Plants as House Cleaners

The chlorophyte—also known as the St. Bernard’s lily, zebra grass or spider plant—has got to be the most ideal houseplant on the planet. You only have to water it twice a week at most, but if you forget, the spider plant can go a couple of weeks without a drink. It’s decorative and you can endlessly strike cuttings from it. Too much water? Not a problem. It will simply grow a little faster. And now the best news of all: spider plants also clean your house. Within a 24-hour period, this miraculous plant rids a 30 square-meter space of 95 percent of its damaging poisonous substances, including chemicals found in rugs, insulation materials, cleaning products and copy machine ink.

If you smoke, the spider plant smokes too, sucking the damaging substances from the air. NASA once tested the plant and discovered that when it was placed in an enclosed room with elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and nitrates (elements found in cigarettes and wood smoke), over 95 percent of the toxins disappeared within 24 hours. By the way, the spider plant isn’t the only one that cleans your house. For an extensive list of plants and their effect on the environment, see www.healthgoods.com, which also includes a link to NASA test reports. Most houseplants, particularly those with large leaves, clean indoor environments and help keep humidity at a healthy level.

KB, Garden Steward