Choose The Right Plants To Detoxify Your Home

There are hundreds of harmful chemicals in the air around us every day. But it turns out, there's a simple way to get rid of them in our homes.

It's time we roll up our sleeves and start planting. Even in the dead of winter, it may be good for us to start thinking green.

This all starts back in the 1960s when the space program was gearing up. A scientist at NASA was concerned about the increasing number of dangerous chemicals, so he wanted to see what could be done to clean the air. He found out certain plants can remove up to 170 chemicals from the air. Many of those chemicals can be found in things like carpet, drapes, paint, and varnish.

In order to rid your home of these chemicals, experts say you'll need the right plants.

"The ones with the bigger darker green leaves are the ones that do the best job for removing chemicals from the air," said Dr. Patti Nagai, Horticulturalist.

We're told you'll need two medium-sized plants for a 10-foot by 10-foot room in order to get the job done.