Now that our lives are transitioning indoors for the cold season, we wanted to share some information about one of the best air purifying plants – the peace lily.  The peace lily is not actually a lily but a variety of Spathiphyllum, an easy care plant native to parts of the sub tropical regions of both the Americas and Asia.  It’s a shade loving tropical that works well as a houseplant and a great selection for beginners. (Learn about more easy houseplants here.) They are excellent at filtering indoor air and topped the list from NASA’s Clean Air Study for removing all of the most common Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs):  formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. It can also combat toluene, xylene and ammonia according to further research by B.C. Wolverton.  When compiling the research by NASA and B.C. Wolverton, Peace lilies seem to be the only plant to remove all toxins tested.  That is just one of the reasons we love it. Peace lilies are also tough and resilient. 

They withstand many conditions but to keep them happy you’ll want to try to follow these simple guidelines: Water:  Plan on watering once per week but make sure it dries out between waterings- peace lilies are susceptible to root rot. It will also begin to droop when it’s thirsty but try not to let it wait quite that long. Make sure it is planted in a well-draining pot and soil. Light:  Peace lilies like a little bit of indirect light but no direct sun.  In windows facing East or North, plants can be placed in front of the window.  With windows facing South or West, place plants at least three feet away.   Yellowing leaves or brown spots can be a sign of too much light.  These plants have also been known to do well under overhead florescent lighting with little or no sun at all. Temperature:  They do best with temperatures between 65-80 so the indoor air temperature of a home or office is usually just right.  Keep them away from drafts. Fertilization: Do not over fertilize. 

Give them a balanced fertilizer every 6 months.air duct cleaning in mansfield ohio Perhaps the best part of a peace lily is not its large, pointed oval shaped leaves but the interesting white blooms.  black mcs deluxe air purifierThe long lasting flowers sit above the leaves on stalks- a center spadix cupped by a single “petal” called a spathe.  air purifier nose bleedExpect blooms from March through June, and occasionally throughout the year.  Typical plants are 24-40” with some varieties getting up to 50”.  They look beautiful alone or grouped together.Do Indoor Plants Really Clean the Air? Sure, that potted fern is pretty, but can it really spruce up the air quality in your home? Studies by scientists at NASA, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Georgia and other respected institutions suggest that it can.

Plants are notoriously adept at absorbing gases through pores on the surface of their leaves. It's this skill that facilitates photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light energy and carbon dioxide into chemical energy to fuel growth. But scientists studying the air-purification capacities of indoor plants have found that plants can absorb many other gases in addition to carbon dioxide, including a long list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Benzene (found in some plastics, fabrics, pesticides and cigarette smoke) and formaldehyde (found in some cosmetics, dish detergent, fabric softener and carpet cleaner)  are examples of common indoor VOCs that plants help eliminate. These VOCs and other indoor air pollutants (such as ozone) have been linked to numerous acute conditions, including asthma and nausea, as well as chronic diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses. An indoor plant's ability to remove these harmful compounds from the air is an example of phytoremediation, which is the use of any plant — indoors or out — to mitigate pollution in air, soil or water.

Indoor plants remove pollutants from the air by absorbing these gases through their leaves and roots. The microorganisms that live in the soil of potted plants also play an instrumental role in neutralizing VOCs and other pollutants. While most leafy plants are adept at purifying indoor air, some of the plants that scientists have found most useful in removing VOCs include Japanese royal ferns, spider plants, Boston ferns, purple waffle plants, English ivy, areca palms, golden pothos, aloe vera, snake plants and peace lilies. Follow Elizabeth Palermo on Twitter @techEpalermo. We're also on Facebook & Google+.What might your office or apartment have in common with a NASA spaceship? Unfortunately the answer may be poor air quality. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health: Stagnant indoor environments allow pollutants to build up and stick around in greater amounts than we humans should be breathing in. Living and working in places rife with air contaminants and lacking decent ventilation can cause "sick building syndrome," which can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and eye, ear, and nose irritation.

