Bathrooms can be surprisingly good places to grow houseplants.
Warm temperatures and higher humidity suit many tropical plants, and a trailing pothos or lush fern can make even a fairly ordinary bathroom feel considerably more inviting.
But there is one important catch: humidity cannot replace light.
Even plants described as “low-light plants” still need some light to photosynthesise. If your bathroom has a window, you have plenty of options. If it is completely windowless, you’ll either need a grow light or you’ll need to regularly move your plants somewhere brighter.
So, whether you have a sunny bathroom window or a small, relatively dark bathroom, here are 15 of the best bathroom plants to try.
🌿 Quick Guide: The Best Bathroom Plants
Best for lower light:
Snake plant, ZZ plant, cast iron plant, pothos and Chinese evergreen.
Best for humidity:
Ferns, calatheas, peace lilies, orchids and philodendrons.
Best for bright bathrooms:
Aloe vera, Monstera and air plants.
Best for beginners:
Pothos, spider plant, snake plant and ZZ plant.
If you’re new to houseplants generally, you might also like my guide to 10 plants for first-time plant parents.
🌿 1. Snake Plant
Snake plants are famously tough houseplants, making them a good choice if your bathroom doesn’t receive huge amounts of natural light.
They tolerate lower light much better than many tropical plants and don’t mind the occasional forgotten watering.
However, there’s one thing to be careful about in a humid bathroom: overwatering.
Snake plants store water in their thick leaves and prefer their potting mix to dry substantially between waterings. Because soil can dry more slowly in humid rooms, always check the compost before reaching for the watering can.
Best for: Lower-light bathrooms and beginners
Light: Low to bright indirect light
Water: Allow the soil to dry well between waterings
If your houseplant soil seems to stay wet forever, this guide explains why and what you can do about it.
🌿 2. Pothos (Devil’s Ivy)
If I had to choose one plant for a bathroom shelf, pothos would be very high on the list.
It’s easy to grow, wonderfully forgiving and looks particularly good when its vines are allowed to trail from a shelf, cabinet or hanging planter.
Pothos prefers bright indirect light but tolerates lower-light conditions reasonably well. Just remember that “tolerates” doesn’t mean “needs no light” — growth will usually be slower and variegated varieties may lose some of their colouring in darker rooms.
Higher bathroom humidity can also help keep its foliage looking lush.
Best for: Shelves and hanging planters
Light: Medium to bright indirect light; tolerates lower light
Water: Water when the upper layer of soil has dried
Pothos is also ridiculously easy to propagate. If yours starts taking over the bathroom, turn those long vines into new plants following this guide.
🌿 3. Peace Lily
Peace lilies are tropical plants that appreciate warmth and humidity, so a bathroom with indirect natural light can suit them beautifully.
They also have a useful habit for forgetful plant owners: they droop dramatically when they’re thirsty.
Give them a drink and they will usually perk back up again.
Peace lilies prefer their soil to remain lightly moist rather than becoming completely dry, but don’t leave their roots sitting in water.
With sufficient light, mature plants can also produce their distinctive white flowers.
Best for: Humid bathrooms with indirect light
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Keep lightly moist, but never waterlogged
One thing to know before buying one: peace lilies aren’t a good choice for every home if you have pets that like chewing plants – find pet friendly plants here.
🌿 4. Ferns
This is where bathrooms really come into their own.
Many popular indoor ferns appreciate much higher humidity than the average living room provides, so the moisture created by regular showers can help prevent the crispy foliage that often frustrates fern owners.
Good bathroom choices include:
- Boston fern
- bird’s nest fern
- maidenhair fern
That doesn’t mean ferns are maintenance-free. Most still prefer evenly moist soil and decent indirect light.
Maidenhair ferns in particular have a reputation for throwing a spectacular tantrum if allowed to dry out.
Best for: Naturally humid bathrooms
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Usually prefers consistently lightly moist soil
🌿 5. Spider Plant
Spider plants are forgiving, fast-growing and brilliant for beginners.
They also look fantastic in hanging planters, where their arching leaves and baby spider plants can cascade downwards.
Although spider plants tolerate a range of indoor conditions, they generally look their best in bright indirect light.
Bathroom humidity can also be helpful if the air elsewhere in your home is very dry.
Best for: Beginners and hanging planters
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Allow the top of the soil to dry slightly before watering
And if you’re trying to fill your home with plants without continually buying more, spider plants are one of the easiest plants to multiply from their little plantlets.
🌿 6. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is slightly different from most of the plants on this list.
It doesn’t need high humidity — and because it’s a succulent, it certainly doesn’t want constantly damp soil — but a bright bathroom window can still be a perfectly good place to grow one.
The important word there is bright.
Aloe needs considerably more light than pothos, ZZ plants or snake plants, so don’t tuck one into a gloomy corner just because you’ve seen it described as a bathroom plant.
Let the potting mix dry thoroughly between waterings and always use a pot with good drainage.
