can’t turn down the humidity outdoors, you can use your air conditioner or a whole-home dehumidifier to keep moisture levels comfortable indoors.

To take your IAQ up a notch, you can also introduce houseplants that are ideal for high-humidity environments. Greenery like calathea ornata and banana plants thrive in high humidity, while houseplants like tillandsia and reed palms actually pull excess moisture from the air, making your home more comfortable.

If you want to lower humidity indoors, avoid plants that expel moisture. For instance, Boston ferns are known for their humidifying power.

Houseplants can be a big help for your IAQ, but they can’t clear the air alone. This summer, call Davis Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. for all your IAQ and HVAC needs: 888-929-0049.

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