The air quality in London (and indeed in many major cities) is a serious cause for concern. Our capital's air pollution levels routinely exceed the yearly limit for nitrogen dioxide sometime in January, and all Londoners are being exposed to dangerous levels of the particle PM2.5, which increases the likelihood of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. As if that wasn't bad enough news, the air inside our offices and houses can be even worse, with furniture and fabrics potentially emitting formaldehyde vapours, and cooking appliances giving off nitrogen oxides. But enough doom and gloom - what can we do about it? The good news is that house plants are an excellent way to improve air quality within the home, absorbing carbon dioxide and other pollutants (like formaldehyde), and emitting oxygen instead. We've enlisted help from houseplant delivery service Patch, who have passed on their favourite plants for purifying the home.
Rubber Tree
The large leaves of the rubber tree enable it to remove a lot of contaminants from the air and produce a lot of oxygen in return.
Anthurium
The pretty Anthurium can be in flower for 300 out of the 365 days of the year - quite the talent. It can also remove Formaldehyde, Ammonia, Toluene and Xylene from your air.
Sansevieria
Sansevierias will remove benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene from the air - they're also incredibly easy to care for.
Golden Pothos
These green, heart-shaped leaves look fantastic trailing down from a bookshelf, and also remove formaldehyde from the air.
Peace Lily
The peace lily boasts soft dark-green foliage, year-round flowers and an ability to tolerate deep shade. It also removes Ammonia, Benzene, Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene from thei air.
Dracaena
This elegant plant will remove Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene and Xylene, and may even produce pretty white flowers!
