Home Organization Tips

It’s kind of funny to say out loud, but my guest bathroom is one of the most favorite places in the house. Perhaps because it’s not cluttered with the mundane things that are used every day in a regular bathroom (like frayed toothbrushes and three different types of shampoo), or perhaps it just makes me happy that the towels are always hanging neatly on the rack, waiting for a guest to come and take a hot shower. Either way, I am always delighted to look at the bathroom and know that it’s going to (hopefully) be enjoyed by a weary traveler or someone who just needs to escape from the constant chaos in our house.

Although I am fully aware that it’s quite luxurious to even have a guest bathroom, having one (even for a short while) has really taught me how it’s the simple things that can really spruce up a bathroom and make it not only a functional space, but a beautiful room as well. I’d even venture to say that by adding a few bathroom accessories, a bathroom can really be enjoyed by both guests and family members alike.

Coordinating bathroom accessories like towel bars, soap dishes and toothbrush holders really add a classy or personal touch to any bathroom. Although these accessories range widely in price, even cheaper models can really jazz up a bathroom. I love having a hook for hand towels to reside on that is near the sink, instead of leaving a hand towel floating on the counter. Even worse, I’ve found that in bathrooms without a designated hand towel holder, people are often forced to use others’ bath towels for drying their own hands, thereby spreading dirt and germs needlessly.

Likewise, providing matching soap dispensers near the sink basin will provide your children (and guests) with a gentle reminder to wash their hands, and will teach them how to put things away when they’re finished. My children’s bathroom, for example, is decorated with an aquatic motif, and recently I found an inexpensive bar of soap that looks like a duck floating on water. It’s amazing how my two-year-old gets excited about washing her hands, and how she loves to put the soap back on the equally fun fish-filled soap dish. What makes me equally happy is that I no longer have a ring of soap on my counter, and the bathroom always smells like freshly-used soap.

Wall-mounted soap dishes are equally functional and beautiful additions to any bathtub or shower stall. By installing a mounted soap dish, you will no longer have to search for your soap in its continual migration around the tub’s perimeter, or leave the bar on the floor of the shower stall (where you’re likely to bang your head as you reach down to get it). Those who prefer liquid soap can buy equally beautiful liquid soap dispensers, and place them either on a shelf in the bathtub, or on a caddy in a shower stall. And, although I find them a bit less practical, those in rental apartments or those who can’t install accessories in their bathrooms, can still create a more organized and beautiful bathroom by adding free-standing soap dishes to their bathtubs and showers.

Adding personal touches to your bathroom will also make the space more enjoyable for all. One thing I have done that receives a tremendous amount of positive feedback is putting a magazine rack in the bathroom, and filling it with older issues of various magazines, such as Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Good Housekeeping and People, which I collect from different neighbors who are done reading them. Several times guests have even asked if they could take a magazine home, to finish reading an article!

Posted on November 26th, 2006 by Sari
Filed under: organizing tips