The smell came first. When you open a bottle of bleach and fight the black spots creeping along your bathroom grout, you get that sharp, chemical sting in your throat. You open the window, cough a little, and scrub harder than you said you would. The tiles shine after ten minutes. You say to yourself, “There. All done.”
Two weeks pass. After one too many hot showers, the same black freckles come back, as if they were quietly waiting in the walls. This time, they’ve moved behind the shampoo bottles and along the silicone seal around the tub.
You sigh, grab the bleach again, and think about how much of this stuff you’ve already breathed in this year.
A new rumour is going around online and in eco-friendly circles. It says that a simple climbing plant that has been used in traditional homes for generations might be doing what your bleach can’t.
And that’s when things start to get bad.
Why individuals who sustain plants year-round follow this single winter practice differently
When bleach loses and a plant comes in
People will tell you the same thing: mould in the bathroom is like a game you can’t win. You wipe, spray, and scrub, and the spots go away. The humidity rises, the extractor fan hums softly in the corner, and the mould comes back like it owns the place.
A lot of people just live with it and pretend they don’t see the grey line above the shower for a reason.
Not long ago, a young couple in Lyon decided to do something completely different. They got rid of the harsh sprays and put in a jungle instead: three English ivies and a heartleaf philodendron hanging over the tub. They were tired of getting migraines every time they cleaned. They didn’t use the bleach for six weeks.
At first, the change was small. Not as much of that wet smell. Walls that stayed clean after being wiped down on the weekend. The black spots that usually came back in a few days took a lot longer to come back this time. When they did, they were very faint.
It turns out that what sounds like a Pinterest trick is based on real science. Certain plants don’t just “freshen the air”; they interact with airborne spores and volatile compounds, pulling them in through their leaves and roots. After that, the tiny organisms in the soil break them down. You’re not just hiding the problem; you’re slowly changing the bathroom’s hidden ecosystem.
That’s when bleach starts to look clumsy.
The climber that caused a stir: why English ivy is making noise
English ivy (Hedera helix), which you may have seen crawling over old brick walls, is the plant that is causing the most trouble. It acts differently when it’s inside. It quietly drinks in humidity, traps airborne particles on its leaves, and feeds a tiny underground world of bacteria that feast on what makes your bathroom smell ‘old’. You can train it to grow in a hanging pot or on a small trellis above the sink.
You still have to wipe things down, but your enemy gets weaker, slower, and less aggressive.
In the past, a U.S. study on indoor air quality put English ivy in sealed rooms full of mould spores and other harmful substances in the air. The number of spores in the air went down a lot over the course of a few hours, and the levels of some chemicals also went down. Not a miracle cure, but a clear support act that you can hang from a hook. For once, the “before/after” pictures you see on social media aren’t all made up.*
When those Lyon tenants put up pictures of their bathroom full of plants, the comments went crazy. “This is dangerous.” “Plants make mould.” “You’ve been affected.”
More people quietly tried it, even though it was loud. They didn’t turn completely green right away. They used the same sponge, traded in harsh sprays for mild soap and white vinegar, and let the ivy do the quiet work that bleach can’t.
Let’s be honest: no one really does this every day. That perfect routine of cleaning the joints, squeegeeing the shower, and airing out the room after each use? It should be in a hotel. We hurry, forget, and deal with the results at home.
Some experts do say that mouldy, overwatered pots are bad for your health, but English ivy doesn’t replace basic cleaning. But if you use this plant correctly, it changes the game. Instead of attacking the symptoms once a month with a toxic bomb, you care for a small living filter that works all the time. This simple idea is what caused the controversy: less disinfection and more rules. That goes against years of advertising that said “kill 99.9% of germs.”
How to make your bathroom a small, green mold-free lab
Begin with something easy. A single medium English ivy in a hanging pot is all you need to see if it works. Put it in a spot where it gets light but not full midday sun, like near the shower where the air is still. Use a potting mix that is light and drains well, and a pot with holes so that water doesn’t sit still. Water that doesn’t move is what makes a plant corner into a mould farm.
