Even though modern bathrooms can be clean, sparkling, spa-like places of healing, self-care, and relaxation, they are still associated with negative energy in feng shui. Thankfully, there are plenty of bathroom plants that can help neutralize the negativity and keep your bathroom a room for beauty and rejuvenation. Here we’ll take you through the essential principles of feng shui in the bathroom plus discover 8 of the best houseplant options for this space.
- The Best Plants for the Bathroom in Feng Shui
- About the Bathroom in Feng Shui
- General Ways to Improve the Energy of Your Bathroom
- The Role of Feng Shui Plants in the Bathroom
- The Best Plants for the Bathroom in Feng Shui
- Plants to Avoid Positioning in the Bathroom
- Neutralize Negative Energy With Plants in Your Bathroom
- Feng Shui Bathroom Plants FAQ:
The Best Plants for the Bathroom in Feng Shui
The bathroom in feng shui is often considered a place where energy sources are lost and stagnate due to the multitude of drains and free-flowing nature of the water element present. Plants like the golden pothos and fern plants have the ability to renew, replenish and balance these energy losses making them a great option for bathrooms.
About the Bathroom in Feng Shui
The principles and practices of feng shui are thousands of years old, which means they were developed well before the invention of plumbing, running water, and the modern bathroom that’s located inside the home. Feng shui was born when people were still using latrines and outhouses that were located outside of the home. As a result, bathrooms in feng shui are traditionally associated with places of potential disease and dirtiness.
Although today’s bathrooms are a far cry from the ancient hole in the ground, in modern feng shui, the bathroom can still represent a source of negative energy in the home. This bad energy needs to be carefully balanced with elements that attract positive energy. This room is also strongly associated with the water element that represents prosperity and the flow of energy.
The bathroom, with its strong water element and all of its drains, is considered to be a place where the home’s energy can escape down the drain or be “flushed” away. This can make it a space of low-energy or negative energy and also a place where positive energies can escape.
General Ways to Improve the Energy of Your Bathroom
Decorate With the Wood Element
The water element feeds or is absorbed by the wood element in feng shui, so incorporating plenty of wood element decor in your bathroom will help balance all the water.
Fill your color palette with light, bright neutral tones and plenty of greens. Consider using bamboo bath mats and, of course, add a few strategically selected plants.
Keep It Clean and Tidy
Mess, clutter, and uncleanliness produce negative energy in any space but are especially bad in rooms where you’re striving to create harmony and calming energy.
Sterilize your bathroom surfaces regularly. Plus, try to keep your counters clear, store laundry in the laundry room, and remember that hiding a mess won’t erase its energy. So, keep your cupboards organized, too.
Make Sure Everything Works
Like other areas of your home, it’s important that everything functions properly to maintain the free flow of energy throughout the space. If you have a leaky faucet, a clogged drain, or a loose tile, the negative energy of your bathroom will become further trapped in that space.
Close the Door
In feng shui, you should always keep the door to your bathroom closed. This will prevent positive energies from other parts of your home from escaping through the bathroom and will also keep the negative energy from the bathroom from infiltrating the other areas of the home.
The Role of Feng Shui Plants in the Bathroom
In feng shui, the purpose of positioning plants in the bathroom is to balance negative energy while promoting feelings of peace, healing, and calm to create a more pleasant, spa-like atmosphere.
Due to the natural negative energy of the bathroom and its function as an energy exit, of sorts, it’s very important to focus on incorporating plants that can absorb the negative energy while helping to create a desirable atmosphere in the room.
Plants also represent the wood element, which is fed by the water element. Placing plants in the bathroom provides a positive outlet for water energy – rather than letting it escape from the home.
While plants can be positively incorporated into your bathroom decor, you should never place plants in the bathroom that represent energies you do not want escaping from the home. For example, putting a money tree above the toilet would be like flushing away your wealth and prosperity.
