AD | If you’re an allergy sufferer (grass pollen, tree pollen, pet dander, being common activators) you’ve probably tried all sorts of over the counter remedies. But did you know there are plants that aid allergies too? Seems kind of counter-intuitive doesn’t it? However, it’s true and in this post I’m sharing the 15 best indoor plants for allergies, and how to care for them. Want some more good news? They’re nearly all perfect indoor plants for beginners (or for those like me, whose house plant game is not strong), win win.
Contents
The best indoor plants for allergies
Before we take a look at which indoor plants are good for allergies, it’s worth clarifying exactly what is an allergy. Common signs include:
- Irritated, red, itchy or watery eyes
- Puffiness or darkness under the eyes
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Congestion
- Hives
- Tiredness
If you’re a hay fever sufferer or flare up on contact with certain animals (ginger cats being a renowned trigger, sadly), you’ll recognise these symptoms all too well. Which is why it’s important to choose allergy friendly plants. Because your reactions might not always be caused by pollen, it could be mould spores in your house plant’s soil. So you need to choose plants that don’t need much water, or else at least give them plenty of light and air. Another good tip is to go for plants with large or smooth leaves that don’t trap allergens and dust mites so easily. And it goes without saying that plants with lower pollen counts will be the best indoor plants for asthma and allergies.
How can indoor plants help with allergies?
So, just how do indoor plants help allergies? Back in the 1980s, NASA carried out a study and found that the best indoor plants for allergies can remove formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, and other toxins from the air. And by purifying the air in offices and homes, these plants help prevent sick building syndrome. Researchers found one plant per 100 square feet can efficiently clean the air, although the study was conducted within a sealed Space Station, where air is more concentrated.
So, for your average sized homes and offices, you’d be looking at around 15 – 20 plants to purify the air you breathe. And the more large broad-leafed foliage the plants have, the more effective they are in improving allergy symptoms. NASA also found the plant root-soil zone was the most effective area for removing volatile organic chemicals such as mould spores, which are prevalent in bathrooms. Hence achieving clean bathroom decor becomes a whole lot easier with the right plants.
Which plant or tree purifies the air the most?
As previously mentioned, low pollen plants with large smooth leaves are the best indoor plants for air quality. And plants grow faster when there’s humour involved (it’s a fact) so why not decorate your favourite plant’s container with some funny custom stickers, as a good reminder to feed and water her if nothing else 😉 In no particular order then, you could choose from any (or all!) of the following allergy-alleviating, hypoallergenic indoor plants.
Snake Plant
Sansevieria laurentii is among the easiest of all house plants to grow. According to NASA, it has one of the best surface area-to-chemical removal rations too. It will thrive in bright, warm locations, although it can cope with shade as well. And it requires a loose, sandy potting soil very little water (to avoid root rot) so ideal for the forgetful among us… Click here to buy your own Snake Plant*
English Ivy
Hedera helix is another NASA favourite and it’s hard not to love this tumbling display. Indoor ivies prefer plenty of light but again, loose soil and not too much water. You need to let the soil dry out in between watering times but she will need a wash every so often, to clean her leaves of any dust. The easiest way to do this is pop her in the shower! Click here to buy your own English Ivy*
Aloe Vera
Are succulents good for allergies? Yes they are, and succulent aloes need very little water and maintenance, although they do need plenty of light. And they make really fun plants for kids’ bedrooms, teaching them how to care for a plant that’s interesting to look at, but not too demanding. Flora has two in her room, one brought all the way back from Lanzarote a couple of years ago. Click here to buy your own Aloe Vera*
Spider plant
Popular in the 1970s, spider plants are making a comeback now, and no wonder, they’re cheap to buy and easy to propagate. Provided your parent plant is placed in a light room, and the soil kept moist (not soggy), she should produce lots of babies. Simply cut them off and plant them up into new containers. Then, instead of just one spider plant for allergies, you’ll have lots of little allergy fighting plants for free. Just remember to give the mother plant a fertiliser feed now and again, to replenish her energy. Click here to buy your own Spider Plant*
Rubber tree
Ficus elastica is a tropical plant from South East Asia, with gorgeous deep green glossy leaves. In the wild, as a tree she can grow up to 100 feet, but as an indoor house plant, she’s much easier to keep at a smaller size. To stay happy and healthy, all she needs is light, warmth and her soil kept moist, plus the occasional wipe of her leaves to keep them free of dust. And you may need to offer some support as she gets taller, such as a stake or plant ring. Click here to buy your own Rubber Plant*
Philodendron
