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Buy 'Air-Purifying' Plants: The Honest Version Online
By the Plantshop.com Editorial Team · Updated · How we research · Report an error
Popular plants from the NASA study, with what the science actually says.
These plants appear in the 1989 NASA Clean Air Study, which tested sealed chambers. Later research (Cummings and Waring, 2019, Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology) found you would need hundreds of plants per square meter to match normal ventilation. Grow them because they are good plants, not as air purifiers.
How to choose
- Start with your light, then pick from the plants below that match it.
- Compare by pot size, not plant name, when comparing prices.
- Order in mild weather or from a shop that heat-packs in winter.
- Pets: check the pet column; not every plant here is pet-safe.
Photo: Filo gèn' / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsPothosEpipremnum aureumMedium lightNot pet-safeEasy
Photo: Rudolphous / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsSnake PlantDracaena trifasciataLow lightNot pet-safeEasy
Photo: Vinayaraj / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsPeace LilySpathiphyllumMedium lightNot pet-safeEasy
Photo: Sebastian Martin Dicke / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsSpider PlantChlorophytum comosumMedium lightPet-safeEasy
Photo: Filo gèn' / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsDracaenaDracaena fragrans, D. marginata and othersMedium lightNot pet-safeEasy
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India / CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsAreca PalmDypsis lutescensBright indirect lightPet-safeModerateAt a glance
| Plant | Light | Water | Pet-safe | Difficulty | Shops confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pothos | Medium | When the top 1-2 in of soil is dry | No | Easy | 5 |
| Snake Plant | Low | Only when soil is completely dry, every 2-6 weeks | No | Easy | 4 |
| Peace Lily | Medium | Keep lightly moist | No | Easy | 4 |
| Spider Plant | Medium | When the top inch is dry | Yes | Easy | 4 |
| Dracaena | Medium | When the top 1-2 in is dry | No | Easy | 4 |
| Areca Palm | Bright indirect | When the top inch is dry | Yes | Moderate | 2 |
Where to buy air-purifying plants: the honest version
Each plant's buying guide lists the shops we have confirmed currently stock it, with what each shop is best for. For shipping and guarantee terms side by side, see Online plant shop policies compared.