3 Best Rooms to Keep Snake Plants at Home (Plus the Worst!)
Figuring out where to keep snake plants can be a life and death situation for them. If they’re not kept in the right place, your snake plant could die—even if they’re given proper care! So to help spare you the heartache, let me share some of the best and worst places to grow snake plants.
Snake plants are best grown 1) near western windows, 2) in bedrooms, 3) and in offices. However, the worst places to keep them are in 1) bathrooms, 2) basements, 3) entryways, and 4) kitchens. In these areas, the snake plant could be damaged or killed due to improper placement.
Snake plants can be found in almost every plant enthusiast’s home. But if you also happen to be a parent or a pet-owner, you must keep your snake plant in the right place—for the safety of both your plant and your loved ones. Continue reading forward to see what I mean and find out where to keep snake plants!
1. Western Windows
Snake plants grow best when kept by west-facing windows with 8 hours of bright, filtered light. This will ensure the snake plant receives adequate sunlight for regular growth.
Despite having a reputation for being a shade-loving plant, snake plants come from tropical settings. Like many other houseplants, they’ll thrive in bright light.
It’s a common misconception that snake plants are slow growers. When in fact, the reason they take longer to grow is that they’re often kept in the shade.
Once they’re provided with at least 6–8 hours of bright light, you should see plenty of new growth.
2. Bedrooms
Keep snake plants in bedrooms to provide them with a safe and dry space with plenty of airflow. Doing so ensures the plant has sufficient air circulation to dry out, reducing the likelihood of rot. Use saucers or catch plates to easily capture and dispose excess water.
Bedrooms are normally one of the coolest and driest places in the house. These are perfect for snake plants that need sufficient airflow and stable temperatures.
Additionally, if you keep grow lights in your room or have a bright window, this will make it an even better environment for your snake plant.
Discover which is better: Grow Lights vs Sunlight (Tested!)
Some folks believe that houseplants consume too much precious oxygen and shouldn’t be kept in bedrooms. However, their oxygen intake has little to no effect on humans and plants tend to release more oxygen than they take.
To avoid getting any unnecessary moisture in your room, keep your snake plant in a decorative catch pot or a saucer and toss out the excess water whenever necessary.
3. Offices
Due to their consistent lighting and temperature, offices are one of the best places to grow snake plants. For optimum growth, keep the snake plant by a bright window.
Snake plants are ridiculously low-maintenance, so you can safely keep them in your office without the worry of having to water them constantly.
For more carefree plants, read: 10 Easy Plants to Grow For Beginners (Hard to Kill? Tested!)
Additionally, offices generally have the same light and temperature daily, making them some of the best places to grow snake plants.
Position it by a nice, bright window and enjoy your new plant companion!
4 Worst Places to Keep Snake Plants
The 4 worst places to keep snake plants are 1) bathrooms, 2) basements, 3) entryways, and 4) kitchens.
Now that you’ve identified the best places to display and keep your snake plants, here are the worst rooms and areas to keep snake plants.
1. Bathrooms
Snake plants should not be kept in bathrooms. The lack of light and added moisture will promote fungal growth and rot, which can be harmful to the snake plant.
Bathrooms are tricky places to keep houseplants in. These rooms are usually high in water vapor and moisture, especially after you take a nice long bath or shower. S
So snake plants will have a longer time drying out when they are kept in this part of the house.
By placing them in a typically damp and moist room like this, your snake plants are more likely to develop soft rot and soil fungi.
Plus, not all bathrooms have windows, which can be much too gloomy for the snake plant’s liking.
2. Basements
Basements have very little light and airflow and are highly unsuitable to keep snake plants in. Although they are shade-tolerant, this lack of light is fatal for snake plants and must be avoided.
A basement is, for certain, one of the worst places to keep a snake plant.
These areas do not have enough light or air circulation for snake plants to grow. In conditions like this, the plant is also more likely to be overwatered, due to the fact it’ll take longer to dry.
