The best houseplants for a bathroom

39 of 100 species in this database qualify

39 of our 100 species qualify. Maidenhair fern ranks first on highest humidity requirement first. Typical prices run $4 to $120.

What this list actually means

A bathroom is humid for twenty minutes a day and ordinary the rest of the time, and most are dim. So the test is a plant that wants humidity and tolerates low to medium light. A plant that only wants one of those will not thank you for the other.

Ranked by humidity min pct, light min, difficulty — highest humidity requirement first, among plants that tolerate dim light. Ordering is derived from database fields and we do not accept payment for placement. Our pre-publish check rejects commission, payout, EPC and CPC as sort fields, so that promise is enforced rather than merely stated.

#	Plant	Light floor	Water	Pet safe	Difficulty	Typical price
1	Maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum	Low	2–5d	Yes	Difficult	$12–30
2	Baby’s tears Soleirolia soleirolii	Low	2–6d	Yes	Moderate	$6–18
3	Calathea orbifolia Goeppertia orbifolia	Low	4–8d	Yes	Demanding	$20–60
4	Triostar stromanthe Stromanthe sanguinea	Low	4–8d	Yes	Demanding	$20–55
5	African mask plant Alocasia × mortfontanensis	Medium	5–10d	No	Demanding	$20–60
6	Zebra alocasia Alocasia zebrina	Medium	5–10d	No	Demanding	$25–70
7	Moth orchid Phalaenopsis amabilis	Medium	5–10d	Yes	Easy	$15–50
8	Mini monstera Rhaphidophora tetrasperma	Medium	5–10d	No	Easy	$20–60
9	Swiss cheese vine Monstera adansonii	Medium	6–11d	No	Easy	$18–55
10	Bird’s nest fern Asplenium nidus	Low	4–9d	Yes	Easy	$15–45
11	Scarlet star Guzmania lingulata	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$15–40
12	Blushing philodendron Philodendron erubescens	Medium	6–11d	No	Easy	$25–120
13	Goldfish plant Nematanthus gregarius	Medium	6–11d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
14	Prayer plant Maranta leuconeura	Low	4–8d	Yes	Moderate	$12–35
15	Flamingo flower Anthurium andraeanum	Medium	6–10d	No	Moderate	$18–55
16	Nerve plant Fittonia albivenis	Low	3–6d	Yes	Moderate	$6–18
17	Rattlesnake plant Goeppertia lancifolia	Low	4–8d	Yes	Moderate	$15–45
18	Staghorn fern Platycerium bifurcatum	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Moderate	$25–80
19	Air plant Tillandsia ionantha	Medium	5–10d	Yes	Moderate	$4–15
20	Rabbit’s foot fern Davallia fejeensis	Low	4–9d	Yes	Moderate	$20–55
21	Table fern Pteris cretica	Low	3–7d	Yes	Moderate	$12–35
22	Creeping fig Ficus pumila	Medium	4–9d	No	Moderate	$8–25
23	Lipstick plant Aeschynanthus radicans	Medium	6–11d	Yes	Moderate	$15–40
24	Coffee plant Coffea arabica	Medium	5–10d	No	Moderate	$15–45
25	Boston fern Nephrolepis exaltata	Low	3–6d	Yes	Demanding	$15–40
26	Caladium Caladium bicolor	Low	4–9d	No	Demanding	$8–25
27	Rex begonia Begonia rex	Low	5–10d	No	Demanding	$12–40
28	Satin pothos Scindapsus pictus	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$15–45
29	Dragon tail plant Epipremnum pinnatum	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$15–50
30	Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$15–45
31	Polka dot plant Hypoestes phyllostachya	Medium	4–7d	Yes	Easy	$5–15
32	Tree philodendron Philodendron bipinnatifidum	Medium	7–12d	No	Easy	$25–90
33	Blue star fern Phlebodium aureum	Low	5–10d	Yes	Easy	$18–50
34	Fishbone cactus Selenicereus anthonyanus	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$18–50
35	Strawberry begonia Saxifraga stolonifera	Low	5–10d	Yes	Easy	$8–22
36	Polka dot begonia Begonia maculata	Medium	5–10d	No	Moderate	$15–45
37	Ti plant Cordyline fruticosa	Medium	6–11d	No	Moderate	$15–50
38	Calla lily Zantedeschia aethiopica	Medium	4–8d	No	Moderate	$12–40
39	String of turtles Peperomia prostrata	Medium	9–16d	Yes	Moderate	$12–40

Prices are hand-verified ranges, not live figures, and move with pot size more than anything else. No affiliate links appear on this page because we have no merchant relationships yet; when that changes, disclosure appears before the first one.

Why maidenhair fern tops the list

Scores 5 of 5: it dies from a single dry afternoon and browns below about 60% humidity. Realistically a terrarium or bathroom plant, not a shelf plant. It takes low light as a floor and water every 2–5 days, and it is reasonably easy to find at $12–30.

Full entry for maidenhair fern — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority we consulted, and propagation.

Commonly recommended for this, and shouldn't be

Every one of these is sold everywhere and appears on other lists for this purpose. Each fails on a field in our own database, stated below.

Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata

comes from arid conditions and is watered every 14–21 days — a humid room slows evaporation further and it rots at the root.
Aloe vera Aloe vera

comes from arid conditions and is watered every 14–28 days — a humid room slows evaporation further and it rots at the root.
Corn plant Dracaena fragrans

comes from tropical understory conditions and is watered every 10–18 days — a humid room slows evaporation further and it rots at the root.
Jade plant Crassula ovata

comes from semi-arid conditions and is watered every 14–28 days — a humid room slows evaporation further and it rots at the root.

None of these are bad plants. They are bad plants for this, and the difference is the whole point of the list. Buying one for the wrong spot is the commonest way people conclude they cannot keep houseplants.

Other lists

Every list →

Sources

This database's own care records for the 39 species listed — light floor, watering interval, humidity, difficulty and mature size are the fields the ranking uses. Each species entry cites its own authorities.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification, cited per species on each entry
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — poison severity where published
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — cultivation and pest records

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Ranking is derived from database fields. We do not accept payment for placement, and the pre-publish check rejects payout as a sort field. How this is sourced.