Growing This Plant Near Your Toilet Could Help Fight Smelly Bathroom Odors

Bathroom odors happen; it's part of what makes a room a bathroom. If you're particularly sensitive to unpleasant odors, however, this can leave you in a difficult situation where you're tempted to reach for potentially harmful chemical-based air freshener sprays or plug-ins to try to mask the problem. But what if you could get rid of bathroom odors simply by placing an attractive houseplant near your toilet?

According to some TikTok creators, certain plants, including the moth orchid, can fight unpleasant odors. Of course, plants need light to live, so if your bathroom doesn't have windows, you may need to skip this hack. But if you do have windows, you may be wondering why this plant might be so effective. As it turns out, this claim is based on the fact that moth orchids and other plants have been shown to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, but are VOCs responsible for the odors emitted from human excrement? 

The online claims about moth orchids' ability to clean odors from the air seem to stem from two sources: a 1989 NASA study and a 2002 literature survey by Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Both pieces of research center around several houseplants — not just orchids — and focus primarily on their ability to remove VOCs from the air. The question is whether the smells that linger in bathrooms fall under this category.

The most problematic odor in almost any bathroom is associated with, well, poop. Skatole — also known as 3-methylindole — is the chemical compound in human and other mammals' feces that causes its signature stink. According to 2023 research published in the peer-reviewed journal Biochimie, skatole is, in fact, a volatile organic compound. Does this mean that moth orchids and other houseplants can remove foul odors from your bathroom? Not necessarily. 

While plants have been shown to make a difference in the presence of specific VOCs such as xylene (commonly found in office supplies like ink and glue), there appears to be no evidence pointing toward them being effective at removing skatole specifically. Does the fact that moth orchids have been shown to reduce some VOCs from the air suggest that they can remove all VOCs? It's an assumption that may stand to reason, but it has yet to be scientifically proven. Whether or not you find it to be worth a try in your bathroom is ultimately up to you. 

If the idea of air-purifying plants being beneficial within the home sounds worth a try to you, you should know that orchids aren't the only type of house plant to choose from. In many cases, anecdotal evidence of plants being capable of cleaning the air suggests that plants with the ability to release oxygen at night as well as during the day possess the most potent purification potential. This unique form of photosynthesis is known as crassulacean acid metabolism (MAC).

Along with orchids, common houseplants capable of MAC include snake plants, spider plants, aloe vera, and peace lilies. If you're going to experiment with plants to try to naturally minimize bathroom odors, any combination of these plants would be the best place to start. We would argue, however, that the moth orchid offers the most bang for your buck with its drop-dead-gorgeous flowers. In the end, you'll improve the aesthetic of your bathroom by adding plants either way, and their odor-fighting powers might just be a nice byproduct. Plus, even if they don't magically remove skatole, they'll likely still smell good on their own, leaving you with a more pleasant bathroom experience.