Key Takeaways

  • Houseplants like peace lilies, golden pothos, snake plants, areca palm, and striped dracaena can help get rid of mold and improve air quality.
  • Certain plants, like peace lilies and snake plants, lower humidity and create an unfavorable environment for mold growth.
  • Golden pothos and striped dracaena are great choices for humid spaces like bathrooms as they filter out mold and other air pollutants.

Cultivating houseplants adds uplifting greenery and creates a cozy oasis in your home. However, indoor gardening isn't just a fantastic way to elevate your interiors. Indoor plants also benefit your home by:

  • Improving air quality
  • Increasing concentration and focus
  • Boosting mood and nurturing happiness

Then, certain houseplants also help decrease mold in your home. Learn more about five amazing indoor plants that get rid of mold.

According to Oregon State University, mold causes health problems like nasal congestion, breathing difficulty, and headaches. If you are experiencing symptoms due to mold, contact a medical professional immediately.

1 Peace Lilies Filter Mold

Naturally remove mold and air pollutants like benzene

repotting peace lily

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) are an excellent choice for purifying the air in your home.

  • Peace lilies absorb mold. They soak up the mold spores present in your indoor air through their foliage to help reduce mold.
  • They clear out air pollutants. According to South Dakota State University, peace lilies also filter out pollutants such as benzene, acetone, and formaldehyde.
  • Peace lilies lower humidity. Mold flourishes when it's damp. Peace lilies soak up water or moisture in the air to establish an unfavorable environment for mold spores.

Peace lilies are toxic for humans, dogs, and cats. Keep children and pets away. If they eat part of the plant, contact a medical professional immediately.

2 Clear Out Pollutants With Golden Pothos

Say goodbye to air pollutants like formaldehyde and filter out mold

Golden pothos houseplants (Epipermnum aureum), are a great way to naturally freshen up the air in your home.

  • Golden pothos cleans the air in humid rooms. They thrive in humid spaces making them an excellent choice for bathroom houseplants.
  • They efficiently filter mold. Results from a study by Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences in the National Library of Medicine found that golden pothos plants decrease airborne mold.
  • Golden pothos clears out a range of air pollutants. As well as filtering mold, they also remove pollutants such as xylene, benzene, and formaldehyde.

According to North Carolina State University, pothos contain calcium oxalate crystals that are toxic to humans and pets. Keep kids and pets away, and contact a medical professional if they eat any part of the plant.

3 Snake Plants Help Purify the Air

Boost nighttime oxygen and prevent mold with low humidity

Snake plants (Dracaena trifasciata) are houseplant champions that have several plant perks!

  • Snake plants conserve moisture during the day, so they don't contribute to the high humidity levels that mold loves. While some houseplants, like spider plants, boost indoor humidity, snake plants keep their stomata (pores on the foliage) closed during the day to moderate water loss.
  • Snake plants improve nighttime air quality. They wait until the night to open their stomata and turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, so you have fresher air while you're sleeping.
  • They filter out indoor air pollutants. Snake plants are superb at filtering out benzene, formaldehyde, and ammonia to improve air in your home.

Mold thrives in areas with excess moisture like kitchens (steam forms during cooking) and bathrooms (humidity increases with showers). Cultivating plants that absorb or conserve water, can reduce humidity, and create a less favorable place for mold growth.

4 Send Mold Packing With Areca Palm

Areca palm is dog and cat-friendly and removes airborne mold

If you want to purify the air and create a pet-friendly indoor garden, areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) previously known as (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is a top choice. The ASPCA advises (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), that areca palms are non-toxic for pets such as dogs, cats, and horses.

  • Areca palms soak up humidity. Similar to peace lilies, areca palms draw moisture from the air into their foliage to lower indoor humidity and deter mold.
  • They flourish in warm, humid spaces. Areca palms prefer areas that are consistently warm above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and have high humidity levels like bathrooms, making them a fantastic choice for a natural bathroom air purifier.
  • Areca palms clean indoor air. Not only do areca palms filter mold, but they also reduce pollutants like ammonia.

Many houseplants that remove mold also get rid of harmful pollutants: benzene (from cigarette smoke), formaldehyde (an ingredient in glues and embalming), and toluene (found in some nail polishes and paints).

5 Clarify Air With Striped Dracaena

Clear out mold and pollutants such as toluene from your home

Indoor gardener holding dracaena fragrans plants in their arms
Image credits: Feey via Unsplash

Striped dracaena (Dracaena fragrans) previously known as (Dracaena deremensis), has a number of popular names including corn plant, warneckei dracaena, and ribbon plant. Cultivating dracaena plants can infuse your home with bright green foliage and purify the air at the same time.

  • Get rid of mold and indoor air pollution with striped dracaena. Dracaena foliage is excellent at filtering out mold and other unpleasant pollutants like toluene and formaldehyde.
  • Striped dracaena thrives in humidity. Place it in a room that typically has higher humidity like a bathroom or kitchen to clear the air.
  • Refresh the air in dry rooms. If you want to clean the air in drier spaces like a bedroom or living room, fill a shallow dish with water and small stones. Then, place the plant container on top of the pebbles. The water boosts humidity around the plant to encourage healthy foliage growth, so it can continue filtering the air.

Curating a collection of beautiful houseplants brings stellar benefits, like updating your interior design, removing air pollutants, and filtering out mold particles from the air.

  • Get rid of mold with peace lilies, golden pothos, snake plants, areca palm, and striped dracaena.
  • Lower humidity and prevent mold with peace lilies, areca palm, and snake plants.
  • Clean the air in humid spaces, like bathrooms, by cultivating golden pothos and striped dracaena.

Carefully select houseplants that clear the air in your home! Then, share your expertise with friends and family to help them cultivate a thriving indoor garden that improves indoor air quality.