14 Bathroom Plants That Like Heat, Humidity, & Low Light

These bathroom plants are happy even if you have a small window & take lots of hot showers. They’ll look gorgeous, set a calming atmosphere, purify your air, & suck up moisture (which helps prevent mold). Some bathroom plants thrive with low light.

The 14 best bathroom plants

Many of these low-light plants are originally from the jungle, where impressive humidity is standard, plus tall trees filter out most of the light. Some are from deep dark forests, which can get pretty humid and dappled as well.

But this list covers a range of plants, since bathrooms come in all types and varieties. It spans full shade to bright indirect light, from craving high humidity to tolerating medium humidity. It just depends on your situation.

The one thing we can agree on: You should decorate your washroom with plants. They’ll impress your houseguests—and, honestly, yourself. You’ll probably start to take hydration seriously just so you can visit the bathroom more. (Your doctor will be so proud.)

1. Peace Lilies

The peace lily only likes a warm, humid climate. She’s a bit flexible about light: with full or partial shade, she’ll be just fine, but with bright indirect light, she’s more likely to blossom. When NASA ran a test to see which plants could purify the air most effectively, the peace lily placed near the top of the list.

The peace lily is a bit of a trickster. It’s technically not a lily; it’s a tropical evergreen. Also, the white blossoms aren’t flowers—they’re technically white leaves, framing a small stalk of actual flowers. But we won’t tell if you don’t.

Buy a peace lily

2. Cast Iron Plants

This plant is almost too easygoing. From shade to bright indirect light, wherever you place it in the bathroom is probably fine, unless you have a disturbing number of windows. It doesn’t need to be watered super often and tolerates a range of humidity. The cast iron plant can even tolerate dust, smoke, and other… types of unclean air.

It’s low maintenance and long-lasting, like its namesake (and it also hates soap).

Buy a cast iron plant

3. Money Trees

Bright indirect light suits this plant, so if your bathroom is pretty dim, skip the money tree. But that would be a bummer, because they bring good luck and financial success, and they’re super easy. (A good gift for someone who just graduated or got a new job and is now too busy to remember their plants.)

Drop this Feng Shui symbol of prosperity in the brightest corner and then ignore it. Just kidding, water it occasionally (not often) and enjoy looking at it when you forget to bring your phone in with you.

Buy a money tree

4. Snake Plants

This plant’s stiff leaves look like swords planted hilt-side down. Sort of a reverse King Arthur situation. It’s resilient, perfectly happy in low lighting (partial shade to bright indirect light), and comfortable in temperatures up to 90 degrees.

It’s also called mother-in-law’s tongue, but it’s more likely to stay quiet and peaceful. There are over 30 kinds of snake plants, from bird’s nest to twisted sister, with different leaf colorations, shapes, and sizes, depending on how you want to decorate.

Buy a snake plant

5. Pothos

Another easygoing plant, Pothos likes low lighting, doesn’t mind neglect, and rarely has pests or diseases. It’s especially beautiful when it’s hung up in a hanging pot, where it can overflow in a luxurious way, adding a touch of elegance to your bathroom. Also called the devil’s ivy, because it’s “impossible to kill.”

The leaves are shaped like hearts, so if we can draw a conclusion, it’s a very romantic plant. It symbolizes a love that will never die.

Buy a pothos

6. Ferns

One of the oldest plants—with ancestors tracing back about 390 million years, according to the fossil record—these lovely ladies are as resilient as they are beautiful. With over ten thousand living species, you have a plethora of options. But nearly all of them like low light, warmth, and humidity. It’s as if they were designed for bathrooms. Their feathery fronds look delicate, but they’re pretty hardy.

Ferns don’t have flowers or seeds—instead, they handcraft spores for reproduction. They can even self-fertilize. Water ferns in particular have a short life cycle, which means mutations occur faster. They’re popular in genetics research, but they’re also beautiful.

Buy a fern

7. Spider Plants

This plant has longish leaves, often with streaks of green and white. The flowers have long stems and hang low. When a flower falls off, a tiny “plantlet” grows in that spot, looking like a little spider.

You can remove the plantlet and plant it in a new pot, where it will grow to be its own plant. Soon, they’ll expand beyond the bathroom and your house will be taken over by spider plants. That’s their real devious plot. The spiders are just a decoy.

Spider plants are not as old as ferns, but they’ve been cultivated as a houseplant since at least Victorian times. The spider plant prefers partial shade, warmth, and humidity. They also like growing in a hanging basket, giving the impression that they’ll stay out of your way. (Don’t be fooled.)

Buy a spider plant

8. Philodendron

There are hundreds of philodendron species, and nearly all of them like looking beautiful, growing quickly, and basking in warmth and humidity. It needs bright indirect light, but if you have that, then you’re all set: they’re low-maintenance.

There are two main categories of philodendrons: non-climbing, which, well, doesn’t climb; and vining, which is an impressive climber. In the forest, it crawls all the way up to the top of a tree to get a little more sunlight. If it falls down, it just crawls up again.

In your bathroom, it will overflow the hanging basket and look extravagant.

Buy a philodendron

9. Parlor Palms

The parlor palm is a fancy girl. She was popular among the Victorians, who cultivated it as a houseplant and often put it in their parlors to look impressive and beautiful. Nevertheless, the parlor palm is low maintenance and has very few demands, even though she’s earned the right to be pampered.