Another tropical plant, philodendrons have two types, climbing plants that need a support structure such as a trellis, and non-climbers, which are perfect for pots and baskets. To keep her vibrant green leaves, she needs sunlight, moist or humid air such as a bathroom, a fortnightly water, and an occasional feed. Bearing in mind her natural habitat is dappled forest shade, she’ll appreciate the occasional sojourn outside in a damp, shady spot too. Click here to buy your own Philodendron*
Pothos
Often mistaken for philodendron, pothos are equally popular as they’re very easy to care for being happy in bright indirect light, low light, dry soil, or even in vases of water. Pothos plants are ideal plants for bathrooms or a home office as they don’t mind low light. That said, if you have a variegated plant, they may lose their white colour if the light is too low. If you find your pothos turning green, she’s telling you she needs more light. Click here to buy your own Pothos*
Gerbera Daisy
Yes, I did say that the best indoor plants for allergies were non-flowering or low pollen, but Gerbera jaimesonii is another top allergy alleviating plant that NASA highly recommends. I think if you have a pollen allergy, then avoid Gerbera, but if you don’t then go for it and add some cheerful colour to your home. They need plenty of bright, indirect sunlight and good air circulation, moist soil, and an occasional liquid feed. And keep deadheading to encourage lots of new blooms. Click here to buy your own Gerbera Daisy plant*
Peace lily
Spathiphyllum are a very popular choice for offices and homes as they’re among the easiest and most striking indoor air cleaning plants to look after. And you can choose your colour too – want a darker green leaved lily? Place her in a low light spot. Want more white “flowers”? She needs more light. Just be careful not to overwater this drought tolerant plant – only do so when the surface of the soil is dry to touch. And give her leaves an occasional wipe to remove dust, or pop her in the shower if that’s easier. Peace lilies produce pollen that’s stickier and heavier than other flowers so peace lily allergies are rare. Click here to buy your own Peace Lily*
Dracaena
Another of our 15 best indoor plants for allergies, Dracaena marginata is also known as dragon tree, so it’s one of Flora’s favourites 🙂 She needs to be planted in well-draining soil and watered regularly during the growing season. Although as another drought-tolerant plant, you’ll know if you’ve overwatered as her leaves will turn yellow or brown. She does well in most light conditions but is happiest in indirect bright light. And although she can grow up to 20 feet in her native Madagascar, she’s easy to keep pruned to around 6 feet or less as an allergy-alleviating indoor house plant. Click here to buy your own Dracaena*
Areca Palm
Slightly higher maintenance, Dypsis lutescens or Areca lutescens, a native of Madagascar, is a graceful plant with smooth trunks and narrow fronds. A great air purifier, she does best in bright light, humid conditions, planted snugly in her pot, in a well-draining soil. Water sparingly and only when the soil feels dry, don’t leave her to get soggy. If the air is too dry, the leaf tips will turn brown, so mist them a few times a week with distilled water or collected rainwater. And wipe her leaves occasionally to remove dust, or even better, stand her outside in some summer rain. Click here to buy your own Areca Palm*
Kentia Palm
Another tropical palm, Kentia is usually sold with up to five plants in a pot. She’s shade tolerant, cold tolerant, and doesn’t grow too large either. So she’s ideal for pretty much any room in the house, although as a tropical plant, she does prefer warmth and humidity. Fun fact: Queen Victoria loved these palms and added them to all of her homes. Easy to care for, you only need to wipe her fronds clean from time to time, and be careful not to overwater – yellow leaves indicate too much water, brown tips signal not enough. Click here to buy your own Kentia Palm*
Lady Palm
Also known as a fan palm, with larger, thicker, blunt tipped fronds, Rhapis excelsa is a great choice that’s easy to care for. She’s not too fussy about light or humidity and is great at removing airborne pollutants, according to that NASA study. As a tropical plant, she only needs moist soil – if in doubt, let the top soil dry out completely, so the roots don’t sit in a puddle. Click here to buy your own Lady Palm*
Bamboo Palm
Another palm plant that can grow up to seven feet in lower light levels is Chamaedorea seifrizii, although she will grow taller with more light. A native of Mexico and Central America, to maintain her lush dark green leaves, she needs a rich potting soil and water about once a week, until the soil is evenly moist. As with all palms, it’s really important not to overwater as their roots can rot if left in standing water. Click here to buy your own Bamboo Palm*
Boston Fern
The last of the best indoor plants for allergies, and ideal for hanging baskets, Nephrolepis Exaltata does well indoors in bright, indirect sunlight, but out of draughts. They do need watering regularly to keep the soil moist, and they’ll never say no to some extra humidity, so you can mist the leaves as well. By all means prune her when she starts to look scraggly (and give her a liquid feed) but otherwise try not to touch their fronds, they don’t like it, and it can turn them brown. However, although she’s a great air cleaning plant, ferns do produce spores, so if you’re already prone to breathing issues, maybe best to give ferns a miss. Click here to buy your own Boston Fern*
Do indoor plants cause allergies and if so, which are the worst indoor plants for allergies?
