The initial visual presentation of your bathrooms is one of the most important aspects of anyone’s immediate impression of the entire household. Are there simple methods and procedures that can be used, to present a more tidy appearance in the bathrooms, without spending money or time? Here are ( 25 ) of the most inexpensive and common sense suggestions, to help you keep your bathrooms neat and clean.
1.) Clean all horizontal surfaces with your, go to cleaner, or a combination of vinegar and water. Ensure that there are no sticky spots, or an area where cosmetics, toothpaste, etc. has accumulated and has stuck to the surface. If this is the case, a simple scrubbing with your favorite abrasive sponge, will remove this sticky film. It is important when visually looking down the countertop, that there are no obvious areas of dirt or film. A clean countertop will give the impression of overall cleanliness. Ensure that all of the toothpaste, makeup, hairspray, etc. has been removed from the countertops. Makeup is especially messy, and can cause a very dirty and smudgy appearance, if not properly cleaned.
2.) Wash all of the soap dishes. Although this appears to be common sense, the presence of dirty or soapy, soap dishes will create a negative impression. When exiting the bathroom, simply wash out the soap dishes and dry with a paper towel. The appearance of the entire bathroom will be improved.
3.) Use large open containers, such as glass flower vases, or other types of inexpensive and creative containers, as storage space for all of the curling irons, long combs, brushes etc. Place these containers on the back side of your countertops, to allow them to blend into the backsplash of the bathroom counter.
4.) Close all the drawers. A partially open drawer, conveys a lack of tidiness, and will create the illusion that your cabinets are misaligned or in a state of disrepair. Close the drawers. Do not allow the tube of toothpaste to stick out of the top of the drawer. Take the time to ensure that all of the drawers will close.
5.) Close all of the cabinet doors. If there are multiple roles of toilet paper or paper towels that are obstructing the cabinet doors from closing, rearrange the storage, or find another area to store this stock. Whatever material, within the interior of the cabinets, that is not allowing the doors to fully shut, must be properly rearranged. It is very important that all of the cabinet doors are fully closed, to create a tidy appearance. Open doors, or partially closed doors, only make the inhabitants of the home; look as though they do not care about the appearance of the bathrooms. Make sure the cabinet doors close!
6.) Clean the drain of the sink, as well as the bathtub or shower. Remove all of the material that has accumulated in the bottom drain of the sink, or any other drain that is present within the bathroom. When you shower, there will always be an accumulation of material such as hair in the drain. Please clean it, this will give the impression of both cleanliness and caring.
7.) If you have removable covers for your shower and bathtub drains, pull off the cover of the drain. You will be very surprised at what you will find. In most cases, there will be a large and heavy concentration of hair and black material. This black material is a combination of scaled off skin; soap, cleaner, hair conditioner or any other produce used in the shower or tub. Clean this out, it will eventually smell.
8.) If you have had a spill that may have caused staining or spatter on the walls, floor or even the ceiling of the bathroom, wash and clean the spill when it occurs. Do not wait, allowing the splatter to harden and adhere to the surface of the floor, walls or ceiling. This hardening will make the final cleaning, much more difficult. In addition, the obvious splatter will not add to the positive appearance of the entire bathroom, just clean the spill, when it occurs!
9.) Sweep the floor. The use of a simple broom and dustpan will keep the bathroom floor relatively tidy. There will always be an accumulation of hair and other debris, which has fallen on the floor. A simple sweeping will remove the majority of these items. People do not give the broom and dustpan enough credit. Think of your grandmother and her use of the broom. It works!
10.) Wet a bath towel with warm water, and use this damp bath towel like a mop around the corners of the bathroom floor, and over the entire surface. An easy method is to simply use the broom to sweep the towel over the surface of the floor. This will remove those stains and spills that a simple sweeping did not remove. This is a common trick that many professional maids and housekeepers will use.
11.) Wipe the sinks, tubs, toilets and showers down. In most bathrooms this is probably the most difficult and time consuming task. The sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and shower surfaces are substantial. However, the absence of water stains and droplets on these fixtures will generate a cleaner and tidier appearance. The fixtures are the focus points in the bathroom, keep them clean, and their appearance will present an overall tidiness within the entire bathroom. If these surfaces are maintained in a clean fashion, the daily wiping down will not become a chore.
12.) Use a special cleaner in the toilet bowls to ensure that there is no staining. A very simple trick is to drop a tablet that is designed to clean dentures, into the bowl in the evening. During the night, this tablet will clean the porcelain of the toilet, and a simple flushing in the morning will usually succeed in cleaning the bowl.
