THE BEST HOUSE PLANTS TO CLEAN YOUR HOME

Any self-respecting millennial that regularly engages in brunch culture, oat mylk flat whites and plant-based meals will have at least 1 house plant in their London flat, most likely more. Perhaps somewhat disillusioned with city living we are all now trying to bring the outdoors, indoors, and frankly we feel better for it.

Doctors in Scotland are now prescribing Nature to patients with high levels of stress or anxiety, (this is fantastic), and whilst some days it’s hard to get a hefty dose of nature due to meetings, work and generally just the hustle, a simple way to see more green and purify the air you breathe at home is with some clever, NASA approved house plants.

As we all know, London is a pretty polluted city and the air quality has been proven to be at a dangerous level in certain areas; Oxford street being a major one and on the underground being another. So here are some plants for your windowsill that will, at least, make the air you breathe at home safer and cleaner:

Aloe Vera

Not only is aloe a great one to have in your natural medicine cabinet for burns and skin rashes (you can also put the flesh into your smoothies), but it helps keep your home free from benzene - a chemical commonly found in paint and certain chemical cleaners.

Peace Lily

We’re pretty fond of a peace lily as they are so beautiful and leafy and have the most incredible white flowers. It’s not just a pretty face though, a peace lily can improve your air quality by up to 60%. If placed in your bathroom it can help keep your tiles free from mildew and mould as it recycles these spores for food to help it grow, so clever. It can also absorb harmful vapours from acetone - great news if you’re partial to a pedi.

Spider Plant

Say you bought a spider plant on a Monday, by Wednesday it would have removed up to 90% of the toxins in your home! Yep, that’s right, it only takes two short days for this plant to make a difference to your health.

Eucalyptus

It’s quite hard to find one of these as an actual plant, but the stems are common at all florists and give off a powerful aroma that can help ward off colds (you can tie them up in your shower, works wonders) and the leaves are filled with tannins which can raise healthy fluids in the body’s air passages.

Boston Fern

Ferns make great house plants as they like relatively dark conditions so you can tuck them away in a corner and not have to worry about them too much. These plants act as humidifiers and can help restore the moisture in the air, so great if you suffer with dry skin conditions.

English Ivy

The English ivy can help to remove formaldehyde, which is a chemical commonly found in some household cleaning products and furniture and carpet treatments. Some studies have also shown that it can absorb trace amounts of benzene, a chemical commonly found in office equipment. So keeping one on your desk is a great idea!