This winter, somehow we went from one little plant to six, including two big ones in our bedroom (see above). My curiosity about trendy air-purifying plants plus great service from the Lakewood Plant Company (plus kids eager to spend money) helped us to add more green and oxygen to our house.

I’ve always had a black thumb, so I usually default to pretty, fake greenery decor (which my kids always point out are fake to visitors). However, reading about actress Kristen Bell’s enthusiastic support of air purifying plants to help defeat winter allergies made me give “legit” greenery a second thought.

So what are the superhero plant properties, you ask? Well, fewer than 10 years ago, NASA discovered that houseplants can absorb toxins in enclosed spaces with little air flow…things like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ammonia and more.

When I noticed friends sharing “jungle photos” from Lakewood Plant on Instagram, it gave me the final push that I needed.

We started with a peace lily in our bedroom since they are hardy and fine with low light (as well as crushing pollutants like ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene). Each kid adopted their own mini cactus for their rooms and then we added a snake plant (Sansevieria) to our bedroom since they release oxygen at night, can survive low light and neglect and help to eliminate toxins such as formaldehyde and benzene.

While I almost murdered my peace lily because of under watering (I was so afraid of over-watering since that’s really the only way to kill them), I can happily report that all plants are alive and well. While I can’t say that the plants have helped us exclusively boot our winter allergies since we also had our ducts cleaned, I do have peace of mind and the kids have been really involved in taking care of all of our new housemates.

Anyone else into this trend or just been a plant lover for life? Share your favorite varieties.