Dear Jim: I want cleaner indoor air for my family, but I hate to run noisy room air cleaners that use electricity. I prefer a more natural way. Will growing specific houseplants help and will hydroponics work best? – Jen G.

Dear Jen: There are a couple dozen varieties of houseplants that are effective for removing specific chemical pollutants from the air naturally. With all the synthetic materials, cleaners, chemicals, electronics, etc. we now use in our homes, indoor air often is more polluted than outdoor air.

Quite a few years ago, NASA did studies on how plants could be used to remove dangerous chemicals for the air inside spacecraft. Much of the current information and selected plants are still based on these studies.

You probably should still use a HEPA room air cleaner at times to remove fine particles from the air. The plants remove (actually convert to harmless compounds) only chemicals, not particles that also can trigger allergic reactions and problems. On low speed, they are quiet and energy-efficient.

The plant leaves absorb and convert some of the chemicals, but the roots and soil (or growing media) are also effective chemical neutralizers. The microbes in the soil and the roots consume bad chemicals as a food source. For this to be most effective, the soil should be loose for room air to migrate through it.

There are attractive planters available that have a tiny air circulation fan in the base. Inside the planter is an air inlet manifold ring sandwiched between layers of charcoal filtering media and expanded clay soil. This allows the air to circulate throughout the soil and roots.

Instead of having your room air-tested for chemical pollutants, just grow a combination of selected purifying houseplants. Some common ones that are easy to grow are spider plants, English ivy, schefflera and peace lily. Also, select a few orchids and bromeliads that are most effective at night.

As you mentioned, hydroponics is an excellent method to grow healthy houseplants, as well as plants for food (tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, etc.). Instead of using standard soil, the plants thrive in loose growing media. All you add is water and special fertilizer for hydroponic plantings.

There are many hydroponic planter kits available, from beginner kits for homes or offices to large systems. Most of them include a small, built-in water circulation pump, soil and a container to set it up quickly.

If your problem rooms do not have enough natural light from windows for plants so that you need artificial lighting, choose efficient low-sodium lights. These are particularly good for growing fruiting and flowering plants.

Write for (instantly download – www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 586 – list of purifier planter and hydroponic kit manufacturers, 20 effective houseplants for specific air pollutants, a plant growing guide, and instructions to make a hydroponic system. Include $3 and a business-size SASE, and send to James Dulley, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.