The common knowledge that plants can only release oxygen during the daytime is inaccurate. Some houseplant varieties produce oxygen at night, helping keep your bedroom fresh and improving sleep quality.
Nick’s Garden Center sheds more light on these oxygen-producing plants. Find out how plants produce oxygen at night and the varieties that are great for your bedroom.
The Best Houseplants for Increasing Oxygen Levels
Having plants in your home not only livens up your space with natural beauty but they also improve air quality by increasing oxygen levels. With many of us spending more time indoors especially in recent years, it’s become even more important to ensure our homes have clean, breathable air.
Certain houseplants are better than others at releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. Here are some of the top options to oxygenate your home:
Snake Plant
The snake plant, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, is a hardy and easy to care for houseplant that converts carbon dioxide into oxygen very efficiently. Snake plants release most of their oxygen at night, making them ideal plants for the bedroom. Place them near beds for improved sleep.
Spider Plant
Spider plants are excellent houseplants for purifying indoor air. Their fast growing nature and broad leafy foliage allows them to produce significant amounts of oxygen. Spider plants also help remove pollutants like formaldehyde from the air. Let the long cascading leaves trail or hang the spider plant up in a hanging basket.
Peace Lily
With their beautiful white flowers, peace lilies are one of the better houseplants for oxygenating and filtering the air. Peace lilies remove harmful pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Water them weekly and give them indirect sunlight for optimal growth.
Areca Palm
The areca palm is a quick growing tropical plant that generates high levels of oxygen. It also eliminates air contaminants like xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde. Place areca palms in bright, indirect light and water several times a week.
Pothos
An easy to grow vine, pothos is a houseplant with a quick carbon dioxide to oxygen conversion rate. It thrives in bright, indirect light. Water when the top inch of soil becomes dry. Pothos removes environmental toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide.
Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese evergreen is a popular and resilient houseplant that produces lots of oxygen. Its wide, green leaves also help filter out harmful chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde. Chinese evergreens grow well in medium to low indirect light. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is well known for its health and medicinal properties. But it also helps purify indoor air by removing benzene and aldehydes while releasing oxygen, especially at night. For optimal growth, place the aloe vera plant in bright, direct light and allow the soil to fully dry between waterings.
Gerbera Daisy
The colorful blooms of gerbera daisies not only provide beauty, they also release oxygen, mostly at night. These houseplants help remove benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from indoor air. Grow gerbera daisies in well-draining soil and give them plenty of direct sunlight.
English Ivy
English ivy is a popular houseplant that removes airborne fecal-matter particles. It’s also an effective plant for filtering out benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Let the ivy’s trailing vines hang down or train them to climb screens or trellises. Keep the soil slightly moist, not soggy.
Bamboo Palm
With wide palm fronds, the bamboo palm generates oxygen while also eliminating air pollutants like benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde. Bamboo palms grow fastest in bright, indirect sunlight. Water them frequently to maintain lightly moist soil.
Fill your home with these and other oxygen producing plants to boost air quality. Pair them with plenty of open windows or air purifiers for maximum benefit.
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
The Spider Plant is another great houseplant for boosting bedroom oxygen. This plant stands out for its arching green and white striped leaves. Beyond aesthetics and the ability to produce oxygen at night, the spider plant can withstand neglect for some days and still maintain its stunning beauty.
Understanding Nighttime Oxygen Production
Some plants produce oxygen at night through a process called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism. However, a single plant might not have enough oxygen to freshen your bedroom. As such, you’ll need multiple nighttime oxygen producers to add more oxygen to your bedroom or any other room.
Unbelievable Air Purifier: These Bedroom Plants Release Oxygen!
FAQ
What indoor plants give the most oxygen?
- Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata) The Snake Plant is one of the most popular plants producing night oxygen. …
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum) …
- Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum) …
- Money Plant (Epipremnum Aureum) …
- Philodendron (Philodendron spp.) …
- Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis Miller)
What plant removes 78% of airborne mold?
English Ivy is a plant that can remove 78% of airborne mold in 12 hours, according to Homes and Gardens.
What plants are good for oxygenation?
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis ‘Miller’) A popular succulent plant, Aloe Vera has distinctive thick and spiky leaves that grow upwards. They’re known for producing high levels of oxygen, as well as absorbing VOCs like xylene, formaldehyde and benzene.
Which plant gives you more oxygen?
Rubber plant is the best among all oxygen producing plants.