Want a healthier, more beautiful office space? Just do this one thing!

There are hundreds of things you can do to create a more ecofriendly, healthy workspace. Some are easy (replacing your desktop incandescent bulb with a CFL, for example). Some are more involved (repainting your desk with low- or no-VOC paint comes to mind).

If you don't have much cash or time to invest and are looking for a quick-and-dirty way to clean up the air you breathe and enhance the beauty of your surroundings right away, I suggest investing in one or two humble houseplants.

Before you head to the nearest nursery, however, it's important to decide on a plant that's scientifically proven to purify the air. Believe it or not, NASA did a study on houseplants back in the 1980s in order to discern which green machines would best purify the air of a space station. Find a list of the most popular and effective ones here.

Many of the hardest workers can rid the air of gross offenders like benzene, trichlorethylene and formaldehyde.

(Spoiler alert: the Spider Plant and Golden Pothos, both of which never seem to die, even for black thumbs like yours truly, make the list. So does the pretty and powerful Gerbera Daisy.)

The bottom line: If these plants are good enough for a space station, they're good enough for an at-home workstation.

Get growing!