The Best Plants for the Bathroom in Feng Shui
Here you’ll find 8 of the best houseplants to boost positive energy in the bathroom according to the fundamental principles of feng shui:
1. Golden Pothos
If you choose only one plant for your bathroom, pick this one. The golden pothos is the quintessential feng shui bathroom plant because it has a strong positive energy that neutralizes the heavy negativity of the bathroom. Even though the golden pothos is commonly referred to as a money plant, it does not represent wealth or luck in feng shui. This makes it a good choice for the bathroom where energy is sucked out of the home because it won’t lead to prosperity leaving your house.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Neutralizes negative energy and purifies the air |
| Where to Position | On top of the toilet’s water tank, hanging above the toilet, or on top of a cabinet |
| Care Considerations | Very low-maintenance. Prefers bright filtered light and water when the soil is almost dry. |
2. Lucky Bamboo
Lucky bamboo has fast, upward growth and also represents turning around bad fortunes, making it perfect for combating the bad energy in the bathroom.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Neutralizes negative energy |
| Where to Position | On the back of the toilet or a countertop. |
| Care Considerations | Lucky bamboo typically grows in vases of water. Be sure to change the water frequently to keep the plant healthy while avoiding any bad energy and yucky smells. If you’re growing in soil, aim for a rich, well-draining soil mix. |
3. Ferns
If you often do your best thinking in the shower, then wisdom-drawing ferns are a good choice for you. Ferns do well in high humidity and medium to low light conditions, which makes them perfect for the bathroom since this room is usually the most humid of the house and usually has no windows or covered windows.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Happiness, positivity, and wisdom |
| Where to Position | Place on a countertop, near the bathtub, or display on top of a cabinet. |
| Care Considerations | Keep soil evenly moist and avoid direct sunlight. |
4. Snake Plant
The snake plant offers strong wood energy that pairs perfectly with the water energy of the bathroom. Additionally, its upward-pointing leaves offer uplifting energy that helps to cut through heavy or stagnate negative energy of the bathroom.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Draws positive energy, lifts energy upward, and neutralizes negativity |
| Where to Position | Place under overhead fixtures, on the countertop, or the toilet’s water tank |
| Care Considerations | This plant is extremely low-maintenance. It tolerates most light conditions and prefers to be watered when the soil is almost dry. It will thrive in the humidity of the bathroom. |
5. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a wonderful plant for creating a spa-like atmosphere in your bathroom. Whether you keep a potted plant on the countertop or hang a dried bunch of eucalyptus leaves in the shower for a soothing aromatherapy experience, this plant is a feng shui powerhouse in the bathroom.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Healing, protection, calming, and negativity clearing |
| Where to Position | Near steam, hanging the shower, or near your tub |
| Care Considerations | Prefer full sun and regular watering |
6. Peace Lily
The peace lily and its white flowers symbolize purity. This plant draws in the perfect energy to help neutralize the negativity associated with the bathroom. Plus, it offers real, air-purifying benefits by cleaning toxins out of the air.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Calming and harmonizing. Neutralizes strife and discord. |
| Where to Position | On a countertop or plant stand in an area large enough to accommodate its fast growth. |
| Care Considerations | Prefers medium to low filtered light and evenly moist soil. |
7. Areca Palm
The areca palm is one of the most popular feng shui plants because of its ability to draw large amounts of strong positive energy into just about any space. This makes it perfect for busting through the potential negativity of the bathroom.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Negativity neutralizing and a strong positive energy drawer |
| Where to Position | In a space with enough room to accommodate its size and growth. |
| Care Considerations | Prefers bright indirect light and soil that’s evenly moist at all times. Areca palm will thrive in the bathroom’s humidity. |
8. Vertical Garden
This isn’t exactly a plant, but vertical gardens using pocket planters or even hanging plants are a good choice for the bathroom where it’s important to keep clutter (and negative energy) under control. A vertical garden allows you to reap the benefits of the positive energy of plants and “paint” the walls green with the wood element – all while saving your counter space.
| Feng Shui Benefits | Upward energy, neutralizes negativity and heaviness, and prevents clutter |
| Where to Position | On a wall opposite a window, behind the toilet, or as a backdrop to your bathtub |
| Care Considerations | Select plants that all have similar care and environment requirements that will thrive in the light provided by the location you choose. Air plants are a perfect choice because they’re low-maintenance and will thrive in the bathroom’s humidity. |
Plants to Avoid Positioning in the Bathroom
You must be careful not to place plants that symbolize important aspects of your life, such as wealth, family, romance, or relationships, in the bathroom. These plants could draw those energies into the bathroom where they could either be sucked out of the house or wind up being negatively affected by the room’s potential for generating bad energy.
Some plants to avoid would include any plants bearing fruit, flowering plants like orchids, jade plants, or money trees.
Additionally, avoid displaying plants like cacti and succulents in the bathroom. The pointy profiles and sharp spines can actually amplify the negative energy inside a bathroom. Plus, these plants do not generally fare well in humidity which will make it difficult to keep them healthy, further exacerbating their bad feng shui.
Neutralize Negative Energy With Plants in Your Bathroom
When selecting plants for your bathroom, remember to stay positive and calm. This will help you create a space that feels more like a spa than a bathroom by cultivating a space of healing, self-care, and relaxation.
Feng Shui Bathroom Plants FAQ:
What does the bathroom mean in feng shui?
In feng shui, the bathroom is strongly associated with the water element that represents prosperity and the flow of energy. This room is often considered a place where energy sources are lost and stagnate due to the multitude of drains and the free-flowing nature of the water element present.
What is the best color for a bathroom in Feng Shui?
In feng shui, the best colors to consider for the bathroom are lighter shades of blue, green, white, cream, peach, and yellow. Soft, wood colors are also beneficial to this space.
Is it good feng shui to have plants in the bathroom?
In feng shui, the purpose of positioning plants in the bathroom is to balance negative energy while promoting feelings of peace, healing, and calm to create a more pleasant, spa-like atmosphere. Plants also represent the wood element, which is fed by the water element. Placing plants in the bathroom provides a positive outlet for water energy – rather than letting it escape from the home.
What plants survive in the bathroom?
Bathrooms typically represent low-light and high humidity environments so the best plants to consider are those that thrive in both conditions. Snake plants, eucalyptus, and pothos plants typically are well suited to bathroom spaces.
Is leaving the bathroom door open bad feng shui?
Leaving the bathroom door open according to the principles of feng shui presents an opportunity for positive chi to escape the room. In addition, the bathroom should never be visible from other areas of the house.
Feng Shui Plants and The Home
For more, see our essential guides to the best Feng Shui plants for living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, front doors, hallways, balconies, offices, desks, and those that attract wealth, prosperity, and luck.
Andrew is the Editorial Director at Petal Republic. He holds a BSc degree in Plant Sciences and has trained professionally at leading floristry schools in London and Paris. In amongst overseeing a global editorial team, Andrew's a passionate content creator around all things flowers, floral design, gardening, and houseplants.
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