9 House Plants That Are Easy & Non-Toxic For Kids and Pets
House plants are a great way to beautify your home. But did you know that several popular house plants can be toxic to your kids and your dogs and cats?
It’s overwhelming enough with all the different shapes and colors of house plants! Now you have to worry about them being toxic?
Don’t throw in the towel and head to the fake plant section just yet. I’m here to help!
There’s plenty of good reasons to have houseplants in your home!
Some of the benefits of having house plants are:
- They can reduce VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the air such as ozone, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene, which can cause asthma, allergies, respiratory illnesses and cancer.
- House plants boost your mood, reduce stress levels and increase productivity levels.
- They’re inexpensive and look great no matter what style decor you have going on in your home.
The plants listed below are all listed as safe for humans and pets.
They’re also really easy to keep alive and don’t require too much attention.
I don’t know about you, but I’m notorious for neglecting house plants!
Take the worry out of choosing safe house plants and pick from one of the popular choices below!
Aluminum Plant
(also known as Watermelon Plant)
- Also known as Watermelon Plant due to distinctive markings on it’s leaves
- A Type of Pilea plant
- Needs bright indirect light
- Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy
Bromeliads
Image by Dezetter from Pixabay
- Easy and resiliant.
- The helpful plants continue to filter carbon dioxide out of the air and release oxygen at night, so they’re great plants for your bedroom.
- Can survive in low light, but require bright indirect light to produce more colorful foliage and to flower.
- Don’t need a lot of water. One really good watering a month should suffice.
Calathea
(also known as Prayer Plant)
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
- Also called Prayer Plant due to leaves drooping at night (called nyctinasty).
- Prefers low to medium indirect light.
- Water when top of soil is dry to the touch.
Cast Iron Plant
Image by Jan Haerer from Pixabay
- Very easy to keep alive and tolerant of neglect.
- Grows well in low light.
- Water when soil is dry to the touch.
Hoya
(also known as Wax Plant)
Image by L_V_T from Pixabay
- Also called Wax Plant.
- Easy and Resilient.
- Works well as a hanging plant.
- Needs bright indirect light.
- Water once soil is dry to the touch.
Parlor Palm
Image from www.thesill.com
- Easy to care for.
- Can tolerate low light but prefers moderate to bright indirect light.
- Water when top inch of soil is dry to the touch.
Peperomia
(also known as Baby Rubber Plant)
Image by Jan Haerer from Pixabay
- Popular and easy to keep alive.
- Small so it won’t take up much space.
- Comes in a variety of colors.
- Tolerates low light but does better with medium indirect light.
- Can tolerate a few hours of direct sun indoors.
- Water when soil is dry to the touch.
Friendship Plant
Image from Oklahoma State University Dept. of Horticulture and LA
- A type of Pilea plant.
- Works well as a hanging plant.
- Needs moderate to bright indirect light.
- Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy.
Spider Plant
Image from www.bhg.com
- Very easy to grow.
- Gets its name because of the baby plants, called spiderettes, that hang from the mother plant and resemble spiders.
- Needs bright indirect light.
- Allow soil to become dry between waterings.
You can’t go wrong picking one of these awesome and safe house plants to join your family!
Check out this informative article about toxic house plants to avoid if you have pets or kids.