Lucky for us, NASA scientists have been working to understand this problem and find solutions. Their space-age solution was an easy one that anyone can use: Use houseplants to clean the air . Given that people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, air quality matters . Furnishings, upholstery, synthetic building materials, and cleaning products in homes and offices can emit a variety of toxic compounds, like formaldehyde. Indoor air pollution can also be caused by pollen, bacteria, and molds, as outdoor air contaminants like car exhaust finds its way into buildings. All of these are made worse in small or poorly-ventilated spaces (like maybe your apartment with that window that you accidentally painted shut last year). The good news is that there’s an easy and affordable way to combat the presence of the yucky stuff we may be breathing in, and it comes right from the natural world. Plants purify air, making them part of what NASA calls "nature’s life support system." Adding potted plants to a room has been shown to reduce the amount of air particulates (although plants in bloom may be contributing their own compounds to the air) .

So, how do houseplants clean the air? Plants absorb some of the particulates from the air at the same time that they take in carbon dioxide, which is then processed into oxygen through photosynthesis. But that’s not all—microorganisms associated with the plants are present in the potting soil, and these microbes are also responsible for much of the cleaning effect . Beyond air quality, plants just make people feel better. For example, hospital patients with plants in their rooms were more positive and had lower blood pressure and stress levels . Similarly, indoor plants may make people smarter by allowing them to stay alert and reducing mental fatigue . Although houseplants may be intimidating to those with a “black thumb” or fear of commitment, it turns out that many plants are easy to care for—so easy, in fact, you'd have to try pretty hard to kill them. Below, we've pulled together a list of nine virtually-indestructible plants inspired by NASA’s research. Each kind of plant has its own favorite environmental conditions, so look for a tag that comes with the plant or online to find out how much sunlight and water it will need.

If your plant doesn’t come in a pretty pot, or if it outgrew its previous one, you can easily repot it. Just find a pot that’s at least onw inch larger than the previous container, add potting soil to the bottom, and place the plant so that the top of the soil remains at the same level as before. Finally, carefully pack potting soil around the edges of the plant and water it. In the NASA research, this plant was an air-purifying champion, removing ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene from indoor air. Popular and inexpensive at garden stores, they can be planted outside after they're finished blooming. Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene Spider plants are among the easiest houseplants to grow, making them a great choice for beginners or forgetful owners. A fan of bright, indirect sunlight, spider plants will send out shoots with flowers that eventually grow into baby spider plants or spiderettes. Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene There are more than 40 different kinds of Dracaena plants, making it easy to find one that’s a perfect fit for your home or office.

They're common foliage plants with long, wide leaves that are often variegated with lines of white, cream, or red. Pet owners might want to select a different plant, however, as these are toxic to cats and dogs. Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene Though the ficus is a tree in its native home of southeast Asia, when it grows indoors, it's a hardy plant that ends up being between two and 10 feet tall. So why not get figgy with it? Grow this low-maintenance houseplant in bright, indirect light and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Although this plant has some serious air-cleaning abilities, it can also be taken outside in late spring and brought back indoors when temperatures are warm and well above freezing. Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene Peace lily plants are relatively small compared to many of the plants on this list, but they still pack some major air-cleaning abilities. Easy to grow, these plants will flower for much of the summer.

Just be aware that those flowers (like all flowers) do contribute some pollen and floral scents to the air, so you may want to avoid having a room full of them. Put peace lilies in a shady spot and keep the soil moist without overwatering. Pollutants removed: ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene These plants prefer to clean the air from a cool location with high humidity and indirect light. They're relatively easy to grow, but they do need to stay moist. Check the Boston Fern’s soil daily to see if it needs water, and give it a good soak once per month. Pollutants removed: formaldehyde and xylene This is one of the hardest houseplants to kill. Although it does need to be watered occasionally, it generally prefers drier conditions and some sun. Pollutants removed: benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene A superstar of filtering formaldehyde, these palms thrive in full sun or bright light. Part of the reason they can filter so much air is that they can grow to be pretty big—as tall as four to 12 feet high, making them exciting (and pet-friendly) indoor additions.