It is no secret that bathrooms are very humid spaces and they can be quite small. These two factors combined can make for one very wet environment. Luckily, there are many bathroom plants that absorb moisture and humidity in the air and can help reduce the chances of having mold and mildew. Many of these plants also were found in a NASA study to filter toxins out of the air. So, say hello to happier and healthier air and breathe a little easier knowing you have these plants in your bathroom.
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Areca Palm
The Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens) is highly efficient at absorbing moisture through its stylish leaves. Furthermore, their palms were found to filter toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde in a NASA study. These same leaves offer a touch of elegance you would expect to find in the spa of a high-end resort. The areca plant is perfect for any master bathroom with a little too much humidity and the space of a spa.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, Real Palm Trees.
Areca Palm Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright, Indirect Light
- Temperature Preference: 65 to 75 degrees
- How often to water: Let soil dry out between watering
- How often to Fertilize: Annually
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: Can grow up to 30 feet
Reed Palm
Like most palms the Reed Palm, or Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii), is found in tropical areas and is used to having quite a bit of humidity in the air. Its palm leaves are adept at absorbing that moisture out of the air and putting it to good use. This makes it an ideal plant for dehumidifying humid bathrooms. It has also been shown by a NASA study to clean the air of benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, toluene, and xylene.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, Real Palm Trees.
Reed Palm Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright, Indirect Light
- Temperature Preference: 65 to 75 degrees
- How often to water: Let top 2/3 of soil dry out between watering
- How often to Fertilize: Annually
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: 5 to 10 feet
English Ivy
If you want a hanging plant that will make you feel like you are in an English garden when you are really in your bathroom, then the English Ivy (Hedera helix) is for you. In fact, it will even help your bathroom seem less like you are stuck a hot, sticky Florida summer after a shower and more like a nice brisk fall day in England. This is because the English Ivy is really good at absorbing moisture through its leaves. Hang this fella right over your shower and it starts dehumidifying right away. It will also filter out a lot bad chemicals (per the NASA study we keep talking about). For example, it filters out toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. So grab a cup of tea, pour yourself a bath, and dive into the latest issue of the Daily Mail while you soak under the Ivy.
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English Ivy Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright, Indirect Light to Low Light
- Temperature Preference: 50 to 65 degrees
- How often to water: Keep evenly moist
- How often to Fertilize: Monthly
- Pet Friendliness: Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: 8 inches high and up to 15 feet long for vines
Air Plants
Air plants (Tillandsia) are some of the most insta-worthy plants out there. They have so many different looks from crazy leaves to beautiful flowers. Air plants really fit the style of any bathroom. What makes them even more great is that they absorb water from the air, working as a living dehumidifier. A perfect air plant for bathrooms is the Bulbosa Air Plant (Tillandsia Bulbosa). The Bulbosa thrives in hot, humid environments. In fact, it is often found in cypress swamps. So, it loves those wet environments and is used to getting water from moisture in the air.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, The Sill.
Bulbosa Air Plant Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright Filtered Light
- Temperature Preference: 50 to 80 degrees
- How often to water: Mist every third day. Allow the plant to completely dry between watering. Soak once monthly for ten minutes — plant must dry out within three hours or so.
- How often to Fertilize: Monthly — during soak
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: 6 to 8 inches
Peace Lily
The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) is a serene plant that will turn your humid bathroom into a spa-like sanctuary. No matter how hot your bath or shower, that steam is no match for the peace lily. Its leaves love to soak up excess moisture the air. It also loves to filter the air. According to the NASA study, this plant will clear the air of benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toulene, and ammonia. Plus, the pretty white peace lily flowers will add some elegance to your bathroom.
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Peace Lily Stats:
- Light Preference: Light Partial Shade to Low Light
- Temperature Preference: 68 to 85 degrees
- How often to water: Approx. every 7 days; keep soil moist; will sag when needs water
- How often to Fertilize: Every 6 months
- Pet Friendliness: Toxic to cats and dogs
- Size: 24 inches to 50 inches
Ponytail Palm
The Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is the perfect bathroom decor for an ocean-side resort spa feel. It loves bright, sunny bathrooms and will make you feel like you are on a tropical beach as you put your own hair in a pony. In addition, the frilly top and bulbous bottom will add a little spunk to your bathroom. The ponytail palm is used to tropical climates and loves to get water out of the surrounding atmosphere. So, it is one of the best bathroom plants that will absorb moisture and humidity in the air.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, Real Palm Trees.
