The Benefits of Hypoallergenic Plants for Your Home

By Ashley Ess in Thinking Sustainably

Are you ready to infuse your home with some color and cleaner air as we head toward the cooler winter months? Adding hypoallergenic plants will do wonders for your aesthetic and respiratory needs. It’s easy to find indoor plants that will add beauty to your home or office space, but beauty doesn’t always mean allergy-friendly. Thus, it’s important to consider allergy relief benefits when you’re decorating with plants.

Why You Should Choose Allergy-Friendly Plants

plants

Indoor plants are static elements within your home, and as such they’re magnets for dust and can produce mold and pollen. If you suffer from a stuffy nose or sneezing in your home or office, one culprit may be your plants. If indoor plants aren’t rinsed or wiped down regularly, they will become a haven for dust mites and other allergens. Over-watering your indoor plants can also be an issue as excess moisture in the soil can produce mold. Allergy sufferers should avoid high-pollen flowering plants and select plants with smooth leaves (fuzzy leaves trap allergens).

What Plants to Select

Beyond these measures, selecting plants that actually work overtime by cleaning or humidifying the air is the best option for those with allergies. Many plants also have the added benefit by acting as filters that remove toxins from the air. Below are some hypoallergenic plants that will brighten your space and can help you breathe more easily.

  • Boston ferns may detoxify the air and add humidity.
  • The peace lily is can be a good air detoxifier and humidifier that’s great for the office environment where chemicals are often used.
  • The spider plant thrives indoors, is easy to maintain, and helps to maybe remove toxins and heavy metals from the air in your home.
  • Snake plants may help lower carbon dioxide and toxins, like formaldehyde, in your home, and they also add oxygen to the air.
  • The Janet Craig Dracaena has smooth leaves that may filter out pollen, allergens, and certain chemicals.
  • The  lady palm is considered to be one of the best allergy-friendly plants.

If you decide to grow hypoallergenic plants in your home, be sure to research their toxicity. Some of these plants can be quite toxic to children or animals, but there are plenty of varieties that are both safe for your family and pets as well as effective air purifiers. Once you have your selections, send us pictures of how you’re decorating your place with plants on Twitter!

Image sources: Pixabay | Flickr

The views and opinions expressed in any guest post featured on our site are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Tom’s of Maine.

Allergy sufferers can rest easy knowing that choosing the right plants for the home can bring much needed relief. Adding oxygen-producing indoor plants that have the ability to filter out pollen and toxins really can possibly make a difference in your allergy symptoms.