These houseplants caught NASA's attention - here's what they found and how you may benefit

NASA houseplant study: Adding plants to your home may do more than make the space look greener. Some houseplants have attracted scientific attention for their potential role in improving indoor air quality, giving people another reason to bring a little more nature indoors.

NASA studied common indoor plants to find out whether they could help remove certain organic chemicals from indoor air. The research, titled “A Study of Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement,” examined the removal of benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde using plants placed inside sealed experimental chambers.

NASA studied several common indoor plants

The study tested a range of plants, including bamboo palm, Chinese evergreen, English ivy, gerbera daisy, mother-in-law’s tongue, peace lily, ficus and several Dracaena varieties.


Researchers also tested plants from the philodendron family, including heart leaf philodendron, elephant ear philodendron, golden pothos and green spider plant.

How NASA tested the plants

The plants were placed inside sealed plexiglass chambers. Researchers introduced the chemicals into the chambers and then measured their removal from the air.

The study also tested plants at lower chemical concentrations of less than 1 part per million.

In some experiments, researchers removed the foliage from the plants. This allowed them to study the role of the plant’s roots and the soil surrounding them.

NASA examined the role of plant roots

The study found that the roots and associated microorganisms appeared to play an important role in removing chemicals.

In one set of benzene tests, a plant with its foliage removed showed greater mean benzene removal than the same plant with its foliage intact.

The researchers said the results indicated that the plant root zone and its associated microorganisms could be an important pathway for removing chemicals from the air.

NASA tested whether soil alone could remove chemicals

Researchers also examined the role of potting soil without plants. The report concluded that the plants, rather than the potting soil alone, were responsible for removing most of the chemicals studied.

The study also stated that plants needed to be growing in the soil for the soil to be highly effective in removing indoor air pollutants.

Which chemicals did NASA study?

NASA’s research focused on three organic chemicals:

• Benzene
• Trichloroethylene
• Formaldehyde

The study reported significant reductions in benzene and formaldehyde for virtually all plants tested in the relevant experiments.

What NASA found about houseplants and indoor air

The report concluded that plants could play a major role in removing organic chemicals from indoor air under the conditions tested. The researchers also found that chemicals could be removed through the plant leaves or through the root and soil pathway.

The study said that the role of plant roots and microorganisms required further investigation.

What the findings may mean for indoor air research

NASA’s research examined how plants could be used in systems designed to remove organic chemicals from indoor air.

The report also discussed an integrated system combining potted plants with activated-carbon and plant filtration systems for removing high concentrations of chemicals and smoke from buildings.

The study’s findings showed that the plants tested, along with their root systems and associated microorganisms, were important parts of the chemical-removal process examined in the NASA experiments.