Do Plants Clean the Air in Your Home?

No. Well, kind of. Not really though no.

Chill the fuck out, let me explain.

Towards the end of the 1980s, In a now famous study conducted by NASA, it was concluded that yes, many common houseplants could remove various toxic chemicals from the air.

So long as that air was tightly controlled, and everything fit in a small box only slightly bigger than the plant.

And, while I am a fan of tight box, it’s not exactly the same conditions you’re living in.

The final report from September 1989 (you can read it here) includes the use of carbon filter fans underneath the root zone. It describes this mechanism as “should be considered an integral part of any plan using houseplants for solving indoor air pollution problems.” It's definitely not something we have installed in our houseplants. Check out the original report for a diagram of how that would work.

Quite a few other studies have been done and it turns out you need an ungodly amount of plants to make a difference. And even then there is no conclusive evidence it has any measured effect on human health, which after all is the fucking point. You’re better off cracking open a window to remove pollutants from your home.

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