Soaking Up Steam In The Bathroom

The most humid hotspot in the home is no doubt the bathroom. Popular amongst houseplants that love steamy surroundings streaked with bright filtered light, this location is the place to be if you want to avoid dry fronds and crisping leaf edges.

Some houseplants may not thank you for the high humidity, but don’t worry, finding the right plant for the right spot is made easy with our list of bathroom buddies: humid loving houseplants that love spending time soaking up the steam, so you don’t have to spritz, unless it's to go with the wine of course!

Our Bathroom Buddies

Ferns

From the Boston Fern to the Delta Maidenhair, these houseplants have overflowing trailing tendrils that tend to dry out and crisp up if they don’t get enough humidity.

These wonderful air purifiers will do well in a bathroom, where they will clean the air of harmful toxins. Perfect for creating that clean fresh bathroom environment.

Alocasia

Alluring and exotic, these houseplants are the sleek stylers of the interior space. Ranging in size and shape, they all have striking leaves atop long slender stems and tend to suffer frost bite from cooler room temperatures.

These houseplants would do well in a warm and humid bathroom, adding a contemporary finish complimenting modern fixtures and fittings.

Calathea

Nature's answer to interior décor. The Calathea family are famous amongst the world of plants for their brightly patterned leaves in various shapes and sizes.

Unfortunately, they are very susceptible to leaves crisping and drying up, detracting from their beautifully bold greens and purples. These houseplants will look their best when kept moist in a warm humid bathroom.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Bathroom

The bathroom is arguably one of the best locations for houseplants in the entire home thanks to the heat and steam.

There are, however, some things to watch out for when maintaining these ideal growing conditions, particularly when it comes to the changing season, but don’t panic! Our Horty Hints are here to help you keep your bathroom buddies looking brill, without too much effort.

• Temperature fluctuations:

  When in use, bathroom temperature and humidity levels are perfect for your foliage friends, however, at night and in the winter months these can plummet, which is not ideal for temperature sensitive houseplants.

  Combat these drastic fluctuations by closing the door in between uses, trapping the warmth and turning any heating on a low setting so as not to dry out the air.

• Mind the moulds:

  Not all houseplants require higher humidity levels and some plants such as Chinese Evergreens, Ficus and Euphorbia can develop mould and mildew problems if kept damp for too long.

  Combat this by moving the plant to a position where it will dry out more often, e.g. near the door, or to another room completely, freeing up the space for a plant that really needs the steam.

• Light limitations:

  Many bathrooms have smaller or no windows at all, providing little natural light.

  Make the most of window sills and choose plants that like fluorescent lights such as Peperomia, making sure the plant isn't touching the window, surrounding tiles or walls as moisture can get trapped and cause the leaves to rot.

• Don’t overwater:

  Plants placed in the bathroom dry out slowly thanks to the high moisture content in the room.

  Make sure that when you are watering, the top inch of the soil has become dry to the touch. Overwatering can cause unattractive surface moulds on the soil or even root rot in the plant.

Now we’re assuming you have the spritz sorted, it's time for some quality relaxation with your bathroom buddies...

...Giving you the time to contemplate what plants to buy for the rest of the house.