10 Best Bedroom Houseplants
Ten easy houseplants for a bedroom - chosen for low light and little fuss - with the truth about plants and oxygen at night, and the ASPCA's verdict on each for homes with pets.
The best bedroom houseplants are the snake plant, aloe vera, ZZ plant, pothos, peace lily and a potted areca palm - easy plants that cope with dim light and an erratic watering schedule. A bedroom is an unusual place for a plant: often the dimmest room in the home, empty for most of the day, and somewhere you want calm, not chores. So the plants that suit it tolerate low light and forgive neglect.
Two myths, quickly. The old one says plants “steal oxygen” while you sleep: plants do respire in the dark, but a pot plant is a small living thing next to a sleeping person, and it is perfectly safe to sleep in a room with plants. The newer one says certain plants “release oxygen at night”. They do not - see the note on snake plants below. And no houseplant cleans bedroom air in any amount that matters; we go through the evidence in Best Air-Purifying Plants.
At a Glance: 10 Bedroom Plants
| Plant | Light | Care | With cats or dogs (ASPCA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snake Plant | Any | Very easy | Toxic list |
| Aloe Vera | Bright | Easy | Toxic list |
| Peace Lily | Low-medium | Easy | Toxic list |
| ZZ Plant | Low-bright | Very easy | Toxic list |
| Pothos | Low-bright | Very easy | Toxic list |
| Lavender (potted) | Bright | Moderate | Toxic list |
| Areca Palm | Bright indirect | Easy | Non-toxic |
| Spider Plant | Medium | Very easy | Non-toxic |
| English Ivy | Medium | Easy | Toxic list |
| Boston Fern | Medium, humid | Moderate | Non-toxic |
The links to each ASPCA entry are in our pet-safe houseplants guide and in the plant notes below.
#1: Snake Plant
→ Shop live Snake Plant plants on Amazon The snake plant tolerates the low light of a bedroom and survives weeks of neglect, so it never becomes a chore. Put one on a dresser or in a corner and forget about it.
About the oxygen: the snake plant uses a water-saving kind of photosynthesis called CAM. Plants of this kind open their pores at night to take in carbon dioxide, store it, and use it for photosynthesis during the following day. The oxygen is made in daylight, like any other plant’s. It is a neat adaptation to dry places, not a night-time oxygen supply. The ASPCA lists the snake plant as toxic to cats and dogs.
#2: Aloe Vera
→ Shop live Aloe Vera plants on Amazon Aloe vera is another CAM plant and another one that asks for very little water. It does need a bright spot - ideally a windowsill - so it suits bedrooms with good light. It is on the ASPCA’s toxic list for cats and dogs.
#3: Peace Lily
→ Shop live Peace Lily plants on Amazon The peace lily brings something most bedroom plants cannot: flowers, even in low light. It droops when thirsty and recovers within hours of watering, which makes it hard to get wrong. Keep it away from pets and small children - it is on the ASPCA’s toxic list.
#4: ZZ Plant
→ Shop live ZZ Plant plants on Amazon Glossy, upright and very hard to kill, the ZZ plant grows in low light and asks for water only every few weeks - ideal for a room you do not tend daily. The ASPCA names it among the houseplants that can cause trouble for pets: chewing it irritates the mouth.
#5: Pothos
→ Shop live Pothos plants on Amazon Pothos trails from a shelf or the top of a wardrobe and tolerates the low light of most bedrooms. It goes slightly limp when thirsty, so you do not have to guess. The ASPCA lists golden pothos as toxic to cats and dogs.
#6: Lavender (Potted)
→ Shop live Lavender plants on Amazon Lavender is the bedroom plant chosen for its scent, which many people find restful. The catch: it needs a very bright, sunny windowsill and good airflow, so it only suits bright bedrooms. Treat it as a seasonal guest if your room is dim. The ASPCA lists lavender as toxic to cats and dogs.
#7: Areca Palm
→ Shop live Areca Palm plants on Amazon The areca palm brings a soft, feathery, tropical texture to a bright corner. It wants bright indirect light and evenly moist soil. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
#8: Spider Plant
→ Shop live Spider Plant plants on Amazon Easy, airy and happy in medium light, the spider plant looks good in a hanging pot or on a high shelf. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
#9: English Ivy
→ Shop live English Ivy plants on Amazon English ivy is a strong trailing plant that copes with cool rooms and lower light. Keep it out of reach of pets: it is on the ASPCA’s toxic list for cats and dogs.
#10: Boston Fern
→ Shop live Boston Fern plants on Amazon If your bedroom is humid (an en-suite nearby helps), the Boston fern adds lush, soft greenery. It needs consistently moist soil and damp air, so it is the most demanding plant here - choose it only if you can meet that. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
How to Style Plants in a Bedroom
- Nightstand: one small, tidy plant - a snake plant or peperomia - keeps it personal without clutter.
- Floor corner: a single tall plant (areca palm, ZZ plant) softens the room and fills empty space.
- Shelf or wardrobe top: a trailing pothos or spider plant draws the eye upward and frees floor space.
- Windowsill: reserve your brightest sill for the light-hungry plants - aloe or lavender.
- Keep it calm: a bedroom feels restful with 2-4 well-placed plants, not a crowded jungle.
Bedroom Plant Care Tips
- Water on a check, not a schedule. You’re not in the room much - push a finger into the soil before watering and only water when it’s dry.
- Dust the leaves. Bedrooms gather dust; a wipe every few weeks keeps low-light plants photosynthesizing.
- Mind the radiator and AC. Don’t place plants directly above a radiator or in an AC draught - both stress them.
- Rotate pots weekly so plants near a single window grow evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to sleep with plants in the bedroom?
Yes. A pot plant uses very little oxygen at night compared with a person in the same room.
Which plants release oxygen at night?
None in any useful sense. Snake plants, aloes and other CAM plants take in carbon dioxide at night and store it; the photosynthesis that produces oxygen happens in daylight.
What is the best plant for a dark bedroom?
The ZZ plant, snake plant, and pothos all tolerate low light well. For a genuinely dark room, a small grow light on a timer will keep any of them going.
Do bedroom plants help you sleep?
Nobody has shown that a pot plant improves sleep. Many people find a green room calmer, and there is some research on plants and stress - see Plants and Mental Health. No plant is a substitute for good sleep habits.
Are bedroom plants bad for allergies?
Most foliage plants are fine. Avoid heavily flowering plants if pollen bothers you, and do not keep the soil soggy - the US Environmental Protection Agency notes that overwatered houseplants can encourage microbial growth that affects people with allergies.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- Snake plant (live) - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- ZZ plant (live) - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Bedroom plant stand - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
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