The best ways to use every room in your house, according to science

In the bathroom. Plants are a staple of your living space, but you probably haven’t thought to stow one next to, say, your shower. Plants can filter indoor air, helpful for small spaces like bathrooms. Ferns are a low-maintenance choice: for a shady bathroom, try a Boston fern. In sunnier bathrooms, place a Kimberly Queen fern. A classic NASA study that identified air-purifying plants found both types of ferns filter air of chemicals like formaldehyde (found in tile grout and paper towels; can cause nose and throat irritation) and xylene (found in household cleaners and perfumes; can cause dizziness and headache).