Room by Room: Bathrooms

I don’t know if there is a more necessary yet loathed room in the house other than the bathroom.

Messy, germ-y, gross. In constant danger of growing mold. In constant danger of grossing out guests. Always needs to be cleaned. Is never clean enough. This is the bathroom.

We must have them. The health of our people depends on them. The health of our home depends on them. We all need a place to take care of waste, shower, brush our teeth, and deal with things that need water but don’t belong in the kitchen. Necessary but loathed.

But is there anything as nice as visiting a friend who has really made her bathroom pretty? Inviting? Doesn’t it make us feel a little special when we walk into a nice bathroom?  How about right after we clean and tidy it? Isn’t it nice to have a clean bathroom?

This is where we shower, take baths, clean up, and hopefully luxuriate on occasion. The bathroom should feel a little extra nice if not like a spa. (That’s the dream, right?)

Function: A place to handle bodily functions, clean our bodies, shave, and apply makeup, and typically houses the medicine cabinet, towels, and extra supplies.

Because of its hygiene and damp nature, extra care must be taken to keep the bathroom clean.

I’ll be the first to admit, bathrooms are a struggle for me. (Can I get an amen?) Cleaning tubs, floors, and toilets in an almost claustrophobic space is a challenge. Our bathroom is in desperate need of a remodel. I’m working on being content and proactive.

The first step I took was to put some of the cleaning products in the bathroom for quick touch-ups. If our cleaning supplies are at the other end of the house, we’re much less likely to do a quick spot cleaning, sweeping, or wipe down. By the time we’re at the other end of the house, we’ve probably forgotten that we were about to do a quick tidy of the bathroom.

The second thing I did was set a specific day to clean the bathrooms. I always clean them on Saturdays. I grew up cleaning on Saturdays. It feels right and natural. It’s a way of delighting in the Lord’s Day. I wake up on Sunday morning to a clean bathroom.

I would like to work it into my morning chores to do a quick wipe down of both bathrooms each morning, just to stave off the accumulation of toothpaste and whatnot. I was able to do it for a few weeks and then I planted clover and now I’m watering. To everything a season.

Talking with other women helps a lot. Most of us struggle with bathrooms, but we must tighten those apron strings and get to it. Hearing the frustrations and the wins and the habits of our knitting circles helps us stay at the work.

Beauty: There is no place in our homes that shouldn’t be beautiful. They don’t have to be grandly beautiful. They don’t even have to be artistically unique. They should be comfortable, clean, and give you and yours a certain delight.

The bathroom is challenging because everything is in danger from bodily fluids, flooding, splashing, and really a ridiculous amount of toilet paper dust. You don’t want a bathroom full of knick-knacks, untouchable towels, and dusty plastic plants. Or maybe you do. Just keep in mind that it isn’t attractive to use a bathroom covered in inches of dust and where you’re unsure what towel to dry your hands on. When we put décor in the bathroom remember we must clean it.

I’ve seen bathrooms that were elegant and bathrooms that were the comic center of the home. Both are wonderful. Don’t be afraid to personalize your bathroom and don’t be afraid to have fun with it. 

Washable shower curtains and bathmats are a huge bonus. I sweep and shake mine out every week, and then wash them as needed. These two are the principal sources of color and design in our bathrooms. They theme the bathroom. Keep an eye on your lighting. If you have no natural light, you probably want a brighter shower curtain. Match or contrast your bathmats to create a good look.

I typically like to pick a color scheme to use in my bathroom with a contrasting accent color. Currently, it is navy and white with black hardware. I will admit, my bathroom is not where I want it to be right now. Last year I tried to change the color scheme from brown and yellow to navy and white. Should be simple right? Every rug I bought for the bathroom was horrible. They either instantly showed everything or wore out so fast that I hadn’t even gotten tired of them. I got Turkish towels and they shed blue dust all over the bathroom even after I washed them several times. I think I need a new shower curtain. My last plant died, and I haven’t replaced it. It just feels sort of dismal. (I literally stopped writing and went to Amazon to look at shower curtains and such.)

My bathroom needs new flooring, new tiles, a paint job, new countertops, a new sink and faucet, and more. But that doesn’t mean I just ignore it until it’s perfect. I do the best I can to keep it looking and feeling fresh, clean, and inviting.

If you don’t know what to do, most box stores have matching sets of things together. Just don’t be afraid to change things up. Don’t be afraid to shop at smaller boutiques or mix and match online. Etsy is great if you want some real artistic pieces. A fresh coat of paint and a great-smelling soap will also do wonders for your bathroom. Think beyond the normal and maybe use a mug for a toothbrush holder. Put a corner rack of plants in the shower. Use funky tiles or colors to spice things up. Paint the ceiling.

We need to keep in mind our traffic. Lots of little boys might mean you hold off on anything destructible or unwashable. A front guest bathroom might be designated off-limits to the rest of the family. You can put those less durable and less cleanable items in there, though remember, nothing is worse for a guest than something going wrong and now they’ve destroyed something valuable.

Pets, potty training, and health issues can all make keeping the bathroom pretty a struggle. Strive and keep striving. Take note of other people’s bathrooms. Don’t be weird, but if you like a bathroom, ask yourself why? If you don’t like a bathroom, ask yourself why? Figure out what you like and don’t like while being realistic about your space. Don’t just look at bathrooms you can never have. It’s good to dream, yes, but it’s also good to think about what you can do right now.

Sometimes just getting a little something new for your bathroom can inspire you to take it more seriously. Try to make it a place that brings a smile to your face. If you notice you’re avoiding a room or the responsibilities attached to that room, it might be because you feel defeated. Go to work on that room to liven it up and make it more enjoyable. This might be a new hand soap or a total remodel, or something in between. Whatever you do, making the space a place that is a delight to clean will also make it a space your family enjoys. Your delight will be their delight. Even in the bathroom.