Not everybody can have a beautiful bathroom with lots of natural light. And why is it that the bathroom without a window is always the smallest one in the house?! Either way, it’s nice to bring the outside in with some plants but that’s hard when there isn’t light. Fortunately, there are some plants that are perfect for windowless bathrooms! Choose one of these for assured success.
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What plants do best in a windowless bathroom?
There are a few plants that do very well in low light as well as other plants do in well-lit conditions. It’s a select group but one that leaves plenty of options for you to personalize to your taste.
Ferns
Ferns are a classic plant for windowless bathrooms because they actually prefer indirect light. So they’ll do just fine if you leave the door open and that’s their only lighting. Ferns prefer that their soil is kept damp but not wet. They are heavy feeders so you will need to make sure to fertilize them regularly.
Philodendron
The amazing philodendron is one of the hardiest houseplants you’ll ever find. These plants will do just fine in just about any condition. If you forget to water them for a while, give them a good drink and they’ll come back. If you overfeed them with rich fertilizer, they’ll bounce back too. And of course, they do well in low lighting conditions.
Snake Plant
If you want a succulent-type plant, the snake plant is one of the few that does well in darker conditions. And, as an added bonus, you don’t need to fertilize it or water it much. Let the dirt dry out completely between waterings and then water it, usually this occurs once every couple of months at most. When you water it, water it a lot. As long as you get the watering down, a snake plant will do just fine in a dark bathroom.
Peace Lily
For a flowering plant option, you should consider a peace lily. The plant won’t bloom as much as those kept in more light but it will still thrive. Make sure to keep its soil consistently moist and that it is fertilized a couple times a year. You’ll need a larger than normal pot for this plant as well, at least twice the width of the roots.
Air plants
The air plant is one of the best options for a low upkeep plant in general. Contrary to popular myth, you will still need to water this plant. But it does best if cared for like the snake plant. You’ll need to actually water it only once every couple of months at most. Given its easy upkeep, air plants are perfect plants for windowless bathrooms.
Pothos
A pothos and a philodendron are cared for in the same basic way. That is, it will survive almost any condition. The pothos grows incredibly long legs so make sure you have something to drape them off of in your bathroom.
Bamboo
Bamboo plants are not only capable of growing in low light but they also represent luck! They are touchy about their water so you need to let your water sit on the counter overnight so any chemicals can evaporate before you water it. Make sure as well that your bamboo is in a well drained pot because they don’t like to be overwatered regularly.
The cast iron plant
You’ll probably feel like the cast iron plant looks a lot like a peace lily. But it has a slightly glossier leaf and it is a little easier to care for. It prefers to be dried out completely between waterings and doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer. So you can put it in your windowless bathroom and basically forget about it. What’s better than that?
Chinese evergreen
The beautiful Chinese evergreen plant has incredible options for leaves. Most of them have stark contrast and gorgeous colors to their leaves. That makes these a great plant for windowless bathrooms because they will add a pop of interest and color to any decor. Water your plant a little bit at a time or mist it every other day to keep it at optimal growing conditions.
Moss
Okay, you may not think of moss as a plant. But really, it is. And it thrives beyond all others in the dark. If you find, or make, a nice bonsai type arrangement, moss can be a beautiful option! It prefers to be misted regularly rather than watered. But in a bathroom that’s regularly used, you may not even need to do that.
Spider plant
Don’t underestimate the beauty and ease of a spider plant for a windowless bathroom. These adorable plants have long leaves and grow leggy “babies” quite readily. They love growing in any lighting conditions, including low light. Keep their soil moist at all times but do not drown them with too much water.
English ivy
Grown outdoors, the English ivy is so easy to care for that it is invasive in some areas of the world. However, it makes a great option to grow indoors in a bathroom. It lends some great texture to a room and doesn’t mind the low light. Make sure to fertilize it regularly and keep the soil moist consistently for the best growing conditions.
Aloe vera
The aloe vera is another succulent type plant that you can grow in low light if necessary. They do prefer to be in moderate light that’s filtered for optimal conditions. So, this option is really best if your aloe can live in your bathroom in the winter (it’s actually good for it to be in low light during this time) and outdoors in the summer. Water it like any succulent: once every couple of months at most but water a lot when you do water.
Rubber plant
You may know of the rubber plant by its other name: Ficus. These plants have long been used as beautiful indoor houseplants. If your windowless bathroom is large enough, you can definitely put one in there. But they can get quite large so it isn’t a bad idea to have a location outside the bathroom for when it gets older.
Orchid
Believe it or not, orchids grow just fine in low light conditions. When you first buy these plants, they will be blooming. Once those blooms drop off, they won’t bloom again without being slightly stressed. Of course, if your orchid lives in a windowless bathroom, a great way to do that is to move it to a moderate light environment for about a week.
Where can I buy plants for a windowless bathroom?
The best place to buy plants for a windowless bathroom is your local home improvement store. Think of someplace like Home Depot or Lowes. You’ll find a decent selection there of the more common indoor plants but the associates there may not know much about them.
For more information and a larger selection of less common plants, you’ll want to look at a local gardening center. The associates at a gardening center will be able to advise you much more on the growing condition for the plants. And, if you don’t find houseplants for a dark bathroom at the first one, ask the associates there for advice on where to go next.
Where do you put plants in small bathrooms?
To bring the outdoors in some more, you don’t need that many plants in your bathroom. Good spots to locate some plants in your bathroom include the top of the toilet and next to the sink. On top of the toilet is a prime location because typically, there’s not a lot being put there and you don’t need to move that stuff often.
If you have the counter space, next to the sink is another great spot for a plant in a windowless bathroom. This both keeps the plant near to water so it’s sure to not dry out. It also makes sure that you see the plant the most when you use the bathroom so you get the most benefit from it.
Stylish accessories for plants in small windowless bathrooms
Beyond just putting plants in your small bathroom, you can increase their effectiveness even more by bumping up the styling of the plants themselves. You can paint the pot to be super colorful or even add a cute stake ornament. They are making these adorable little ornaments in just about every style now. From tiny mushrooms to little gnomes you can add to your potted plants.
How to increase natural light for plants in windowless bathroom
Besides putting in a window, which isn’t always possible, there are several things you can do to both make your bathroom seem larger but also to increase the overall brightness for your plants.
Open doors
This is a really obvious tip but start by opening the door. Of course, if the dog will eat the toilet paper or the kids will play in the sink, go ahead and keep the door shut. But opening the door even just a little bit will definitely increase the natural light in the bathroom and help the plants.
Mirrors
Please don’t take this one overboard and light up your bathroom like a scene from the mummy. But carefully placing mirrors above the sink and on the opposite side of the bathroom will allow light to bounce back and forth and make the bathroom lighter for your plants. Even small mirrors will help with this.
Move plants to sun
This is another really obvious thing. But if you get more sun through the door on your countertop, you should consider putting the plant there rather than on the other side of the bathroom. Of course, if your bathroom is small, you may not have a spot with more light than the rest of the bathroom.
You can also move plants outside in the summer and back to the windowless bathroom in winter. This type of cycling is actually good for plants. Just make sure the slowly acclimate them to their new environment each time by moving them for only part of the day at first.
Conclusions
There are plenty of opportunities to include plants in windowless bathrooms. Don’t let a lack of windows keep you from bringing a little bit of the outdoors inside. There are some ways to make a small bathroom better suited to plants but several of the plants on this list don’t really need help living in a small, dark environment.