Have you ever wondered why your eyes are irritating, watery and burning? While these are symptoms for a seasonal allergy; the reason can also be inside your homes!   

Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas used widely in industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. Glues, permanent press fabrics, paper product coatings, fiberboard, plywood, particle board, and chemicals all contain the gas which means it's in substantial concentrations both indoors and outdoors!  

Formaldehyde can cause a burning sensation in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels. But how do you know if the air inside our homes is clean?  

Having live plants in our houses can effectively remove pollutants from the air. You can have a specific plant to clean a specific pollutant!    

1. Chrysanthemum for Foam insulation: They are plants that come in wide variety of floral colors, including gold and white, off-white, yellow, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple.  There many forms of petals can direct your indoor arrangements!        

2. Indoor Azaleas for Plywood: They produce an abundance of bright, funnel-shaped flowers and bloom for up to a month at a time. Shades of pink, white, peach, lavender and even bi-colored petals can fill your house with warmth and color!  Buy your Azalea with some opened and plenty of unopened buds.  A cool porch or windowsill is an ideal spot for these flowers. 

3. Dieffenbachia for Particle board: They are popular houseplants because of their tolerance for shade and easy care. With its elliptical leaf shape; the foliage varies in color from green to cream with green borders or a mix between the two. Refrain from eating any parts of it for its toxicity. 

4. Philodendron for Carpeting: This plant has of one of the most beautiful foliage in the plant kingdom. Some climb and others don't. The climbing varieties make excellent hanging or trailing plants,  Provide plenty of warmth, bright light and moisture. These plants are not prone to insects, and are generally vigorous growers. 

5. Spider Plant for Furniture: They are hanging and trailing houseplants, popular, hardy and easy to grow!  Tight rosettes of arching leaves with a profusion of hanging plantlets on long stems can turn any corner, column or window to a wonderful display. 

6. Golden Pothos for Clothes: Hardy vines that thrive in almost any circumstance and is high on the list of purifying indoor air. It’s also tolerant to low light conditions and inconsistent watering. With their dark green, yellow and gold marbling leaves; the shoots cling and climb in greens and golds.  Secure it with hooks along your walls and over window frames as they might get tangled if left to grow alone.  

7. Bamboo palm for Paper Goods: This small palm thrives in shady indoor spaces and tops the list of plants for filtering out benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde.  The bamboo palm is a beautiful, tall, green indoor plant that can reach a good height with colored fiber in the base of their stems resembling bamboo. It is perfect for low light areas. Remove dead fronds to improve your plant’s appearance.
8. Corn plant for Household Cleaners:  Having leaves that resemble corn; its foliage can grow to a length of 45 cm!     

In bright light, a lengthwise yellow stripe will appear in the center of each leaf thus you can easily tell if your corn plant is not getting enough light as the stripes will disappear.      

1. Mother-in-law tongue for Water repellents: This plant is one of the best for filtering out formaldehyde, which is common in cleaning products, toilet paper, tissues and personal care products. Put one in your bathroom as it will thrive with low light and steamy humid conditions while helping filter out air pollutants! Pictures: 46-48

10. Gerbera daisy for Plastics:  The long-lasting colorful flowers are gorgeous, with stunning petals surrounding a prominent center. Its foliage grows as a low mound of large, rich green leaves and is effective at removing toxins coming back from the dry cleaning. The vibrant blooms of yellows, oranges and pinks will bring life to any room in the house! 

11. Peace lily for Tobacco Smoke:  Long elongated green foliage with graceful white flower color characterizes the elegant houseplant. It thrives in lower lighted areas but be careful on adding adequate water as it originally comes from rainforests! Although Peace Lilies are ideal for dark corners; they flower less in pool lighting.
12. English Ivy for Detergents: English Ivy is a beautiful dense plant that can be used as a hanging plant or trained up on a trellis and molded into almost any shape for decoration! There are hundred types of ivy varieties, some with plain green leaves and others variegated with yellow, gold and creamy white. Keep the bright light to keep the variegation, prune the green ones coming out of it. It's better to wear gloves when handling it as it might cause you a skin rash.