13.) Use an air freshener in the bathroom. Whatever type of air freshener that you prefer, use one. Whether it is a free standing independent freshener that sits on the countertop, or a spray type of freshener the smells of bathroom use should be eliminated by the use of an air freshener.
14.) Light a candle. The scent of a candle burning in the bathroom will instill a clean and tidy atmosphere, for the entire presentation of the bathroom itself. Smells within the bathroom area are important to the overall sensory perception of the entire household. Clean and fresh is the goal for this area of the home.
15.) Hang decorative dishtowels off of side of the shower; drape one over the faucet at the sink or even lay one out on the countertop, to provide some color and variation to the horizontal surfaces of the countertop. It is always cute to use specialty towels that reflect the individuality of the homeowner, such as college logo’s, favorite teams, or even your interest in a specific hobby.
16.) Do not allow accumulation of anything! This means toothpaste tubes, makeup, bathroom tissue, toilet paper, etc. Do not allow the bathroom to become the receptacle for all of the household items that accumulate from the use of the bathroom! It is very important to keep the bathroom, clutter free! A clean, open appearance will give the sense of a more spacious and inviting environment.
17.) Do not get in the habit of hanging your clothes off of door hooks, or other hooks located within the bathroom. This is a very easy thing to do, and it will establish a general look of clutter and mismanagement of all the clothing throughout the home. Try to hide all clothes items in drawers or closets to keep the bathroom uncluttered.
18.) Hide the garbage can or disposal area. A great method of hiding the garbage is to use the specialty cabinets that are designed, under the countertop, and are provided by many bathroom cabinet providers. This will enable all of the garbage waste to be out of site and therefore out of mind. Consistent maintenance of this receptacle for garbage is required to ensure that smells do not permeate from the accumulation of garbage under the countertop.
19.) Replace and be consistent with the selection of light bulbs. A bright and cheery bathroom environment will only be conveyed, if the area is brightly lit, and all lights are working with a similar type of bulb. If one fixture has a warm bulb and the other a cool bulb, the entire atmosphere of the bathroom environment will convey a mismanaged impression. Either choose warm or cool, but make all the lamps in the bathroom the same. Make sure all light bulbs are operating, if not, replace the light bulbs. It is important, especially in smaller bathrooms, that all light bulbs have been properly replaced.
20.) Place live plants on the bathroom window sill. Live plants in the bathroom, especially if they are flowering and have a pleasant smell, is an inexpensive and easy method of creating a warm and inviting bathroom environment. Certain types of specialty plants, such as cactus or palms, are extremely popular within bathroom spaces and can create an inexpensive positive visual appearance.
21.) Specialty decorative items, such as specialty photos or creative wall hangings, such as an array of flip flops, can be used to convey a creative and interesting environment within the bathroom. In addition the use of inexpensive shelving units along the walls of the bathroom can provide interesting display areas of model ships, special vases, or other creative items.
22.) Specialty, matching rugs, shower curtains as well as window curtains will add a creative and customized visual appearance to the entire bathroom. In many instances, specialty stores will have various decorative items that can be inexpensively purchased to create a custom bathroom look.
23.) Because of the relatively limited spaces and surfaces within a bathroom, a new paint job will provide a substantial improvement to the overall appearance of the entire bathroom. Most bathrooms can be repainted in a day, and the resultant effect on the overall presentation of the bathroom will be tremendous. In addition, the cleanliness of the entire space can be improved by the painting of the ceiling. Again, most bathrooms are small, so this is not a major cost or time consuming activity.
24.) As with the painting, the replacement of a bathroom floor with a creative and colorful vinyl floor is relatively easy and inexpensive. Of course, a new ceramic floor would also add to the overall appearance of the bathroom, however this is a little more complicated and expensive.
25.) Re-grouting and caulking of the sinks, showers, bathtubs and toilets always provides a much cleaner and well maintained appearance within the bathroom. The removal of old and dirty grout and caulking is essential to the overall look of the bathrooms.
The bathrooms in a home are very important areas within a home, that provide a positive or a negative impression of the entire home. Simple, inexpensive care and responsible respect for the cleanliness and tidiness of the bathrooms, will display a general appreciation for the cleanliness of the entire home.
Keep the bathrooms clean, they will reflect a very well maintained environment, and will offer guests and anyone using the bathrooms a very positive experience.
If the bathrooms are neat and clean, visitors assume that the remainder of the home will resemble the bathrooms.