Dehumidifying Plants for the Bathroom
The bathroom is the most humid room in a home. Dehumidifying Plants for the Bathroom is your answer for taming the indoor humidity and all the nastiness that goes with it! This article will look at the best plants for this area and the ones that won’t work.
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Is It Good to Have Plants in the Bathroom?
A bathroom can hold a lot of humidity. Between the sink, toilet, and especially the shower, the main features of a bathroom revolve around water. So it’s no surprise that mold and mildew can be a big issue.
An exhaust fan in your ceiling will typically combat this humidity. Without a properly functioning fan, plants can be a great way to pull moisture from the air.
A side note on exhaust fans. When we moved into our home, our bathroom exhaust fans were not vented outside. As a result, any moisture we would pull from our bathrooms would end up in our attic. Eek! So if you are house hunting, this is something worth checking. An exhaust fan vented into your attic will cause mold to grow faster than you can say oh no.
But first, you must choose the correct plant for your lighting, space, and moisture level. Below we will talk about the best plants for your bathroom and which will work best for your home.
Dehumidifying Plants For the Bathroom
There are many plants in the world—different types for different climates. What thrives in sunny, balmy Florida may grow poorly in Maine. Much depends on heat and moisture requirements.
Now, let’s think about the climate of your bathroom. If it includes a shower, chances are it can get pretty humid in there, even with an exhaust fan.
As we go through the list of the best choices for your home bathroom, you will notice that many of these plants are considered tropical.
And with good reason. The conditions of a tropical jungle can be closely related to the climate of your shower room. Warm moist climates with indirect sunlight and high humidity levels closely mimic a space where hot showers may be frequent.
Want to know which plants are best suited for your bathroom at home? Let’s take a look at a few plants that will work in just about any bath space.
What Are the Best Indoor Plants for a Bathroom?
Aloe Vera
Given that this is a low-maintenance plant, the Aloe Vera plant is one of the easiest to keep, especially in a bathroom setting. With infrequent water requirements, Aloe is a simple choice for your home. In addition, this multipurpose tropical plant thrives in any lighting, making it an excellent option for restrooms with no windows or low lighting.
Snake Plant
A great low-maintenance botanical choice! The lovely yet simple Snake Plant can thrive in any humidity.
It purifies the air, can live in any lighting and can go weeks without water. This adaptable space saver will easily be a beautiful and beneficial addition to your shower room. Learn more about Snake Plants here!
Golden Pothos
The lush and prolific Golden Pothos plant is incredibly adaptable and versatile, making it perfect for your bathroom space.
This botanical can easily thrive in moderate to low lighting. The Golden Pothos also works well as a hanging plant, making it perfect for small spaces.
Spider Plant
The Spider Plant is lovely with beautiful draping leaves, making it perfect for smaller bathrooms as a hanging plant.
The most remarkable thing about this plant is its ability to remove common household toxins from the air within 24 hours, including carbon monoxide.
Spider plants adapt easily to little light, making this a great choice for a windowless bathroom as well.
Tillandsia (Air Plants)
Such fascinating little plants, Tillandsia don’t require soil or water. These tiny but beautiful plants are a great space saver and can easily fit on top of a cabinet or in a small hanging pot. I have even seen gorgeous terrariums with beautiful stones, where Tillandsia are nestled in, looking very cozy.
Acquiring their moisture from the air, Tillandsia requires very little watering. So if your room is less humid at certain times of the year, the occasional rinse under a faucet is all your air plant will require.
While Tillandsia is great for high humidity, you will want to avoid excess moisture with these plants, as it can cause them to rot. Just take caution to water only a little, if at all.
Boston Fern
The stately Boston Fern. It is well suited for the bathroom environment, even in low light. Thriving in a humid climate, it makes a great addition to a damp room like a bathroom.
This fern works very well as a hanging plant which is a great option for small spaces. If placed on a counter or plant stand, you will want a larger space for it as this fern can grow quite large.
Shop These Plants
Complex Plants That Will Thrive in a Bathroom
Bird’s Nest Fern
The Bird’s Nest Fern, while beautiful, is fussy. It can tolerate most conditions but may require more effort and care than many of the plants listed above.
This fern prefers brighter yet still indirect lighting conditions. It can tolerate low lighting, but you must adjust your watering to avoid overwatering it.
