Last updated on April 6th, 2022
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When it comes to plants, many people automatically think of the great outdoors, and what plants to put in their garden, but there are also many great plants for indoors.
Indoor plants add a bit of colour and improve the air quality in your home. One of the best places to put an indoor plant is in your bathroom, where the air is often warm and humid, with water nearby. But when you pick plants for the bathroom, be careful not to choose just any old plant.
The best plants for the bathroom need to be well suited to the conditions, and not just the warm, humid air when you shower nearby, but the colder temperatures at night. The bathroom temperatures in any home tend to fluctuate a lot, so it isn’t great for any and all plants.
For example succulents like dry conditions and if left in a constantly moist bathroom, will rot and things like evergreens will start to develop powdery mildew if left in bathrooms.
What’s more, bathrooms tend to have low sunlight because they often lack large windows. Thankfully, there are many plants that can tolerate fluorescent bulbs as an alternative. That being said, below are the 20 of the best plants to have in your bathroom.
1. Spider Plant
This plant will get rid of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from your air and will sprout new buds regularly that you can just re-pot these and relocate them to other bathrooms. If you have a window, place it in this location so that it gets enough light during the day, but be careful not to put it in direct sunlight. Water it once or twice per week.
2. Orchids
Orchids thrive in humid conditions, being native tropical plants. The indoor airflow you get from hot showers is perfect for them because they are accustomed to living on trees and getting their water from the moisture in the air. Just be sure to place them on a windowsill with indirect sunlight, not direct sunlight or it will burn the leaves.
3. Bamboo
Bamboo can grow with next to no soil, in any light conditions. Just add some pebbles to the bottom of your pot and keep it full of water and your bamboo will continue to shoot.
4. Aspidistra elatior – Cast Iron Plant
These are popular for their austerity and their hardiness, which isn’t really an issue in a bathroom. The Aspidistra has the ability to tolerate just about any condition, which is what makes it well-suited. Let the soil dry out entirely between waterings, this might be a while if you take really hot showers.
5. Spathiphyllum – Peace Lily
These are one of the best indoor plants because they can thrive with almost no sunlight, they just won’t produce flowers. However, in a bathroom, they do quite well. A low light bathroom is great for them, and they will keep your air pure.
6. Aloe Vera
Aloe is great for bathrooms as long as you have a little bit of light. Not only is it an air purifier, and beautiful, it is quite useful to treat cuts, bug bites, and sunburns, which you will no doubt notice next time you head in to take a shower after a day outside.
7. Sansevieria trifasciata – Snake Plant
The snake plant is a very low maintenance plant that can be put in a bathroom and effectively, ignored. They work well in bathrooms because they filter formaldehyde from the air, something often found in toilet paper and cleaning products.
8. Azaleas
Azaleas can bring an array of colour to your bathroom, with flowers that bloom in red, pink, white, and purple. They do well in warm environments, so take as many hot showers as you want.
9. Ivy
Ivy can be invasive if grown outside, so pervasive that it has been known to take over the exterior of homes and break up the foundations. However, inside your bathroom, you can train it up the metal frames of your bathtub or the wall, you can even hang it high overhead and let the leaves droop, as shown in the picture above.
10. Guzmania Bromeliad
This plant thrives in bright light, but it doesn’t need a lot of direct sunlight, making it perfect for bathrooms. You can buy it from just about any DIY store or garden centre.
11. Nephrolepis exaltata – Boston Fern
The Boston Fern loves low light and a lot of humidity, exactly what most bathrooms have to offer. They will grow beautifully with next to no maintenance making them perfect for anyone who may consider themselves not greenfingered.
12. Aglaonema – Chinese Evergreen
Even though most evergreen plants don’t tolerate bathroom conditions, however, the Chinese Evergreen plant is an exception. This plant stays healthy for a long time and is very sturdy.
13. Dracaena Fragrans – Corn Plant
The Corn Plant won’t actually give you corn, but it will give you pure air. It offers truly dramatic leaves and requires little of you.
14. Chamaedorea elegans – Parlor Palm
If you have a small bathroom and not enough space for a larger plant, this is the perfect solution, although if you are looking for something bigger, it can be grown into a larger plant too. It won’t get too big compared to some palm-like houseplants and it is very hardy.
15. Indoor Cyclamen
The Cyclamens will give your bathroom a bold dash of colour with their cheerful blooms and leaves. If you want to bring warmth to your bathroom, figuratively, this is the plant for you.
16. Ficus Lyrata – Fiddle Leaf Fig
This is a great houseplant that loves the bright, indirect sun. So, put it next to the sink or on a window sill.
17. Philodendron
The Philodendron is perfect plant to use as an accent piece, one you leave on your windowsill. It has shiny green leaves and brightens any mood.
18. Zamioculcas – ZZ Plant
This plant is perfect for a carefree ambience in your home. The plant has beautiful patterns, and if you have more than one plant be prepared for more than one pattern.
19. Dwarf Citrus Plant
Don’t leave all the fruit for the kitchen. With a dwarf citrus plant, you can cover up the otherwise harsh smell of bathroom cleaners with the fresh scent of citrus plants with calamondin, lemons and kumquats being popular choices.
20. Fittonia – Nerve Plant
The Nerve plant has a silver appearance, which means it not only offers new colours but a unique pattern on the leaves that is sure to add a bit of interest to your bathroom.
Overall, you cannot go wrong with any of these 20 plants. Pick the pattern you like most, and enjoy.
