I was clicking around on TED.com when I came across a fascinating video by Kamal Meattle about 3 plants that produce so much oxygen, you could sit in a sealed container and live off of the air they supply. The quality of the air we breathe has such a massive effect on our health and wellness that I really couldn’t ignore the points he raised.

More often than not, living in the city will have you breathing in all kinds of terrible chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, so it’s not surprising that rural folk have less instances of asthma, respiratory tract infections and allergenic issues. These 3 plants will give you a taste of country life, even in the busiest cities in the world.

Butterfly Palm Dypsis lutescens

Also known as areca palm, the butterfly palm tree is a great plant to line your bathrooms and gardens with.

They respond really well to heavy, consistent (every 10 or so days) watering but are quite sensitive to additives in water. If you live in a hard-water area or aren’t sure about the quality, it may be an idea to invest in a water filter/purifier to avoid sabotaging your palm. It’s best not to allow the soil to dry out (which will make the fronds droop) but if you do, slowly re-watering it will perk them back up in no time.

They respond best to bright and indirect light, so they’ll do great in sunny bathrooms or on a shielded patio, but anywhere in your house roughly 6 feet away from a window which gets a lot of sun will be fine. Too much light will quickly burn them, so it’s best to err on the side of caution with this.

One last thing to be aware of is browning of the leaf tips. This isn’t anything to be worried about and is quite natural, but when it happens, prune the branch from the base to stop your plant from wasting energy on trying to save it.

About four 5′ plants per person is the ideal density

The leaves will need to be wiped down at least once every 2 days in cities to keep them clean

Removes carcinogens (xylene and toluene) from the air during the day

Can grow to 12′ tall

Mother In Law’s Tongue Sansevieria trifasciata

Named after their shape (long, sharp leaves) there aren’t many plants I adore more than the mother in law’s tongue. Their snaking, variegated (multi-coloured) leaves are absolutely gorgeous and a few of these dotted around your home can really add some post-modern beauty that just keeps giving.

Like most tropical plants, leaving them outdoors in cooler regions will certainly do them a lot of harm, so unless you’re lucky enough to live in a hot country, it’s best to keep yours inside. Luckily, they’re pretty low-maintenance (considering how attractive they are, that’s quite a surprise) and will tolerate some pretty intense conditions.

When it comes to watering, if you’re quite forgetful your snake plant won’t mind at all, so don’t panic too much if you don’t have a strict schedule in place. During the warmer months, try to allow the soil to dry out a little in between watering and water only when needed. When it comes to the cooler, dormant months, don’t worry about watering at all unless the soil looks really dry, they won’t need much water when not growing.

One of the more important aspects of taking care of your plant is ensuring it has a well-draining soil. In the wild, they’re likely to be found in sandy soil, because water slides through so easily. If you can’t find any sandy soil to plant yours in, any well-draining potting mix will be fine (anything but that wretched clay).

It’s worth noting that those leaves are quite dense and the snake plant will get pretty top-heavy as it grows taller, try to keep it in a heavy pot with a sturdy base to prevent it from toppling over. Also, the leaves contain a toxin which will numb your voice-box and make it very hard to talk (maybe they should give these out at weddings?)

By the way, if your starts to flower, take pictures/videos and anything you can to document it. No matter how well yours is treated, it’s quite uncommon for them to bloom, so it’s a sight worth keeping

Roughly five waist height plants per room is ideal

Removes carcinogens (formaldehyde) from the air at night

Converts carbon dioxide to oxygen

Devil’s Ivy Epipremnum aureum

Although this is known colloquially as the ‘money plant’ I didn’t want it to get confused with jade, which is also a great air-cleaner, but not one I’ll be covering today.

Devil’s ivy is a tall, creeping vine and will assassinate any plants in its way on the road to total domination, so unless you have a way to keep it separate from the rest of your garden, I’d recommend leaving it in a pot indoors. They do well in medium light, but will easily tolerate slightly darker conditions, which makes them perfect for places like directly underneath a window or a low-light bathroom. Bright, direct sunlight is likely to scorch the leaves.

Like the mother in law’s tongue, this is another toxic plant and caution should be taken in situations involving children and pets.

They’ll survive some pretty cold conditions (to around 0c) so you should be okay to leave it outside in a pot as long as it won’t get much cooler than that. Water on a regular basis and don’t let the soil get too dry in between, to keep them growing voraciously. As the plant gets more and more comfortable, you’ll start finding streaks of gold on the leaves, so that’s a good indicator that everything is going well with the plant.

Removes carcinogens (formaldehyde) from the air

Works well when grown hydroponically

No post about removing carcinogens from the air would be complete without a mention of the wonderful peace lily, which is also fantastic at keeping your respiratory organs smiling.