Bathrooms see us at our worst... When we are covered in mud after taking the dogs for a walk or when we are trying to de-stress in the bath after another long day at work. They see us at 3am when we are trying to remove our makeup with toilet roll or when we are talking to God down the 'big white telephone'...
Still, they don't complain, even when the bath is wearing last nights soap scum as a belt and when the shower screen has more larger white spots than a dairy cow...
If you want to put some sparkle back into your humble bathroom but don't yet want to fully renovate, there are some things you can do to cheer it up and make it a little more inviting during the next early morning visit...
1. Invest in new towels.
Towels are supposed to get wetter the more they dry but if yours have seen the washing machine once too often they can loose their absorbency and softness. Your local soft furnishing specialist or high street variety store will no doubt have a large selection and the rule of thumb is to look for high cotton % and a good thickness. You really do get what you pay for and if a towel is not soft on your face in the shop, it will be like sand paper on other parts of your anatomy...
2. Storage.
If your bathroom has more potions than a 'G.O.T' witch or more kids toys than the local branch of Smyths, then you may be in need of some extra storage... If you have a pedestal sink then try a storage cupboard or rack that fits around it. Your local 'Swedish' mega-store sell lots of examples or take a look online. Bath racks and caddys that go across the top can be quite useful for holding pumice stones, sponges and other bath time paraphernalia. Pop 'Bathroom storage' into google, you'll be surprised at whats available for very little money...
3. Good quality cleaning products.
More of a shortcut than an upgrade but you'll be surprised at how good your old bathroom looks once it has been given a thorough once over. Steam cleaners are great on glazed tiled surfaces and glass. Limescale disappears faster than jelly at a kids party and they can be used to great effect on ovens and hobs too. Just make sure the surface is undamaged, suitable for the high temperatures and pressure. Oh and make sure you follow manufacturers instructions. There are also lots of good mildew removers to get rid of that black mould that loves warm damp corners of your bathroom. German supermarkets stock some great continental brands that really give great bang for the buck...
4. Grout Whitener.
All of us want sparkly white teeth so if you want to give your bathroom a full 'Simon Cowell' then get down to the DIY store and pick up some grout whitener. If the mildew has stained your grout (and it was white in the first place!) then this stuff is really quick to apply and can give good results. Think of it as correction fluid for your grout lines. Other grout colours are not so easy to revive but for areas that are badly stained or damaged you may be able to match the colour and use a grout rake to remove the affected area and replace it with new. DO follow the instructions and take your time, especially around areas subject to water as you don't want to create any more leaks...
5. A lick of paint.
Look up at the ceiling and you'll be surprised at what you may find! It is not unusual (as Tom Jones once sang) to find mildew and stains on the ceiling. This is because the steam from hot water rises and condenses on the ceiling and if it hasn't been painted in a suitable finish, mould can easily take hold. Kill mould with a suitable cleaner and apply a couple of coats of stain block or anti fungal paint that will stop it coming back through. Once this has dried then a good quality kitchen and bathroom paint will keep your ceiling looking good for a few more years.
So, as you can probably tell, this blog is here to give you a few tips to freshen up your bathroom but we cannot be held responsible and are not liable if anything goes wrong. We are deliberately tongue in cheek with our blogs but we are serious when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms.
If your bathroom is beyond salvation and you have a modest budget then give the team at Rooks Ridge a call to see what we can do to help. You never know, that few hundred pounds you saved not going out in dry January may be enough to kick start the renovation so next time you wander back in drunk, the bathroom doesn't smell worse than you...