Water only a little, like a small glass when the top of the soil feels dry.
Then change your routine a little bit. Instead of spraying bleach on the grout every Sunday, use hot water and a drop of black soap or a mild dish soap to wipe down the walls. After each shower, open the window or turn on the extractor fan for at least 15 minutes. We’ve all been there: you get out of a hot shower and go straight to work, leaving the bathroom a foggy sauna for hours.
The plant won’t forgive everything, but it will give you some room.
The biggest mistake you can make is to think you can “throw plants at the problem” and ignore the basics. If your silicone is already gone and water is leaking behind the tiles, no amount of ivy will fix the problem. Experts in indoor air quality say the same thing over and over:
Anaïs Robert, an environmental health consultant, says, “Plants are friends, not magic.” “They work best in bathrooms where the air is dry and cleaning is gentle but regular.”
Think in layers to keep your green system running:
Ventilation: a fan that works or an open window after a shower
Cleaning gently: use soap, microfibre cloths, and white vinegar on tough stains.
English ivy, pothos, or peace lily plants should be in pots that drain well.
Surfaces: fix cracked silicone and joints that leak
Habits: Don’t leave wet towels in corners where they can get bunched up.
A new way of living with mould and our own homes
This story about a climbing plant and a dirty bathroom makes you think about something bigger than just the useful tips. For years, we’ve been fighting every living thing in our homes with sprays and wipes that promise to kill germs. But there are whole invisible communities living in our walls, lungs, and even our skin that are trying to get back to normal after each chemical attack.
The rise of plants as allies against mould seems like a quiet backlash.
People who are comfortable with their bleach and clean tiles will keep them. Some people are trying this softer approach: being less aggressive, paying more attention, and listening to what the room “says” over the course of weeks instead of looking for instant white perfection.
A green pot in a wet corner won’t change the world, but it can change how you think. Your bathroom is no longer just a place to scrub yourself clean. It turns into a small ecosystem where your choices—like what you buy, how you live, and what plants you grow—slowly draw the line between air that is too humid to breathe and air that is okay to breathe.
If you do this, you might find yourself staring at the ceiling after a hot shower, checking the corners of the tub, and noticing the smell the next morning. Not with fear or giving up, but with interest. Some people will say it’s a fad, while others will call it a quiet revolution. There is a simple truth between those two extremes: a small vine hanging over your soap dish could be the beginning of a new way of living with your home instead of fighting it.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| English ivy reduces airborne spores | Acts as a living filter through leaves and soil micro-organisms | Less mold in the air, fewer smells, softer environment for breathing |
| Gentle cleaning beats chemical overload | Soap, microfiber and good ventilation support the plant’s work | Lower exposure to harsh products, still keeping the bathroom under control |
| Habits matter more than “miracle” products | Short, regular gestures after showers and avoiding stagnant humidity | More durable results, less frustration with mold constantly returning |
Questions and Answers:
Can English ivy be used instead of bleach to get rid of mould?
Not completely. Ivy helps lower the amount of mould spores and humidity in the air, but you still need to clean up mould and broken joints every now and then.
Is it okay to have English ivy in a bathroom with kids or pets?
If you eat English ivy, it can make you sick, so keep it high and out of reach. You could also choose safer plants like spider plant or peace lily.
Won’t plants make the air more humid and mouldy?
Yes, if you water too much and let water sit in saucers. The plant will help control humidity if it has good drainage and gets moderate watering.
What other plants can help get rid of mould in the bathroom?
People often talk about pothos, peace lily, and Boston fern because they love humidity and can make the air inside better.
How long will it take to see a change after I add plants?Most people notice a change in smell and how quickly mould comes back after a few weeks, especially when they clean more gently and let more air in.