The Bird’s Nest Fern is a humidity-loving plant that thrives when misted rather than given direct water to its soil. Therefore, mulching the top of the plant’s soil helps it to retain the necessary moisture if your bathroom is not particularly humid.
Only water every 1 to 2 weeks. If you water rather than mist your Bird’s Nest Fern, water around the inside edges of the pot. Please do not water into the center of your fern to avoid root rot.
Your plant is underwatered if you notice brown tips forming on your fern leaves.
Bird’s Nest Fern is best suited for a larger bathroom or as a hanging plant as it can grow up to 4 feet in diameter.
Philodendron
Philodendrons‘ large deep green leaves allow them to quickly absorb even the smallest minuscules of light and water. As a result, this plant easily adapts to low lighting in windowless bathrooms.
A word of caution for homes with children or pets, Philodendron leaves are toxic if eaten or even mishandled. This is because the leaves contain oxalates which produce “raphides.”
Raphides are small, thin structures that can cause injury, which can lead to rapid onset pain and swelling when the plant is chewed and/or when the sap from the plant comes into contact with skin or eyes.
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Which Plants Should Not Be Kept In the Bathroom?
We have taken a look at some plants that are ideal for your bathroom.
But there are definitely some plants that will not thrive in the conditions common to a home bath space. A humid bathroom with indirect light can be a death sentence for many plants. So let’s go over some plants that absolutely will NOT like your bathroom.
Cacti or Succulents love dry desert-like conditions. Therefore, humid spaces like bathrooms would be a terrible choice for these plants. A balmy bath area would provide conditions that can cause rot and disease.
The ever-popular Monstera plant seems like it would be a perfect plant for your bathroom because they love humidity. However, when it is kept in a pot, Monstera’s soil should be allowed to dry out in between watering to avoid fungal growth altogether.
Plants requiring full sun are not a good choice for a bathroom, even one with windows. Many palms, such as a Ponytail Palm, thrive in full sun desert-type conditions. Making this a poor choice for humid environments like bathrooms.
Some palm plants can do well in a bathroom, depending on that specific plant’s requirements. Some to look into are Areca palms, Lady Palm, and the Dwarf Date Palm.
A bright and cheery Hibiscus may feel like a pick-me-up in your bathroom. But, unfortunately, this sun-loving plant would be very sad there.
Hibiscus loves plenty of light, making low-light environments like your powder room a poor choice. Instead, these beautiful flowers are better suited for an area of your home with a lot of natural sunlight.
Common Question about Indoor Plants
Should I Wipe the Dust Off of Plant Leaves?:
Yes you should! I know it’s one more thing to add to your list, but dust can block your plant’s leaves from absorbing light and therefore the nutrients it needs to thrive. All you need is a gentle cloth to wipe each leaf off.
How Do Houseplants Dehumidify Your Home?:
As nature’s little dehumidifier, plants can absorb the moisture from the air and utilize it to keep themselves hydrated.
Not too worry though, plants also transpire which means they will then release a small amount of water vapor back into the air. A perfect balance of not too dry, yet not too moist.
Can Houseplants Reduce Mold Growth?:
Certain plants, such as Palms, do a terrific job of keeping mold growth down. By reducing humidity and releasing phytochemicals, these plants help to minimize the growth of bacteria and mold.
How Many Plants Do I Need To Improve Air Quality in my home?:
This question seems to have many answers on the internet, however the most reputable information I could find is from a NASA study on Clean Air. According to NASA, you need approximately 1 plant per 100 square feet in your home.
Obviously you cannot fit a whole house worth of plants in your bathroom without it feeling a little jungle like. But, even one or two plants will greatly improve your air quality.
Choosing Your Plant
Now that we have covered the best and the worst plants for your bathroom, picking the right plants should be easy peasy.
A great way to decide is to visit your local nursery or garden center and look at some of the plants we have listed here. This will help you to get a feel for the perfect choice for your space. Your local garden center or nursery can be a wealth of knowledge as well. Don’t be afraid to ask the staff questions or for help choosing a plant.
If your experience with indoor plants is minimal, consider some of the ones listed above that are low maintenance.
Be sure to look at each plant’s label for more information on ideal lighting, temperatures, and humidity to select the best bathroom plants to suit your needs.
Enjoy bringing a bit of nature into your living space and providing your home with better air quality.
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