Playing Devil’s Advocate for the sake of completeness in this post, yes, unfortunately there are some house plants that cause allergies. These include orchids, marigolds, chrysanthemums, African violets (their fuzzy leaves trap dust and you can’t wipe it off), bonsai trees of the juniper or cedar variety, and fig trees. In fact, fig trees are some of the worst plants for allergies as fig tree leaves give off a sap that includes latex in its chemical makeup. So extremely bad news for latex allergy sufferers.
Which indoor plants are best for bedrooms?
Harking back to that NASA study again, and because I’m always happy to take sleeping tips from NASA, luckily you’ll be in safe hands (fronds? leaves?) with any of these air purifying plants that help with allergies. When you’re trying to improve your quality of sleep, clean, fresh air has to come at the top of the list, doesn’t it? And not only are these 15 plants purifying the air you breathe, they’re releasing oxygen too. Regular readers of my blog will know I’m a keen gardener, and in truth, I do prefer outdoor plants over house plants. But I think I could probably manage to keep a few of these allergy-busting indoor plants alive – after all, if my 11 year old can do it, there’s really no excuse for me!
Did you realise that indoor plants are good for allergies? Have you got any allergy-alleviating house plants in your home? If not, which of 15 best indoor plants for allergies would you choose, and which rooms would you have them in?
* This is a sponsored post and features affiliate links but all opinions are my own (please see my Disclaimer).
I really wish I was a green thumb, luckily my mom covers that for us. We have pots of cacti and succulents at home and my mom is really hands-on with her plants. Indoor gardening became a big thing here especially since the pandemic 😂
I’m lucky to have a garden because my indoor plant game is rubbish! But it sounds like your mum is a great house plant nurturer 🙂
I honestly had no idea! I suffer really badly from hay fever so this is very useful: might be time to give away my orchids 🙈 this was so informative thank you for sharing.
alittlecupofus.com
Ah no, I’m sorry to hear that – perhaps you could keep them, but in another room?
Thanks for this! Really helpful and now I have a list for the garden centre 😍
And my work here is done! 🙂
Fantastic post, Lisa! As you know, I’ve gone for mostly artificial plants for my office. But I have artificial versions of a few of these so it’s good to know if/when I decide to swap for the real thing, that my AWFUL hay fever isn’t going to be affected. It’s so bad, so I really can’t afford to feel awful in my office every day haha! xxx
Thank you so much, Jenny, that’s very kind – and yes, I hope you do swap your artificial plants for a few of these – if I can keep them alive then so can you! xxx
I will need to make a short list from your recommendations, as I want to buy a couple of indoor plants, for the office and our bedroom. I like spider plant the most, it’s so cute. On top of that, if I can have more baby plants, it’s pretty amazing. Your post really helped me, so, thank you. 🙂
Spider plants and spiderettes are so cute, aren’t they? Thank you, Anca, happy plant shopping and I’m glad this post was helpful 🙂
I love an indoor plant, I’ve got more fake ones that live ones these days because I’m a terrible plant mum!