Best for: Bright bathrooms
Light: Bright light
Water: Allow soil to dry between waterings
🌿 7. ZZ Plant
If your bathroom has a relatively small window, the ZZ plant is one of the more forgiving choices.
Its thick, glossy foliage and underground rhizomes allow it to cope with periods of neglect, and it tolerates lower light better than many houseplants.
Again, though, low light isn’t the same as no light.
A ZZ plant placed permanently in a bathroom with no window and no artificial grow light will eventually struggle.
ZZ plants are also particularly vulnerable to being loved a little too enthusiastically with the watering can.
Best for: Lower-light bathrooms
Light: Low to bright indirect light
Water: Allow much of the soil to dry before watering
If you’re never quite sure whether your plants actually need watering, have a read of my guide to bottom watering houseplants.
🌿 8. Heartleaf Philodendron
Heartleaf philodendrons are another gorgeous option if you want greenery cascading from a bathroom shelf.
Their tropical origins mean they appreciate warmth and humidity, while their heart-shaped leaves and trailing growth make them particularly decorative.
Give yours bright indirect light for the strongest growth, although it can tolerate somewhat lower light.
You can grow it up a support or simply allow the vines to trail.
Best for: Shelves, cabinets and hanging planters
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Water when the upper soil begins to dry
🌿 9. Lucky Bamboo
Despite its name, lucky bamboo isn’t actually bamboo.
It’s Dracaena sanderiana, and it’s often grown with its roots in water rather than planted conventionally in soil.
That makes it an interesting choice for bathrooms where you don’t necessarily want another pot of compost sitting around.
You can grow lucky bamboo in a tall glass container with pebbles supporting the stems, but keep the plant in bright or medium indirect light rather than harsh direct sun.
If growing it in water, change the water regularly rather than simply topping up the same stagnant container indefinitely.
Best for: Small bathroom shelves
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Can be grown in water or soil
🌿 10. Calathea
If you’ve ever owned a calathea and watched its beautiful leaves develop crispy brown edges in dry indoor air, you can probably see why bathrooms make sense.
Calatheas appreciate warmth and humidity and are known for their striking patterned foliage.
They aren’t necessarily the easiest plants on this list, though.
They prefer consistently lightly moist soil, indirect light and reasonably stable conditions. A bathroom can help with the humidity part, but you’ll still need to keep an eye on watering.
Best for: Humid bathrooms
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Water: Keep lightly and consistently moist
And no, you don’t necessarily need to spend your life wandering around the house with a spray bottle. I looked at whether misting houseplants actually works in this guide.
🌿 11. Orchids
A bright bathroom can be a fantastic place for an orchid.
Many of the orchids sold as houseplants — particularly Phalaenopsis or moth orchids — enjoy warmth, good indirect light and higher humidity.
A bathroom window can therefore provide a lovely environment, provided the plant still receives enough light and has some air circulation.
Don’t assume that humid air means the orchid doesn’t need watering, though. Orchid roots still need to be properly hydrated and then allowed to drain rather than sitting permanently wet.
Best for: Bright, warm bathrooms
Light: Bright indirect light
Water: Water thoroughly, then allow excess water to drain
If you’ve already fallen down the orchid rabbit hole, I’ve got a full care guide here.
🌿 12. Air Plants (Tillandsia)
Air plants don’t need soil, which makes them brilliant for small bathrooms where you don’t have much surface space.
They can be displayed in holders, on shelves or mounted decoratively.
But there’s a common misconception worth clearing up: air plants cannot survive simply by absorbing enough water from shower steam.
They still need proper watering, and they need good airflow afterwards so that water doesn’t remain trapped around the plant and cause rot.
They also need light.
Best for: Small bathrooms and unusual displays
Light: Bright indirect light
Water: Soak or water according to the needs of your variety, then allow to dry thoroughly
🌿 13. Chinese Evergreen
Chinese evergreens — or Aglaonema — are attractive foliage plants that cope with lower light better than many tropical houseplants.
They enjoy warm indoor temperatures and appreciate humidity, making them well suited to bathrooms with some natural light.
There are lots of varieties available, with foliage ranging from deep green to silver, cream, pink and red.
Varieties with more colourful or variegated leaves generally need brighter light to maintain those colours.
Best for: Warm bathrooms with lower to medium light
Light: Low to bright indirect light, depending on variety
Water: Allow the top layer of soil to dry before watering
🌿 14. Monstera
If you’re lucky enough to have a large, bright bathroom, a Monstera can make a spectacular statement plant.
Monsteras appreciate warmth and higher humidity, but light is particularly important if you want strong growth and large, mature leaves.
Those famous holes and splits — called fenestrations — develop as the plant matures and are strongly influenced by maturity and growing conditions, particularly adequate light. Humidity alone won’t make a Monstera produce split leaves.
The other consideration is size.
A happy Monstera can become enormous, so this is probably one for the spacious bathroom rather than the tiny downstairs loo.
