Women's Health April 11, 2026 0 Comments

This One Houseplant Is Literally Wiping Out 90% of Toxins in Your Air – You Won’t Believe Which It Is!

Ever wondered if your thriving collection of houseplants is doing more than just looking pretty? Turns out, those leafy green companions might be moonlighting as your personal air purifiers. A fascinating new study unveiled that an indoor living wall stocked with five types of plants can seriously slash indoor pollutants—by up to a jaw-dropping 90 percent in the case of the peace lily. But before you rush to fill every corner with greenery, there’s a catch: the research was conducted in a super controlled, sealed environment, so your average living room might not get the same superhero air-cleaning boost. Still, it’s exciting to think that the right setup could have your plants working overtime for cleaner, fresher air. Ready to dive into how you can harness this nifty natural air filter and whether it stacks up against your trusty HEPA purifier? Let’s dig in. LEARN MORE

4 min read

New research found that an indoor living wall of five different plants could remove a significant amount of indoor pollutants from the air.

Of the five plants tested, the peace lily had seriously impressive results: removing some pollutants by up to 90 percent.

Still, experts caution that the study focused on an indoor living wall in a very controlled, sealed chamber, so stacking your living room shelf full of the plant might not have the same benefits.

Having plants scattered around is a great way to make your place feel more comfortable. But new research suggests houseplants can do more than just warm up your living space—they might also help you breathe easier.

That’s the takeaway from new research published in the journal Atmospheric Environment. The study examined the air-filtration impact of five different plant species in a controlled setting and found some seriously impressive results.

While you can simply plop some plants around and hope for the best on the air filtration front, horticulturists say there’s a way to go about this to maximize your greenery’s air-filtration powers. Here’s what you need to know about this study.

Meet the experts: Diana R. Cochran, PhD, associate clinical professor of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland and Heather Kirk-Ballard, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia.

What did the study find?

For the study, researchers recruited five different plant species—the peace lily, silver inch plant, heartleaf philodendron, creeping fig, and spider plant—and tested them inside a sealed gas chamber. Each chamber had common indoor pollutants like formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide introduced.

These pollutants weren’t chosen at random. They can off-gas from items like cleaning products, building materials in your home, and furniture, among other things, and are linked to everything from headaches to cancer.

The researchers discovered that within the specialized sealed test chambers, all of the plants reduced pollution by 96 percent to 98 percent after 24 hours. But an active living wall—which is a vertical arrangement of houseplants—was most efficient at removing formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide.

All plant species reduced pollution by up to 40 percent within 15 minutes, suggesting these can get to work quickly. But the peace lily in particular was among the most effective in the study, reducing some pollutants by over 90 percent. Peace lilies are popular, common plants that can often be found for as little as $16 and are frequently sold at grocery stores.

“The presented data demonstrates the effectiveness of active living wall systems for improving indoor air quality,” the researchers wrote in the study’s conclusion.

How can plants clean your air?

There are a few things going on here. “Plants can help improve air quality by capturing some airborne particles on their leaves and by absorbing certain volatile organic compounds—things like formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, etc., through their leaves and roots,” explains Heather Kirk-Ballard, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia. “A big part of this process also comes from the microbes in the potting media/root zone, which can help break down some pollutants.”

Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen into the air, and can filter it in the process, says Diana R. Cochran, PhD, associate clinical professor of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland.

How does this stack up to a HEPA air filter?

The researchers didn’t test the plants’ filtration capacity against an actual air purifier, but experts say they’re unlikely to do the same job. “Plants may offer some modest benefits for localized air quality and certain volatile organic compounds, but they are not nearly as effective as a HEPA air purifier when it comes to actually removing pollutants from indoor air,” Kirk-Ballard says. “HEPA filtration is specifically engineered to capture airborne particles such as dust, pollen, smoke, pet dander, and fine particulate matter. So, from a true air-cleaning perspective, plants should be seen as a complement to good indoor air quality practices—not a replacement for proper filtration and ventilation.”

But plants offer more than that. “Where plants really shine is in the broader contribution they make to human health and well-being,” Kirk-Ballard says. “A growing body of research shows that indoor plants can help reduce stress, improve mood, support cognitive function, and create spaces that feel more restorative and welcoming.”

How to put this to work for you

The researchers looked at the impact of a living wall on air quality, which is a little different than just loading a shelf or windowsill with potted plants. “It is a planted system that uses forced airflow like fans to move air through the plants and root zone, which increases contact with the plants, or what we could call a biological filter,” Kirk-Ballard says.

You might be able to get a similar effect with a collection of plants on a table, but the airflow element is important, according to Cochran. “Whatever air circulates around it will be impacted,” she says, noting that you could add a fan to the area to help blow cleaner air around your place.

Also, keep in mind that this study was performed within a specialized sealed gas chamber, making it hard to compare to, say, the average living room.

Of course, you’ll get the most bang for your buck if your plants are thriving. “If you’re not taking care of your plants, you’re not going to harm your air, but you’re not getting the same benefit,” Cochran says.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.

Carina Hsieh, MPH, is the deputy features editor of Women’s Health. She has more than a decade’s worth of experience working in media and has covered everything from beauty, fashion, travel, lifestyle, pets, to health.

She began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Cosmopolitan where she worked her way up to Senior Sex & Relationships Editor. While covering women’s health there, she discovered her passion for health service journalism and took a break to get her Masters in Public Health. Post-grad school, she worked as a freelance writer and as The Daily Beast’s first Beauty, Health, and Wellness Reporter.

Carina is an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Yale School of Public Health. She and her French Bulldog, Bao Bao, split their time between Brooklyn and Connecticut. She enjoys reformer Pilates, (slow) running, and smelling the fancy toiletries in boutique fitness class locker rooms.