Rosie
I feel you, indoor plants are hard work – but these ones aren’t so perfect for us!
I had no idea firstly how many cool indoor plants there were but also, how they can help allergies! Fascinating post to read xx
Thank you, Della, I’m so pleased you found it interesting! x
In my planting zone, gerbera daisies are annuals. I didn’t know they could be maintained as house plants. I’ll need to pick one up. Thanks so much.
TBH, it was news to me as well – happy gerbera shopping!
Growing up, we had a lot of plants. A lot of those you mentioned. But who knew? We had them as pure decoratives!
I will remember this going forward, not just as decoratives but for anyone with allergies. Guess what, they’ll make great housewarming gifts and presents too.
That’s a lovely idea, the perfect house warming gift in more ways than one!
I knew that aloe vera plants had some benefits but I never realised how many other plants have benefits to helping with allergies! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It’s really interesting, isn’t? I loved writing this post! x
We have so many Aloe Vera! It’s really great and we can also use it for hair treatment 😀 I haven’t try to have the rest of these plants inside our house! My mom would love to have them. Thanks for sharing x
It’s such a versatile plant, isn’t it? I use ours for burns too, it’s so soothing 🙂 x
I’ve just moved in with my boyfriend and I need this advice, as he has awful allergies 🙂 thank you for sharing x
Ah no, I’m sorry to hear that, I hope some of these plants might help him x
This is so interesting! I had no idea plants could help with allergies. I have a few of the ones you mentioned in this post, but I think I may get some more. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thank you – I’m always happy to help with anything plant-related!
I usually don’t think about this when buying house plants and you’ve opened my eyes to the fact that I really need to. Thanks for all the info, I’ve taken some notes!
You’re most welcome, I’m so pleased it was helpful 🙂
Great post! I love the idea of getting some indoor plants one day – the snake plants in particular really stood out to me! Thanks for sharing x
Thank you – the snake plants are really striking, aren’t they!
I’m learning to be more of a green thumb, but I really want to grow Aloe Vera!
Good choice, Amie, they’re really easy to grow 🙂
Sweet! I already have a snake plant, spider plant, and aloe vera so I must be on my way to cleaner air. I think your post will help me convince my husband to hang all my baby spider plants in our shower for fresher bathroom air, too
Oh yes, you sound like your home is super filtered, congrats! Good luck to your baby spider plants, they’ll love the bathroom 🙂
I have got plenty of snake plant and pothos about my home, but I love the beauty of the spider plant, the Boston fern, and the rubber tree too is very attractive. Your tip for cleaning Hedera helix is genius, Lisa! I am forever struggling with dusters and damp clothes to be rid of the dust but never once thought of popping her in for a quick rinse.
Thanks so much for sharing!
It’s one of those light bulb moments, isn’t it? Such an easy method and easy to wash the dirt down the plug hole too. Happy bathing to your ivy from now on!
Very interesting read Lisa! I have only succulents because that’s the only species that survives with me. That said I am currently a plant-nanny for a holidaying friend. So far no victims and only one week to go. Her ivys are so lovely so I think I will get a couple after the summer 💚💚💚
Well, succulents are a large family, so you’ve got plenty to choose from! Although it sounds as if you’re ready to migrate to ivies now too – happy plant shopping! 🙂
Perfect timing because I have allergic rhinitis and some plants really do trigger my allergies. Thanks for this list, Lisa! I’ve always wanted indoor plants in my room.
Ah no, I’m sorry to hear that, Monique – hopefully some of the plants on this list will help!
Fascinating! I knew indoor plants helped to clean the air, but I had no idea they could help reduce allergens. By the way, the Snake Plant is also called “Mother-In-Law’s Tongue” here in the USA.
Thank you! And yes, I did read that but I thought it might be a joke, so didn’t include it – thank you for confirming it’s true 🙂
You wouldn’t think this would be right with allergies to actually buy house plants. I find this really interesting as when I buy my property I want to have house plants. These sound perfect! Thank you for sharing them and this information Lisa.
Lauren
I know, it seems so counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? I’m glad you found this helpful, Lauren, happy plant shopping in due course!
