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Best bathroom plants

Bathrooms are humid, often dim, and easy places to overlook plant care. These houseplants cope with steam and need no direct sun.

70 plants

AnthuriumAnthurium andraeanum60–80%Toxic to pets Tree philodendronPhilodendron bipinnatifidum50–80%Toxic to pets Dumb caneDieffenbachia seguine60–80%Toxic to pets Creeping figFicus pumila60–80%Toxic to pets Blue star fernPhlebodium aureum60–80%Pet safety unknown Friendship plantPilea involucrata60–80%Pet-safe Swiss cheese vineMonstera adansonii60–80%Toxic to pets Pigtail anthuriumAnthurium scherzerianum60–80%Toxic to pets Monstera standleyanaMonstera standleyana60–80%Toxic to pets Mini monsteraRhaphidophora tetrasperma60–80%Toxic to pets Dragon tail plantRhaphidophora decursiva60–80%Toxic to pets Urn plantAechmea fasciata50–75%Pet safety unknown VrieseaVriesea splendens50–75%Pet safety unknown MonsteraMonstera deliciosa50–70%Toxic to pets Golden pothosEpipremnum aureum40–70%Toxic to pets Peace lilySpathiphyllum wallisii50–70%Toxic to pets English ivyHedera helix50–70%Toxic to pets Rubber plantFicus elastica40–70%Toxic to pets Chinese money plantPilea peperomioides40–70%Pet safety unknown Heartleaf philodendronPhilodendron hederaceum50–70%Toxic to pets Moth orchidPhalaenopsis spp.50–70%Pet-safe Money treePachira aquatica50–70%Pet-safe Lucky bambooDracaena sanderiana50–70%Toxic to pets Blushing philodendronPhilodendron erubescens50–70%Toxic to pets Philodendron BrasilPhilodendron hederaceum 'Brasil'50–70%Toxic to pets Arrowhead plantSyngonium podophyllum40–70%Toxic to pets Chinese evergreenAglaonema commutatum50–70%Toxic to pets Inch plantTradescantia zebrina50–70%Toxic to pets African violetSaintpaulia ionantha50–70%Pet-safe Wax begoniaBegonia x semperflorens-cultorum50–70%Toxic to pets Christmas cactusSchlumbergera spp.50–70%Pet-safe Lace fernAsparagus setaceus50–70%Toxic to pets Holly fernCyrtomium falcatum50–70%Pet-safe Lemon button fernNephrolepis cordifolia50–70%Pet-safe Japanese araliaFatsia japonica50–70%Pet-safe Aluminum plantPilea cadierei50–70%Pet-safe Polka dot plantHypoestes phyllostachya50–70%Pet-safe Strawberry begoniaSaxifraga stolonifera50–70%Pet safety unknown Angel wing begoniaBegonia x corallina50–70%Toxic to pets Philodendron BirkinPhilodendron 'Birkin'50–70%Toxic to pets Velvet-leaf philodendronPhilodendron hederaceum micans50–70%Toxic to pets Lady palmRhapis excelsa50–70%Pet-safe Scarlet star bromeliadGuzmania lingulata50–70%Pet-safe New Guinea impatiensImpatiens hawkeri50–70%Pet-safe Mistletoe cactusRhipsalis baccifera50–70%Pet-safe Giant peace lilySpathiphyllum 'Sensation'50–70%Toxic to pets Moses in the cradleTradescantia spathacea50–70%Toxic to pets Foxtail fern (Myers)Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers'50–70%Toxic to pets Kangaroo paw fernMicrosorum diversifolium50–70%Pet safety unknown Raindrop peperomiaPeperomia polybotrya50–70%Pet safety unknown Bamboo palmChamaedorea seifrizii50–70%Pet safety unknown Snake plantSansevieria trifasciata30–60%Toxic to pets ZZ plantZamioculcas zamiifolia30–60%Toxic to pets Spider plantChlorophytum comosum40–60%Pet-safe Dragon treeDracaena marginata40–60%Toxic to pets Kentia palmHowea forsteriana40–60%Pet-safe Parlor palmChamaedorea elegans40–60%Pet-safe Dwarf umbrella treeSchefflera arboricola40–60%Toxic to pets Corn plantDracaena fragrans40–60%Toxic to pets PleomeleDracaena reflexa40–60%Toxic to pets Cast-iron plantAspidistra elatior30–60%Pet-safe Swedish ivyPlectranthus verticillatus40–60%Pet safety unknown Baby rubber plantPeperomia obtusifolia40–60%Pet-safe CliviaClivia miniata40–60%Toxic to pets Zebra haworthiaHaworthia fasciata30–60%Pet-safe Purple shamrockOxalis triangularis40–60%Toxic to pets Bird’s nest fernAsplenium nidusPet safety unknown Watermelon peperomiaPeperomia argyreiaPet-safe Satin pothosScindapsus pictusToxic to pets Zebra haworthiaHaworthia attenuataPet-safe
More about this list

Most grow best in bright, indirect light, so give them the brightest spot the room has.

A bathroom plant needs to tolerate higher humidity and temperature swings when the shower runs, and it still needs daylight. The plants below cope with humid air and indirect light. Each card links to a full care guide that says how much light that plant needs.

Care know-how

Common questions

What plants grow well in a bathroom?

Pothos, Peace lily, Spider plant, Parlor palm, and Moth orchid are all on this list and tolerate a humid room with indirect light. A bathroom still needs daylight or a grow light, airflow, and pots that drain.

Do bathroom plants need a window?

For the long term, yes. No houseplant lives long in a windowless bathroom, however tough the species. Without a window, run a grow light on a timer for several hours a day, or keep two plants and swap the bathroom one with one from a bright room every couple of weeks.

Does shower steam count as watering?

No, steam adds humidity to the air around the leaves but doesn’t reach the roots. You still need to water the potting mix regularly. That said, high humidity means you can water a little less often than in a dry room.

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