‘Toilet Flowers’ Are the Most Unhinged Decorating Trend We’ve Ever Seen

A brand new bathroom decor trend just dropped, and let's just say we're confident there's a reason it's never been done before. This controversial decor tip involves arranging freshly cut live flowers inside of your toilet tank. Yes, you read that right—the flowers are intended to go inside of the tank of water at the back of the toilet.

The arrangement certainly looks unique, but it has some serious negative implications for the health of your plumbing system—not to mention the fact that it feels, well, icky.

Is this DIY decor trick nothing but a bit of ragebait? Possibly. The original poster, @thedailynelly on Instagram and TikTok, captioned the video “Guaranteed to leave your guests speechless.” Most of her other floral arranging hacks are a lot less controversial, so you can at least enjoy the toilet bowl flower video for what it is—a little bit of comedy.

On a viral repost by @latonea of the original video, one commenter described the hack as “Martha Sewer,” while another jokingly said, “I’m doing a taco bar on the back of mine."

This Hack Could Actually Harm Your Toilet

Regardless of your reaction to the original video, we’re here to settle the debate and remind you that no, you should not be putting flowers in the top of your toilet. The comments on the repost of @thedailynelly’s video helped to explain exactly why.

First of all, in the video, the creator of this hack is seen flushing cut flower stems, which could lead to some serious clogs in your plumbing—this will back up your toilet and create a costly fix. Even if you just place the cut flowers in the top of the tank, the stems could shift around as the toilet is flushed, obstructing it from flushing properly. 

If a flower gets trapped in the toilet tank’s flapper, it could cause it to stay open permanently. This keeps water flowing into the tank, significantly increasing the amount of water you use. It could even lead to weaker flushes, creating other clogs down the line.

“From an owner of a plumbing company, DO NOT do this. Unless of course you are looking for more opportunities to support your local plumber,” reads one top comment on a viral repost of the video.

The Flower Arrangement Won't Last As Long

Now, while toilet tank water is generally at least somewhat sanitary, there’s still the potential for it to be contaminated by waste—especially when the tank lid is left open, allowing all sorts of germs and bacteria to enter the toilet tank water. This means that your flowers might not last as long in the top of a toilet as they would in, say, a vase filled with clean water. 

If you clean your toilet with bleach or other kinds of cleaning products, the residue from this cleaner could also harm cut flowers placed inside the toilet tank. The answer isn’t to stop cleaning your toilet—it’s to put your floral arrangement somewhere else.

This decor hack also brings up the question of where the lid to the toilet tank is supposed to go. “Now you can use the toilet tank cover as your charcuterie board!” exclaims one of the top comments on @latonea’s repost of the original video. 

What to Store on the Back Of Your Toilet Instead

A better idea is probably to just add a vase of fresh flowers elsewhere in the bathroom, and leave your toilet tank lid free and clear of any unique arrangements. While it’s true that you could store certain essentials—like cleaning supplies or air fresheners—on the back of your toilet, it’s generally best to leave it be, as the products on the back of your toilet have a lot more exposure to bacteria than they would when placed elsewhere.

Regardless, we’ll be keeping our toilet tanks flower-free—and we’d advise you do the same.