A few months ago, I happened upon a  TED Talk called  “How To Grow Fresh Air.” It inspired me to take another stab at keeping houseplants alive. I’ve tried many times, but all attempts have been miserable failures. Instead of a green thumb, I seem to have the black thumb of death. The only plant I’ve ever been able to grow is wheatgrass..

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So I was pretty nervous growing anything else. Out of the three plants in the Ted Talk, the Money Plant, or Golden Pothos, seemed like the easiest to grow. While I was plant shopping, I noticed some with the words Plants of Steel on the tag. That seemed promising so I also picked up a plant called Zamioculcas. It isn’t one of the three in the Ted Talk, but it is still one of the best houseplants for air purification and I’m told is actually a challenge to kill.

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These plants have been an amazing success, meaning they are still alive! I even went out of town for a while and returned to them looking exactly the same. You are supposed to water them about every two weeks, but I usually forget and only do it once a month. So far, so good!

Indoor plants, especially these, create negative ions and increase oxygen levels. Plus, there is just something relaxing about being surrounded green living things–okay when I say it like that, it sounds a little creepy….

I’ve tried many air purifying gadgets in the past but always had a vague feeling that I was being ripped off. The only things I really trust to make a significant difference in air quality are indoor plants and beeswax candles.

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I usually burn a couple of these candles when I’m painting with anything I feel the least but unsure about. But I wanted something more continuous because I’m storing some old paintings (pre-green era) in my bedroom.

These plants are great! They have thrived through months of my dubious care, are pleasant to look at, and very inexpensive when compared with other purifying options.