Keep Your Airbnb Vibrant and Stress-Free with these 8 Pet-Friendly Plants
Plants are a chic addition to any home, but for some Airbnb and short-term rental hosts, choosing plants can be challenging. Pet-safe plants are necessary for any short-term rental that allows pets. Ensuring that a property’s plants are non-toxic gives guests peace of mind while enjoying the benefits that plants provide.
Plants purify the air, add color to a space, and are even said to boost creativity and reduce stress. For hosts with busy schedules, choosing the best plants for their rental can be difficult. Luckily, there is a wide variety of plants that are both per-friendly and easy to take care of under the right conditions.
We recommend Bloomscape for purchasing plants online. For purchasing plants in person, we recommend Home Depot.
Make the most of your Airbnb with these 8 pet-safe plant options:
1. Burro’s Tail, Sedum morganianum
Light: Bright light/full sun
These hardy succulents are fairly low-maintenance and safe for cats and dogs. Burro’s tail plants are best placed in hanging containers to showcase their long stems covered in thick leaves. They rarely bloom but occasionally flower blighty-colored star-shaped blossoms, adding a beautiful pop of color to a home or outdoor area.
2. Spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum
Light: Low to indirect bright light
Widely considered one of the easiest plants to grow, spider plants are pet-safe and low-maintenance. They thrive easily and add a unique element to any room, thanks to their long, hanging “spiderettes.”
3. Money Tree, Pachira aquatica
Light: Bright, indirect
While they aren’t the most low-maintenance, money trees carry the benefit of pet-friendliness. Originating in South American swamps, these unique-looking plants require fairly active care. For some luxury short-term rental hosts, the bonsai-like stature of the money plant may be worth the effort. Consider these plants if your property already requires frequent upkeep.
4. Moth Orchids, Phalaenopsis
Light: Bright, indirect light, best in a window facing east or west
Often referred to as a “beginner orchid,” moth orchids are a fairly easy plant to care for. Their delicate appearance may intimidate novice plant owners, but as long as they receive enough humidity, they have an easygoing temperament. They don’t require frequent watering–many orchid owners forgo it altogether, instead opting for the easy-breezy “ice cube” method. Moth orchids are non-toxic to pets.
5. Areca Palm, Dypsis lutescens
Light: Bright indirect
Native to Madagascar, the gorgeous areca palm can grow up to 10 feet indoors and a towering 35 feet outdoors. Their feather-like fronds add a dreamy, tropical feel to any room, sundeck, or entry area. These low-maintenance plants mainly need lots of light to grow. Areca palms are pet-friendly.
6. Polka Dot Plant, Hypoestes phyllostachya
Light: Bright indirect light or filtered sunlight
Polka dot plants are one of the most unique plants that are also low-maintenance and pet-safe. Their vividly-colored leaves contain eye-catching variations of pink, white, and green. Polka dot plants are easy to grow and propagate–meaning that one Polka dot plant can provide hosts with clippings to create more of these colorful plants.
7. Wax Plant, Hoya carnosa
Light: Lots of bright, indirect sunlight
The pet-safe wax plant is known for its vibrant, shiny leaves and intricate clusters of white or pink flowers. Despite their delicate blooms, wax plants can live for up to 30 years with proper care. Their thick, leathery leaves make this hardy indoor plant an easy choice for short-term rentals. Wax plants are versatile and look great growing upright with a prop stick or in a hanging basket with the leaves growing downward.
8. Dried plants
Light: None!
Dried plants like pampas grass, lavender, and even willow twigs are hands-down the easiest plant to keep in an Airbnb. These pet-safe bundles add character to typically low-light rooms like bathrooms and bedrooms and require little to no upkeep.
Dried eucalyptus leaves for a showerhead can be easily replaced by vendors and give bathrooms a refreshing fragrance and a tranquil, spa-like feel. Adding eucalyptus to a showerhead shows the level of thoughtfulness and attention to detail that’s gone into a vacation rental. The best part? It lasts up to a month with no maintenance at all.
Thoughtful Hosts + Thoughtful Design
Open Air Homes is a boutique property management company based in Southern California. We’ve managed vacation rentals since 2012 and have used thoughtful design to set up countless luxury homes for success.
From our expert photographers to reliable vendors to our masterful design team, we go to great lengths to ensure every one of our homes is a top-notch vacation rental property.
