With minimalist bedroom trends coming into popularity this year, it’s important to make sure that everything we have in our bedroom has a specific purpose or benefit. Removing clutter and excess items is a great way to free up your bedroom and create a more calming sleep environment but we have to be careful not to remove items, like plants, that have a profound benefit on our quality of sleep and therefore our health.

Certain indoor plants absorb common household toxins like formaldehyde, benzene and nitrogen oxide and release oxygen into the air, improving the air quality of your bedroom to create a healthier sleep environment.

We compiled a list of common, easy to care for indoor plants that will make your bedroom a better place to sleep.

SNAKE PLANT:

A great choice for smaller bedrooms as the slow growing, upright pointing leaves will not take up much floor space. They’re also a great plant for beginner’s as they require very little sunlight to survive and their soil needs to dry out in between watering so they don’t require frequent watering. Excellent at absorbing carbon dioxide and creating oxygen, these plants will produce clean air for you day and night. They’re also a very visually appealing plant (we think!) and in a decorative pot, will make a great addition to your bedroom.

RUBBER PLANT:

This plant is especially good at extracting formaldehyde and benzene from the air so it is a great choice for an ensuite as these chemicals are commonly found in conventional beauty products like hairspray and cosmetics. It prefers moderate light levels so a well lit room out of direct sunlight would suit it best. It can also grow up to 3m tall so an apartment/house with higher ceilings would be ideal.

SWISS CHEESE PLANT (MONSTERA):

The monstera’s large leaves make it excellent at extracting toxins and producing oxygen so just keep the leaves free of dust by giving them a wipe with a wet cloth and let this beauty go to work creating clean air for you. It can produce large leaves in small spaces, or if allowed, can grow up to 3m tall so it would suit either a small bedroom or a large bedroom with high ceilings.

PEACE LILY:

One of the most attractive indoor plants with beautiful, white flowers, the peace lily is a great addition to any bedroom. It can handle low light areas (but may not flower as much) and only needs a watering when the top few centimetres of soil dry out.

Peace lily is great at increasing the humidity of your bedroom and reducing airborne microbes that lead to allergies. If you suffer from dry nasal passages or throat, the peace lily can provide a more moisture laden environment to keep you comfortable at night.