Snake plants can tolerate the shade if necessary. But if they’re kept in a light-less basement, they will eventually die and wither away.
After all, they are still plants, and they still need light to sustain themselves and continue photosynthesizing.
3. Entryways
Snake plants should not be kept by entryways, as these high activity areas which put the plants at risk of being knocked over or damaged. Additionally, the hot and cold air from nearby doors can shock the plant and hinder its growth.
I know what you’re thinking. Entryways and doorways have plenty of air circulation for snake plants, so it’s a good place to keep them, right?
While these parts of the house do indeed have more ventilation, they’re also great sources of cold and hot drafts. If you keep your snake plant by the front door, the daily exposure to cold air can shock the plant and damage it or stunt its growth.
Additionally, these areas have way too much traffic. Snake plants are more likely to hurt someone with their pointed leaves.
They may easily get knocked over in such places too. Such a placement is also highly dangerous for pets and children, as you’ll find out later on.
4. Kitchens
Kitchens undergo severe temperature changes throughout the day and can be too warm and inconsistent for snake plants. The excess heat will dry them out.
We visit the kitchen multiple times a day, so it might be tempting to dress it up with a snake plant.
However, this part of the house isn’t ideal for snake plants, especially if there are lots of people cooking and using the kitchen every day.
The kitchen is filled with heat-generating appliances such as ovens, stoves, and refrigerators that can dehydrate snake plants.
It can be difficult to find a spot in the kitchen that is safe from high heat, so it might be best to keep snake plants out of this area.
Is It Dangerous to Keep Snake Plants Indoors?
All species of snake plants are highly toxic. They are toxic to consume and can cause diarrhea and bloody vomit. However, as long as it is kept away from pets and children, it can safely be grown indoors.
No matter what variety you have, all snake plants are toxic and dangerous for both humans and animals to consume.
If the snake plant is ingested, this could lead to diarrhea and bloody vomit. Pets like cats and dogs will salivate excessively and have dilated pupils.
Many of the houseplants we love are toxic. Luckily, they can still be grown at home with enough caution. But remember that it is your responsibility to take as many precautions as you can to ensure it does not hurt anyone in your household.
So if you have little ones, be sure to warn them about snake plants and remind them that they can look at the plants but not eat them. If possible, keep the plants out of their reach, or consider buying dwarf snake plants that can easily be kept on high shelves.
Animals do not like the strong smell of citrus and will stay away from snake plants that smell like citrus.
In other words, if you struggle with curious cats, consider growing catnip at home to help keep them distracted.
Discover more in our Final Catnip Care Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Keep your plants in the right places and your emergency contacts handy at all times, and you’ll be able to safely grow your snake plants indoors!
FAQs
Can you keep snake plants outside?
Once they’re acclimated, snake plants can be moved outdoors and will safely tolerate around 4–6 hours of direct sun. However, these plants are not frost-hardy and will need to be taken inside when temperatures drop below 50°F.
How do you keep snake plants upright?
Snake plants generally do not need support for their leaves to stay upright. Their rigid leaves should be strong enough to stand on their own. Snake plants that are wilting or falling over can be an indicator that the plant is stressed and needs to be checked immediately.
Summary of Best and Worst Places to Keep Snake Plants
Snake plants are versatile houseplants indeed. However, they’re best grown near western windows, in bedrooms, and in offices with plenty of bright light to promote growth.
The worst places to keep snake plants would be overly damp bathrooms, dark basements, active entryways, and hot kitchens. In these areas, snake plants will not receive adequate sunlight and are more likely to be damaged by accident.
All species of snake plants are highly toxic and must not be consumed. Otherwise, they can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and dilated pupils in humans and animals. Fortunately, they can still be kept at home, provided they are kept away from pets and children.
Sources
- “Dracaena trifasciata” by n/a in NC State University
- “Houseplant Care” by Amy Gibbs and Brian Hudelson in University of Wisconsin
- “Is it good or bad to have plants in the bedrooms?” by Yu-ting Chien in Pennsylvania State University