The parlor palm prefers bright indirect light, but doesn’t complain if she gets a little less. She likes moisture, but doesn’t like standing in water for a long time, so a humid environment is perfect for her. The bathroom is no parlor, but the parlor palm can still impress your bathroom’s visitors.

Buy a parlor palm

10. Monstera adansonii

This lovely plant has earned herself a lot of nicknames. The most common is the Swiss cheese plant, since her leaves have holes in them. (Holes or fenestrations, if you want to be fancy, which she does.)

But the cheesy name is a misnomer—the whole plant is toxic. We prefer the nickname monkey mask plant anyway. These holey leaves would be perfect for little tamarins and marmosets to wear to a masquerade.

Adanson’s Monstera loves both humidity and heat. She’s just happy living the sauna life. In bright indirect light, it grows fast and can reach up to 8 feet tall inside! (Use a stake to give it some support.)

11. Angel Wing Begonia

This fancy family of begonias has leaves shaped like elegant wings, except they’re polka-dotted on the top side and deep red underneath. That’s where the plants get their nicknames: the polka dot plant and the dragon wing plant.

Native to the Brazilian rainforests, these little angels—well-behaved and low-maintenance—love their humidity and heat.

In the summer and early fall, the angel wing begonia blossoms into a riot of pink, orange, or white flowers that hang delicately from the stalks. Then your bathroom will reach its peak of beauty (even if you haven’t scrubbed the sinks in a hot minute). Consider drawing inspiration for your lipstick or eyeshadow selection to join in the fun.

Buy an angel wing begonia

12. Kentia Palm

Another upper-class Victorian favorite! (Who knew the Victorians shaped modern houseplant trends?) Unlike many wealthy Victorians, though, Kentia is hardy and low-maintenance.

The Kentia palm needs a bit of space, but she doesn’t need much sun (partial shade is fine). She can survive up to 100 degrees, which is impressive even for a palm.

She prefers moderate humidity, so if you like a quick or cold shower, you can provide a good home for Kentia. (Just don’t bring her in the shower. She hates having soggy roots.)

Buy a Kentia palm

13. Calathea

A Brazilian jungle native, Calathea comes in many splendid varieties with cool names: pinstripe, rattlesnake, Freddie, beauty star, Leopardina, peacock, and more. They’re all showy and distinguished—their leaves have incredibly interesting variegation and patterns.

Calathea is happy with low light, warmth, and lots of humidity. They love humidity so much that you’d need a humidifier, or at least a pebble tray, if you kept them in a different room. But they thrive in bathrooms, so they’re pretty low-maintenance if you let one settle in by the sink.

Buy a Calathea

14. Polly Alocasia

Hailing from the subtropics of Asia and Australia, Polly alocasia is dramatic and bold: super dark green leaves with blinding white veins, and a wide-toothed serrated edge. She likes filtered light, high humidity, and high heat.

Just keep her inside. Polly is an ambitious girl with a plan to take over the world (she’s an invasive species in some areas). Hopefully she’ll be content taking over your bathroom.

Buy a Polly Alocasia

How to maintain humidity levels in your bathroom

These plants don’t need high humidity every second. Occasional doses will do. If you bathe or shower reasonably frequently, they should be just fine. Unless you’re only doing ice baths. The trick is, don’t put them near a vent.

Any blast of air—whether it’s heated or cooled—will strip the moisture out of the air. So if your bathroom has a vent, put your bathroom plant on the other side of the room.

And close the door behind you after you shower. You want to trap that good moisture, plus your plant wants a little privacy. She’s in the bathroom, for goodness sake.

How to choose a plant for your bathroom

The main considerations are light, humidity, and temperature. Consider whether your bathroom is cold and drafty or close and stuffy. If you have a lot of windows, you’ll need a light-tolerant plant. If it’s usually dim, get a shade-tolerant plant.

Also consider how often the room is occupied. If it's for guests, it will probably get less use than the master bath. As a result, it’ll be less hot and humid, on average, so consider a cast iron plant. If you share a bathroom with your five siblings, get a Calathea.

What plant absorbs moisture in the bathroom?

Any plants that tolerate humidity will absorb moisture. These plants like the humidity (which is moisture in the air) because it helps them stay hydrated. They suck it up and use it like they would use water from a watering can.

What flower is best for the bathroom?

Many of the plants on this list will flower (if you take good care of them), but our top recommendation is to get a begonia. Begonia blossoms are vibrant and interesting, and they love humidity and heat. The angel wing begonia is our favorite.

They’re happy with medium to bright indirect light, so they’d work in a lot of different bathrooms.

Is it ok to put a plant in the bathroom?

Depends on the plant! Pick one that likes humidity and heat, and you’re golden. Consider the level of light, too. If your bathroom is dark, get a plant that likes low lighting, like a spider plant or a fern.

What plants absorb odor and smell good?

Air purification is every plant’s sacred duty (whether the air is stinky or not). But if you want something that actively smells good—and still tolerates heat, humidity, and low light—then we recommend these four bathroom plant ideas:

• Peace lilies
• Snake plants
• Begonias
• Ferns