This was very informative, detailed and useful for me, because 1. I’m allergic to basically every plant out there and 2. I can’t properly take care of plants so I learned a lot from this post. Thank you!
Oh thank you so much, I’m so pleased it was helpful for you!
Thank you for sharing this post. Not only do I love it because I simply love gardening but because I adore plants of all kinds. Just the other day I was eyeballing a large potted Aloe Vera plant I was considering for indoors. Now I do think I will get one after all. My main concern was that my indoor cat would bother it but I think I could keep him from it. Thanks for this list!
We have three cats and they’ve never shown the slightest interest in any of our Aloe Veras if that helps? I don’t think cats and succulents mix so you “should” be ok with them 🙂
I think I need to get myself one these babies. The daisy one would be lovely for me as I love flowers. Thank you for sharing.
I can see you with a whole host of Gerberas, Fadima, thank you!
What an interesting post. At the moment I have zero house plants and allergies. This really is great information and has motivated me to finally get on with it. Getting a variety of house plants. Thanks for sharing,
Thank you, Mark, I’m glad it was helpful – I’m not going to argue with NASA!
I had no idea there were plants which help with allergies! I need to pick one or two up soon. Thanks for sharing.
Happy plant shopping, Jodie, hope they help!
I love houseplants! I seem to be acquiring more and more lately haha especially succulents. I had no idea that houseplants could help with allergies so this is fantastic to know, thank you for sharing. I need to get a pothos, they just look so nice.
Succulents are amazing, they’re so easy to look after and there’s such a huge range to choose from! Yes, definitely get a pothos, they look super pretty with their variegated leaves.
I’ve never thought about allergy reducing plants when purchasing plants! This is great information, my fiance has horrible seasonal allergies so I’ll be looking into some of these next time I’m out for plants. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so pleased it was helpful and I hope some of these plants will help your fiance’s allergies as well!
I recently got a plant in my room and I’ve been loving it! I love what plants and greens can add to a room. Thanks for sharing how to take care of them. 🙂
You’re welcome, glad to hear you’re a houseplant fan 🙂
I’m not gonna lie, there are new names that I never knew about haha. Great to know about this. Definitely will consider before buying any plants in the future.
Glad this article was useful – happy future plant shopping!
This is fascinating! I love indoor plants.
Thank you – glad to hear it!
Thank you for sharing this! I’m always hesitant to get indoor plants because of my hay fever which throws me into asthma attacks, so this is the perfect post. Definitely looking out for Aloe Vera and Peace lily for my home 🙂
I think an Aloe Vera would be perfect in the bedroom and a Peace Lily perhaps in the living room – so pleased the post was helpful!
Great tips! Maybe it is time to replace the fake plants in my office (they look good on my Zoom background!):
Oh definitely, go for the real thing!
Thank you for sharing these! As a long-term allergy sufferer, green plants have been my savior over the past few years, not just with making me feel better, but by allowing me to splurge on plants like usual. It’s an addiction that is tough to beat x
That’s so good to hear (about your plant addiction, not your allergies), I’m happy to find a fellow plantaholic 🙂
I think I literally have all of those plants haha! I honestly don’t know what id do if my houseplants effected my allergies but this is such an important post to share!
Wow, you are a plantaholic, that’s great to hear – and thank you!
I’m very allergy-prone but luckily I’m not allergic to plants 🎉 This is a great list 🙂 x
Thank you – maybe some of them might help your allergies then? x
I have some of these plants and I had no clue they help with allergies. Thanks for this informative post!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
You’re welcome – and glad to hear you’re a houseplant fan!
Thanks for this my son has terrible hay fever may look into a few of these
Oh I’m sorry to hear that – I hope a couple of these may help – a Snake Plant or an Aloe Vera might appeal to him?
Hmmm really interesting… My boyfriend got an allergic reaction to plants in the house so we removed them all. It is the opposite haha!
I don’t know what you had but some plants do trigger allergies – he should be fine with a few Aloe Veras though 🙂
Now I want to fill my home with even more plants! I already have a windowsil full of herbs in the kitchen and I love the vibrancy and smells from them.
I usually stick to cacti and succulents because they’re harder to kill.
Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
And my work here is done 🙂 I’m with you on cacti and succulents, they’re hardy little souls!
