Researchers at the University of Washington developed pothos ivy plants that can remove carcinogens like chloroform and benzene from homes.

The ivy can also synthesize a protein called 2E1 that helps the plants grow.

Pothos ivy typically grows well indoors in various conditions.

The group is continuing to modify these "super" plants so they can also remove formaldehyde in the air.

Houseplants do more than just add natural beauty to your abode. They also help clean the air.

Now, researchers at the University of Washington have improved the air-cleaning properties of one common household plant, the pothos ivy (epipremnum aureum).

Long Zhang, a research scientist in the UW's civil and environmental engineering department, puts a pothos ivy plant into a glass tube to test its ability to break down benzene or chloroform. Mark Stone/University of Washington

The team genetically modified pothos ivy to not only remove carcinogens such as chloroform and benzene from the air, but to synthesize a protein, called 2E1, that transforms these harmful compounds into molecules the plants use for their own growth.

Read more: 12 of the most difficult houseplants to keep alive

The researchers put both types of plants in glass tubes and then added either benzene or chloroform gas into each tube. Over 11 days, the team tracked how the concentration of each pollutant changed in each tube. Mark Stone/University of Washington

The researchers chose pothos ivy as the plant for modification because it grows well indoors in a variety of conditions. They detail their work in a new study published this week in Environmental Science & Technology.

The team behind the modified houseplants. From left to right: Ryan Routsong, Long Zhang, Stuart Strand. Mark Stone/University of Washington

The scientists added benzene or chloroform gas to modified and non-modified plants in glass tubes. Over 11 days, they collected data on how each pollutant's concentration changed.

The researchers put both types of plants in glass tubes and then added either benzene or chloroform gas into each tube. Over 11 days, the team tracked how the concentration of each pollutant changed in each tube. Mark Stone/University of Washington

According to the study, the unmodified plants didn't affect the concentration of either gas much. But the modified plants changed the concentration of chloroform dramatically inside the tube, making it drop by 82 percent just after three days. By the sixth day, it was almost completely undetectable.

The concentration of benzene also decreased thanks to the modified plants. By day eight, it dropped by an impressive 75 percent.

Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically modified a common houseplant — pothos ivy — to remove chloroform and benzene from the air around it. Mark Stone/University of Washington

"People haven't really been talking about these hazardous organic compounds in homes, and I think that's because we couldn't do anything about them," study author Stuart Strand said in a statement. "Now we've engineered houseplants to remove these pollutants for us."

Stuart Strand, a research professor in the UW's civil and environmental engineering department, holds a modified pothos ivy that can remove benzene and chloroform from household air. Mark Stone/University of Washington

The research team plans to add a protein to pothos plants that can break down another hazardous pollutant inside some homes: formaldehyde. This harmful compound is often found in wood flooring and cabinets.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.