8 Air-Refreshing Plants That Work Better Than Shower Onions

Though your dates may swoon over that gleaming bowl of shower onions, if we’re completely honest, there’s a much more impressive way to clean up the air in your bathroom: air-refreshing plants. Plants are prettier; they love the humidity of the bathroom, and let’s face it: you don’t end up wasting a perfectly good bowl of onions. Seriously, don’t eat those shower onions.

 

Plants That Freshen The Air

Sure, a bowl of assorted shower onions is a pretty cool flex and all, but plants are undeniably cooler bathroom accessories. Decor trends and TikTok trends may come and go, but houseplants are timeless! Take a look at these powerful air-refreshing plants you can grow in the bathroom (so long as there’s a sunlit window).

 

Spider Plant

Chlorophytum comosum

Finding a spider in the bathroom? YEET. Finding a spider plant in the bathroom? NEAT. This air-purifying plant is one of the easiest houseplants to grow, and the little baby plants that sprout out from its sides are high-key adorable. Pluck them off and replant them into their own containers for maximum air-refreshing power. The tiny ones are far superior toilet tank accessories than a bowl of shower onions.

 

Calathea

Calathea makoyana

While it’s commonly known for its constant movement as its leaves rise and fall each day, it’s also a super-effective air-refreshing plant. Calatheas come in so many incredible multicolored varieties, with stripes and splashes of jewel-toned reds, purples, greens, and golds. Even the shower onion variety pack can’t compete with that kind of style. 

 

Pothos

Epipremnum aureum

Perhaps one of the most popular beginner plants of all time, the pothos is a classic air-purifying plant that everybody loves. Plus, there are so many colorful varieties, like the trendy white variegated Pothos n’ Joy or the electric-lime-green Neon pothos. They grow pretty fast if their basic needs are met, and if you ever need to trim them down for size, you can easily propagate them through cuttings. All in all, this dynamic plant has a whole lot more going for it than a bowl of assorted shower onions. 

 

Jester Crown Fern

Nephrolepsis obliterata

A shaggy, voluminous fern can make a stylish window shade if you hang it up in the bathroom. The long, frilled leaves cascade down like a curtain, allowing little twinkles of light to peek through. When a plant is packed with that many leaves, they’re pretty awesome at refreshing the air, so you can expect your Jester Crown fern to keep churning out fresh oxygen for years to come. You know what doesn’t last for years and years? Shower onions.  

 

Anthurium

Anthurium andraeanum

If you’re on the lookout for flowering plants that purify the air, the anthurium is definitely worthy of a spot on the bathroom counter. This tropical beauty is super low-maintenance and thrives in indirect light, so it’s a total breeze to care for. The glossy, ultra-vibrant flower bracts bring a refreshing pop of color to your decor, along with cleaner air. A bowl of shower onions says, “I like to take care of business,” but a bathroom anthurium says, “I like to take care of business and look freaking amazing while doing it.”

 

Common Ivy

Hedera helix

Having a clean bathroom can go a long way when it comes to impressing a potential mate, but a clean bathroom that’s also hella stylish is a major win. The long, trailing vines of the ivy plant are perfect for training up the sides of your shelves or bathroom mirror. Cute, right? On top of making an especially trendy decor piece, ivy will keep your bathroom air fresher than Will Smith circa 1994. Place it somewhere with indirect light, and make sure the soil has excellent drainage.

 

Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia seguine

If your bathroom has space for a larger air-purifying plant, you gotta get a dieffenbachia. Varieties like Camille can grow up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, and that’s considered one of the smaller varieties! It’s also known as dumbcane, but there’s really nothing dumb about this air-refreshing plant. (Shower onions, on the other hand, are kinda dumb, NGL.) The emerald leaves are as large and flat as sheets of paper, with a splash of cream in the center. They thrive in lower light settings, but brighter light will help the leaves grow extra colorful. 

 

Chinese Evergreen

Aglaonema commutatum

For serious high-impact color and style with little upkeep required, look no further than the Chinese evergreen, the near-indestructible houseplant any beginner can grow. Some have a more sophisticated look with white variegated leaves, while others go full early-90s neons and are streaked with hot pink. If the boring, earthy tones of a bowl of shower onions just don’t do it for you, the bold, contrasting shades of this eye-catching plant will be much more satisfying.

Onions belong in the kitchen, but houseplants belong everywhere, so if your bathroom is in need of some functional decor, Plant Decor Shop can hook you up. For more plants that refresh the air, check out our entire collection of air-purifying plants ready to be delivered to your door.