Want to improve the indoor air quality in your home or office? Get a houseplant.

Plants can absorb air pollutants and can alleviate some "sick building syndrome" symptoms such as headaches and eye, nose or throat irritation which may be caused by inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants (ie. VOCs, carbon monoxide) or biological contaminants (ie. mold, pollen).

You don't have to overdo it. One plant for every 10 sq yards of floor space should be plenty.

Know how to care for your plant. Find out how much water and light it needs to be most effective. And if you have felines running about, check to make sure your new houseplants are cat friendly.

Care 2 Living suggests these ten plants as the most effective for overall indoor air quality improvement:

• Areca palm
• Reed palm
• Dwarf date palm
• Boston fern
• Janet Craig dracaena
• English ivy
• Australian sword fern
• Peace Lily
• Rubber plant
• Weeping fig

A good book that rates the top 50 plants and notes their advantageous properties is How to Grow Fresh Air.

For more information: Lowes; Clean Air Gardening

Amy says: My houseplant count at the moment is zero. Picking up a few is definitely on my to-do list this summer.