Ponytail Palm Stats:
- Light Preference: Full Sun to Partial Sun
- Temperature Preference: 65 to 75 degrees
- How often to water: Water enough so soil is moist but not wet approx. every 7-14 days
- How often to Fertilize: monthly
- Pet Friendliness: Not toxic to dogs and cats
- Size: up to fifteen feet
Boston Fern
The Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), also known as the Sword Fern, is one of the most popular bathroom plants and is especially beautiful as a hanging plant. It has long, delicate leaves that cascade over the edge of the basket. Yet, it is tough as nails. Ideally, the Boston Fern loves warm and humid conditions.It loves moisture so much that drying out is the number one reason this fern passes away, so keep that soil watered. It also loves to get rid of any moisture or humidity in the air. So, hanging it as close to the steam from the shower as possible is recommended.
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Boston Fern Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright Light
- Temperature Preference: 60 to 78 degrees
- How often to water: Keep soil evenly moist
- How often to Fertilize: Monthly
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: up to 3 feet
Orchids
Orchids are the perfect for bathrooms — they love humidity, they add beauty, and they liven up the bathroom with a pop of color. Best of all, they get rid of those bad bathroom smells and replace them with a wonderful fragrance. This exotic flower has fascinated humans for centuries. In fact, Confucius had kept orchids in his own home and even wrote poems about their fragrance. However, their alluring flowers are not what makes them so great for humid bathrooms. What makes it one of the best bathroom plants to absorb moisture and humidity in the air are its leaves, which love to drink up any water in the air.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, The Sill.
Orchid Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright, Indirect Light
- Temperature Preference: 50 to 80 degrees
- How often to water: Water only when soil is dried out
- How often to Fertilize: An old saying is to fertilize orchids “weakly, weekly”
- Pet Friendliness: In General is Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats but make sure to double check for your specific hybrid
- Size: Depends on specific Orchid type
Snake Plant
The Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata) is the spike-leafed, colorful addition to your morning bathroom routine you didn’t know you needed. It is perfect for the low-light bathroom as it thrives so man conditions, including bathrooms with no windows. In addition, the snake plant loves to soak up any moisture in the air, a perfect addition to humid bathrooms. The snake plant also filters the air of benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and toulene. This is according to the NASA study. Basically the snake plant is the MVP of bathroom plants: filtering the air of toxins, serving as a dehumidifier, and thriving with little to no light.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, The Sill.
Snake Plant Stats:
- Light Preference: Shade to Indirect Light
- Temperature Preference: 60 to 80 degrees
- How often to water: Approx. every 2 weeks; Let soil dry out completely between watering
- How often to Fertilize: Annually
- Pet Friendliness: Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: 8 inches to 12 feet
Spider Plant
The Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is so named for the way it drops down new little spider babies. These spider babies can then be planted and turn into spider adults that can drop down their own spider babies. These little babies drop down, perfect for a hanging plant. Spider plants love to absorb moisture from the air. In addition, it will filter out xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde out of the atmosphere. Also, these plants are ridiculously easy to grow; they are survivors. So, pretty soon you have an entire spider plant jungle in your bathroom! That jungle of spider plants will be a whole jungle of bathroom plants that absorb moisture and humidity in the air.
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Spider Plant Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright Light
- Temperature Preference: 70 to 90 degrees
- How often to water: Water when first inch of soil is dry; about 1x per week — careful not to overwater (this is the #1 reason for Spider Plant death)
- How often to Fertilize: Every 3 months
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: up to 3 feet
Cast Iron Plant
The Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) is so good at being without sun for long periods that you will often find it as decor in bars and restaurants – hence its nickname as Bar Room Plant. Basically this plant was built for windowless bathrooms! It is a no-fuss, hardy plant that will love you even on the darkest days. It also loves to soak up that humidity by absorbing all that moisture that hangs in the air. A nice low-maintenance plant to dehumidify the bathroom.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, Leon & George.
Cast Iron Plant Stats:
- Light Preference: Full Shade
- Temperature Preference: 45 to 85 degrees
- How often to water: Approx. once a month
- How often to Fertilize: Every 2 weeks
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic
- Size: 2 feet
Parlor Palm
The Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is a beautiful plant that will make you feel as if you walked into an old Victorian Bathroom or a beach-side spa bathroom. The point is, this fella will add a bit of elegance to any bathroom. It is also very hardy and can survive in the harshest of conditions. Not only is it tough to kill, look beautiful, but it helps clear the air as well. This plant was shown to filter out benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toulene, and ammonia. Its leaves love taking up moisture. This makes it one of the best bathroom plants that absorb moisture and humidity in the air.
Get it delivered to your door by trusted partner, The Sill.
Parlor Palm Stats:
- Light Preference: Bright, Indirect Light to Full Shade
- Temperature Preference: 65 to 80 degrees
- How often to water: Never let Palm sit in water; water when top inch feels dry, keep soil most
- How often to Fertilize: Every 6 months
- Pet Friendliness: Non-Toxic to Dogs and Cats
- Size: 2 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
