While I like my jade plants and lucky bamboo (which is not actually air-cleaning bamboo), they don’t actually do much for air quality. Over the years, I’ve acquired a mixture of easy indoor plants that create a happy, healthy addition to my environment. If you are hoping to improve the air quality in your home, using easy plants, consider bringing in one of the following flora.

English Ivy

Care Level: English Ivy is like a celebrity with one of the easier riders. No picking red M&Ms out of its candy dish but, it still needs a special spot.

How it Cleans: It’s known to help clean airborne toxins from homes including, benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Also, it may reduce mold in your house.

One of my earliest horticultural experiences was with an English ivy plant. I actually propagated it from one of my grandmother’s plants without much work. I was 14 and my bedroom was in a mostly underground basement. I had one small window above eye level and the plant thrived there.

The fun of English Ivy is the crazy growth. You forget about it, watering it enough to keep the soil constantly damp. You have creeping vines around your room within a few months.

Peace Lily

Care Level: It’s the rising Phoenix of flowers.

How it Cleans: It reportedly filters out benzene, formaldehyde, trychloroethelene, xylene, toluene and ammonia.

I’ve practically let my peace lily die and it always comes back. Granted, I’ve never had it bloom (nor have I tried to coax it). However, this plant just needs a little water to perk back up.

My peace lily is about a year old. As a last-minute gift from my husband, he had no clue what he was picking up. I think it was just on a display of “air cleaning” plants and he knew that was my jam.

Luckily, he picked out a very photogenic addition to my indoor garden (pictured above).

Snake Plant

Care Level: Easier than a cactus.

How it Cleans: It reportedly filters out benzene, formaldehyde, trychloroethelene, xylene and toluene.

You can over-water a cactus without much effort. Snake plants can live through extremes on both the dry and moist ends of black thumbs. While they prefer moist, well-draining dirt, they can handle some variety.

I started with one small plant 10 years ago and now, I have 3 with me and two given away. They grow tall and often sprout new sections.

I find that in temperate climates, they can even last outdoors on a porch in the spring and fall.

Indoor Plants to Clean Your Air

Slowly adding indoor plants to clean your air can improve the happiness and health of your home. In the most practical sense, adding them one-by-one is easier than committing to several at once.

When you find a plant that suits your style, you can buy more or propagate them to add to your routine. Then, you won’t feel overwhelmed. My Top Tip? Keep plants clustered to remind you that they all need to be watered.

What about you? Tell me about your favorite houseplants. Tag me on Insta and let me know about your plant lady adventures.