Your gran may have told you...

that having plants in your bedroom stole all your oxygen, but she was very wrong indeed. Far from being a green peril, bedroom plants are incredibly beneficial as most of them filter out harmful compounds and particles like lead, mould and even formaldehyde! It’s not just hippies who think this – NASA knows it because it did the science. Some plants are better than others, though, so here’s your 12 best friends.
Jasmine
Jasmine smells amazing and it also has a relaxing effect on the mind and body, especially when it’s blooming. You may find you have deeper and better-quality sleep if you’re breathing in the scent of jasmine at night. In fact, there’s one variety called night blooming jasmine which is ideal for the job.
Lavender
We all know how soothing lavender is to smell and it has been shown time and time again that the smell and oils from lavender reduces anxiety and promotes sleep. This plant needs a lot of sun, so you might want to keep it in the garden and import stalks regularly.
Bamboo palm
This pretty little plant is a real powerhouse when it comes to cleaning the air, right down to reducing unpleasant smells. They’re also easy to look after as all they want is a weekly watering and a cool corner.
Gerbera daisies
These insanely bright flowers will give you an instant lift with their yellow, orange and pink blooms and that’s before they get to work on releasing lots of oxygen at night (sorry gran!) and the fact they’re good at filtering out particulate pollution makes them brilliant for allergy sufferers. The downside is that they’re a bit fiddly to look after.
Aloe vera
We already know about aloe vera for sunburn and dry skin, but this succulent is also great at removing a lot of the household toxins that build up from cleaning products and, well, modern life. NASA was especially fond of aloe vera, so you can’t go wrong!
The peace lily
NASA was also impressed with the peace lily as it’s very efficient at absorbing nasties like benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethane from the air in your home.
It can also increase the humidity in the room it’s in by up to five percent, which is ideal for allergy sufferers. It can be harmful to pets and kids if they eat it, though, so keep it out of reach, water it once a week and enjoy its beauty.
Valerian
You might be familiar with valerian root in tea or pill form as a sleep aid, but in its natural state it’s a bit of a stunner with gorgeous pink or white flowers every summer. It needs at least six hours of light every day, so if your bedroom is quite dark, you may need to keep it outside and bring petals inside instead.
English ivy
This was NASA’s number one choice for a natural air scrubber. It’s brilliant for removing formaldehyde and it’s really easy to grow. Start it off in a window corner and let it do its thing.
Snake plants
These are great for bedrooms as they don’t need much light. Snake plants take in a lot of CO2 and some harmful compounds while releasing lots of oxygen.
Gardenia
These plants look amazing and some studies have shown that having a gardenia in the bedroom is as good as taking a sedative pill. They do take some looking after, though, so if you’re not blessed with green fingers, you might want to choose another option.
Golden pothos
This is a popular plant that’s a top-notch air cleaner. It’s also easy to care for as it only needs watering once a week and doesn’t need much sun.
Spider pants
These 1970s favourites can remove as much as 90% of the formaldehyde in the room and they send out oxygen in exchange. You can hang them up out of reach and water them once or twice a week to get the benefits!
So, when are you getting started and which plant will you get first? :)
MuBu x