Turn toxins to oxygen: the best air-purifying plants for London's hippest homes

As city-dwellers we spend more than 90 per cent of our time indoors, pushed inside by work, weather and London's terrifying air pollution.

However, retreating indoors won't necessarily mean you're breathing clean air.

Toxic compounds, like formaldehyde, from furnishings, upholstery, building materials and cleaning products all contribute to making indoor air quality less than squeaky clean.

Outdoor air contaminants can also find their way inside, such as pollen, bacteria and molds.

But it’s not all doom and gloom — as well as looking great, houseplants are pretty nifty air purifiers, removing these toxins from the air and transforming them into oxygen.

So how do indoor plants manage this neat trick?

Well, as plants absorb carbon dioxide they also take in toxic particles from the air.

During photosynthesis they transform these toxins into lovely, pure oxygen which they then release into their environment.

We’ve gathered together a few of the best air-purifying plants to add to your home, using research from NASA (yes, really!) to figure out which indoor plants work the hardest to filter out common household toxins and pollutants.

Scroll through the gallery above to see which houseplants are the best air purifiers.

Freddie Blackett is the Founder of Patch (www.patch.garden).

Whether inside or outside your home or office, Patch helps you discover the best plants for you, delivers them to your door and helps you look after them.

Follow @PatchPlants on Instagram to get inspired by the world’s best indoor and outdoor urban gardens.