Did you know indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air, even in huge gritty cities? Concentrations of many pollutants are up to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors. Take that data, and add the fact that Americans spend about 90% of their time inside.

Studies show that plants are much more than feel-good decorative accessories—they kick ass at absorbing undesirable airborne chemicals in our homes and workspaces too.

It turns out, on top of absorbing CO2 and creating oxygen, certain plants are powerhouses at removing toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The core data proving this comes from NASA research on plant filtering abilities in space stations, so it's legit.

Urbanites and their relatively smaller homes don’t need a whole jungle of green to get real purifying results. The rule of (green) thumb is one plant per 100 square feet. I have eleven plants in my 750 ft² apartment, including a rubber tree that is a cutting from a plant my dad road tripped with when he moved from SoCal forty years ago, and a twenty-year-old aloe vera plant a teacher gifted me. Bonus on top of the positive emotional connections—when researching this post, I found both species ranked high for filtering abilities. Here is the full list of my picks for apartment plants. The criteria: low maintenance, high filtering, and good looking.

My Top 8 Detoxifying Plants  

(Pet owners: as noted, some plants are toxic if eaten by cats and/or dogs. See this complete list from the ASPCA).

Sharing your apartment or office with air purifying plants also brings the benefits of homemade oxygen, plus positive effects on mood and mind. Experiencing the strong, uplifting plant-human connection is an expression of biophilia, or the innate love of the natural world. There is plenty of proof that being around greenery significantly reduces stress and improves healing. In fact, research also shows rooms with plants contain up to 60 percent fewer bacteria and airborne molds and than rooms without. If that’s not enough, they also balance indoor humidity levels which can relieve dry skin and coughs.

Yes, plant power is real!