Loved reading this! I have one of my sister that suffers from pollen, but never thought how many of them could make things worse! Glad to see though we own already most of them and that they can do a good deal of help x
Thank you, Cristina – very happy to hear you’re a fellow plantaholic, and they work for you all! x
Very interesting! Now I wonder if this is the reason why my grandma had most of these plants in her house when I was a kid. Maybe she knew this. Thanks for sharing.
Maybe she did – never underestimate a grandmother’s wisdom 🙂
Such a great post!! I love having house plants although I don’t have the greenest of fingers hahaha, Ferns are my favourite!
We have so many ferns in our garden but none in our house – yet! And thank you 🙂
I’d never have thought about all these different plants. But we’re really looking to at some more greenery inside. We love having plants to nurture. We recently went to a garden centre and my husband loved the ferns and palms. Peace lilies have always been one of my favourites too!
Oh, amazing, it sounds like your husband is already on board, that’s great – happy plant shopping!
I really wish I had a green thumb! I couldn’t even keep a succulent alive, and they’re the most easiest plants to keep alive haha. I’m so happy I came across your post! It’s going to really helpful when I start plant shopping! Bookmarking it right now! Thank you for this helpful and insightful post, really so helpful hun!
Oh dear, succulents are pretty easy, haha! I hope this post will help you – better luck next time around, and thank you 🙂
I have hay fever but I’m not sure what I’m allergic to and I’d never thought about allergies when buying indoor plants before! I nearly bought a snake plant last week but didn’t, I’m kicking myself now!! xx
It’s weird, isn’t it? You’d think plants would be a no-no but some do actually help! x
Lisa, this was fascinating! I didn’t know plants had allergy reducing effects – just another reason they’re incredibly cool! I have a few of these plants in my home already, but I’ve had my eye on a bamboo plant for ages, so I’m totally using this to justify the purchase! xx
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Thank you, Mia, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post – and I hope you enjoy your wonderful new bamboo plant! x
In summer due to dust storms, I suffer from a runny nose & red eyes but reading your article I bought few snake plants and put them in my room. Now all those things are much under control. Thanks.
Oh that’s wonderful to hear, I’m so pleased it’s working for you!
Great suggestion. My mother is a plantmom. She will be happy to read this post.
Thank you, I hope she enjoys it!
Thanks for sharing, these indoor plants, I used to have a spider plant, which died eventually, I do have a couple of catcuses at the moment 🙂
Oh no, I hope you got a few babies before the mother’s demise 🙂
I’m not ashamed to admit that I have almost all of these plants, and as a houseplant lover I adore this list! If mould spores are problematic, swapping to a substrate like Pon or Lecca and watering from below can be a huge help to keep mould away. It can also help discourage fungus gnats.
Em x
That is a really good tip, Em, thank you so much – we’ve had a few fungus gnats in the past, so I’ll look out for a different substrate x
Great post! I’m asthmatic and also have ALL the allergies, so I struggle with dust and even the slightest scents but love my indoor plants.
I have some very beloved snake plants (started as two, now have five due to propagation!), a curly spider plant, and quite a few succulents and cacti. My only properly flowering plant is a Purple Shamrock, which is just gorgeous! No scent, so recommend for anyone with allergies who wants something colourful!
It was a bit of trial and error finding allergy-friendly plants so now you’ve added to my addiction with some new ideas… 😉
Thank you! And my work here is done – not that I’m happy you have allergies of course, but I’m always more than happy to encourage and feed a plant addiction 🙂
Oh wow, I didn’t know plants helped with allergies! Good to know. I have about 8 spider plants in my house, and several other plants!
Some plants do, not all though – and yes, spider plants do breed a lot of babies, don’t they!
Hey Lisa,
I’m curious: Are there any specific care tips or common mistakes to avoid when caring for these allergy-friendly plants? Additionally, do you have any recommendations for plants that thrive in low-light environments, such as apartments with limited natural sunlight? Thank you for sharing your expertise and helping us create healthier indoor environments!
Hi Maria, I think it’s a case of choosing the right plant for your environment and caring for them accordingly. Some will need more water than others, some will need less light than others. Your best bet is to go to a garden centre and speak to the experts!