Here’s a colorful way to brighten your home—buy a bromeliad plant. It’s a popular, easy-to-care-for tropical species known for spiky leaves with graceful curved sides that come in brilliant red, orange, yellow, pink and purple.

A new study from the State University of New York at Oswego finds that bromeliad plants in a simulated indoor environment are incredibly active indoor air purifiers. They effectively removed six out of the eight key airborne pollutants. (To see how bromeliads clean the air, check out this animation presented at the American Chemical Society conference.)

Many garden stores carry these beauties, and you can learn more before you shop from the Bromeliad Society International. For more tips on making your home’s air healthier and greener, see Bottom Line’s article, “Beautiful Houseplants That Clean Indoor Air.

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