Best for: Large, bright bathrooms
Light: Bright indirect light
Water: Water when the upper layer of soil has dried
Not sure where to position a plant in relation to your bathroom window? My guide to how far houseplants should be from a window explains why even a relatively small change in position can make a big difference.
🌿 15. Cast Iron Plant
The cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) earned its name for good reason.
It’s one of the toughest houseplants around and can tolerate lower light, occasional missed waterings and less-than-perfect indoor conditions.
That makes it a particularly useful option for a bathroom that has natural light but isn’t bright enough for some of the fussier tropical plants on this list.
It doesn’t actually need high humidity, but it will happily live in a bathroom provided its soil isn’t kept permanently wet.
Best for: Lower-light bathrooms and beginners
Light: Low to medium indirect light
Water: Allow the upper soil to dry between waterings
🌿 Can Plants Live in a Bathroom With No Window?
This is probably the most important thing to understand about bathroom plants:
No houseplant is truly a “no-light plant”.
Plants need light for photosynthesis. Snake plants, ZZ plants and cast iron plants can tolerate relatively low levels of light, but they cannot live indefinitely in complete darkness.
If your bathroom has no natural light at all, the best solution is a grow light.
You don’t necessarily need a huge horticultural setup. There are small LED grow lights and grow-light bulbs designed for houseplants that can work neatly on a shelf or in an existing lamp.
Shop: Small LED grow lights on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
You could alternatively rotate plants between the bathroom and a brighter room, although personally I’d rather give a plant a permanent spot with suitable light than continually move it around.
If you’re confused about what “low light”, “indirect light” and “bright indirect light” actually mean, this is worth reading.
🌿 How to Keep Bathroom Plants Healthy
Match the Plant to Your Bathroom’s Light
Before choosing a plant, look at the light rather than the humidity.
A bright bathroom might suit orchids, aloe, Monstera and air plants.
For a bathroom with less natural light, consider pothos, ZZ plants, snake plants or cast iron plants.
And for a completely windowless bathroom, use a grow light.
Don’t Overwater Because the Bathroom Feels Warm
This catches people out.
High humidity can mean potting mix loses moisture more slowly, particularly in a bathroom with limited airflow.
So don’t water according to a rigid schedule.
Put a finger into the soil, check the weight of the pot or use another method appropriate for that particular plant before deciding whether it actually needs a drink.
If you’re trying to get better at spotting what your plants are telling you, this guide may help.
Always Use Good Drainage
Humidity is good for many tropical leaves.
Soggy roots aren’t.
Use pots with drainage holes wherever possible and don’t allow water to collect indefinitely inside decorative cachepots.
If you’re repotting bathroom plants, a well-draining indoor potting mix and appropriately sized pot will make watering much easier to manage.
SHOP: Houseplant potting mix and nursery pots on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Give Them Some Airflow
Bathrooms can become extremely humid immediately after a shower.
That’s fine for many tropical plants, but permanently stagnant, wet conditions can encourage fungal problems.
Use your extractor fan or open the bathroom window when practical, particularly after showering.
You want humidity, not a permanently damp greenhouse.
Keep Leaves Clean
Bathroom products can leave residue on nearby surfaces, and dust can still settle on houseplant leaves.
Give larger leaves an occasional gentle wipe with a damp cloth, particularly on plants such as Monstera, ZZ plants and peace lilies.
There’s no need for expensive leaf-shine products.
🌿 What Is the Best Bathroom Plant for Beginners?
For most beginners, I’d choose pothos.
It’s forgiving, grows relatively quickly, tolerates a range of light conditions and looks fantastic trailing from a bathroom shelf.
Spider plants, ZZ plants and snake plants are also excellent choices if you’re still learning what your plants need.
If you’ve killed a few houseplants already, don’t give up.
🌿 What Is the Best Plant for a Dark Bathroom?
If by “dark” you mean a bathroom with a small window or relatively little natural light, try:
- ZZ plant
- snake plant
- cast iron plant
- pothos
- Chinese evergreen
If you mean a bathroom with absolutely no window or natural light, none of them should be kept there permanently without supplemental lighting.
Add a grow light and your options become much wider.
🌿 What Are the Best Hanging Plants for Bathrooms?
Pothos, heartleaf philodendron and spider plants are three of my favourites.
All three can look beautiful cascading from a shelf or hanging planter, and their foliage works particularly well in bathrooms where floor and counter space is limited.
Just make sure a hanging plant isn’t positioned so far from the window that it receives almost no usable light.
🌿 Final Thoughts
Bathrooms really can be brilliant places for houseplants — as long as you choose according to light as well as humidity.
For a beginner-friendly bathroom plant, start with pothos, a spider plant, ZZ plant or snake plant.
If your bathroom is bright and humid, you can branch out into orchids, calatheas, ferns and even a statement Monstera.
And if your bathroom doesn’t have a window, don’t rely on the mythical “plant that can live in darkness”. Give it a small grow light instead.
Once you get the combination of light, water and humidity right, your bathroom may genuinely become one of the easiest places in your home to keep tropical plants happy.