When so many household items off-gas harmful chemicals into your home, it's useful to know that there is a cheap and effective option to improve your indoor air quality — plants!

Not only do plants oxygenate your home, they also cleanse the air of carbon dioxide. According to NASA's Clean Air Study, which was conducted to find out how best to clean the air in space stations, many plants can also filter the worst toxins found in our homes including Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene / Toulene and Ammonia.

Pollutant	Source
Benzene	Inks, oils, paints, plastics, rubber, dyes, detergents, gasoline, pharmaceuticals, tobacco smoke, synthetic fibres1
Formaldehyde	Foam insulation, plywood, pressed-wood products, shopping bags, waxed paper, fire retardants, adhesive binders in floor coverings, cigarette smoke, natural gas1
Trichloroethylene	Primarily used in the metal degreasing and dry cleaning industries; also in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes, adhesives1
Xylene	Paints, oils, pesticides and pet care products2
Ammonia	Glues, polish, cleaners and building materials3

Of course some plants are better than others — here, we take a look at a few of the best options.

Golden Pothos (aka Devil's Ivy)

Golden Pothos is a great option if you've never kept plants before, and according to some it is more difficult to kill than it is to keep alive. The plant is not overly fussy and will thrive in both bright indirect light and low light and should be happy as long as you don't over-water it.

The plant can be grown in a number of ways and it is common to find it growing up a stick, in a hanging basket or simply in a pot. We would suggest keeping it in your living room or hallway where its heart-shaped leaves and tendrils can add interest and colour to the room. The plant itself is poisonous, so be careful if you think that your pets or children might have a nibble!

Pollutants filtered: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Living Room, Hallway

You should be able to find Golden Pothos at most local garden centres, where it may be labelled as Devil's Ivy, Epipremnum Aureum or Ceylon Creeper. If you live in London, you can get it delivered from patch plants.

English Ivy

English Ivy is another cheap and easy to look after plant that prefers lower temperatures and bright indirect light. The marbled leaves can help greenify your home at the same time as removing mould and pollutants.

Pollutants filtered: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Bathroom

English Ivy is available at most local garden centres, where it may be labelled by its Latin name, Hedera Helix, or, if you live in London, get it delivered from patch plants.

Boston Fern

The Boston Fern prefers a shady and humid atmosphere making it another plant ideal for your bathroom or kitchen. It is fairly easy to look after and will cope if you don't manage to water it the recommended 1-2 times per week.

Pollutants filtered: Formaldehyde, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: No
Suitable rooms: Bathroom, Kitchen

Boston Fern is available at most local garden centres, where it may be labelled by one of its other names, Sword Fern or Nephrolepis Exaltata, or get it delivered from patch plants.

Weeping Fig

A weeping fig is like a miniature tree and can add a dignified look to your home with its small dark leaves. It is a little more difficult to look after than some of the other options and requires medium levels of light and careful watering to thrive.

Pollutants filtered: Formaldehyde, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Living Room, Hallway

This plant can also be bought at most garden centres where it may be labelled as Ficus Benjamina, Benjamin Tree, Java Fig, Java Tree, Small-leaved Rubber Plant or Tropic Laurel. If you live in London, you can get it delivered from patch plants.

Spider Plant

The spider plant produces a rosette of long, arched leaves that are commonly variegated with white. Like many of the other plants here, they are known for being easy to look after and can be grown in most rooms in a standard pot or even a hanging basket.

Pollutants filtered: Formaldehyde, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: No
Suitable rooms: Bedroom, Study, Bathroom, Kitchen

Patch plants sell a curly variety, but you should be able to find these at most garden centres (its Latin name is Chlorophytum Comosum).

Peace Lily

The Peace Lily is an attractive dark green plant with exotic white flowers. This is one of the more difficult plants to look after and requires moist and shady conditions making it suitable for bathrooms and kitchens. The pollen produced by the flowers may be problematic for hayfever sufferers, so this may not be suitable for everyone!

Pollutants filtered: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene, Ammonia
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested (but mild)
Suitable rooms: Bathroom, Kitchen

For Londoners, the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Wallisi) is available from Patch Plants, but it is also available at most garden centres including Marks and Spencer.

Dragon Tree

The attractive red-edged leaves and structural stems make the Dragon Tree an elegant addition to any room, but a preference for humidity and light shade makes it ideal for the kitchen or a bathroom.

Pollutants filtered: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Bathroom, Kitchen, Living Room, Hallway

The Dragon Tree (also known as Dracaena Marginata or Red-Edged Dracaena) is available at most garden centres — the price will depend on size, but Waitrose sell a large 1.2m plant for £38.

Rubber Plant

The Rubber Plant is another great air-filtering plant that is suitable to most rooms of the house. These are relatively easy to look after, but require careful watering and misting to provide additional humidity.

Pollutants filtered: Formaldehyde
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Bedroom, Study, Living Room, Hallway

Also known as Ficus Elastica, these should be easy to find at garden centres where they are likely available in many different sub-varieties . Patch plants provide both a Robusta called Robin, and a variegated Robusta called Rob. Waitrose also provide a Robusta, a variegated Tineke and a dark-leaved Abidjan.

Snake Plant (Mother in Law's Tongue)

The Snake Plant has wide tongue-like leaves, it's great for beginners and only requires watering once every two to three weeks. This is one of the most effective air-filtering plants. As a bonus, unlike most plants which consume oxygen outside of daylight hours, this one continues to produce oxygen throughout the night, making it ideal for the bedroom where it can improve your sleep.

Pollutants filtered: Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene, Xylene
Poisonous to Pets / Children: If ingested
Suitable rooms: Bedroom, Living Room

The Snake Plant goes by many names including Mother-in-law's tongue, Viper's bowstring hemp, Saint George's Sword and Sansevieria. You should be able to find it at most garden centres, or get it delivered from Patch Plants.

Make your home a forest!

We cannot recommend enough how good plants are for your home — not only are they a cheap way of filtering out many of the toxic chemicals found in our homes, they also look really good.

Transforming your home into an oxygen-rich jungle couldn't be easier. Londoners can get a huge variety of interesting plants delivered by Patch, whilst others can order from Waitrose Garden or M&S Plants. You may also be surprised at the wide variety of health-giving plants at your local garden centre.

Please let us know if you have any favourite house plants in the comments below, and remember to sign up to our newsletter to keep up-to-date on how to keep a non-toxic home.