Is Your Bathroom Keeping Up With Your Needs?

The bathroom is one of the most important rooms of the home. Everyone has to use it, and when it’s not quite meeting your standards, it can make a real impact on your quality of life. We all deserve a bathroom that we find comfortable, relaxing, and practically helpful. However, what that looks like from household to household might differ. We all have different needs. Here, we’re going to look at the different priorities you might want to consider when looking at your bathroom, and what you can do to ensure it meets them.

Are You Tired of the Look?

Over time, your bathroom can start to look outdated or boring. If you are tired of the appearance, a new vanity top can instantly refresh the space. Your current counter may also be in rough shape and no longer meet your needs. 

If you worry about how a new bathroom vanity top might look, using a countertop visualizer is helpful. The handy tool lets you see what to expect if you update the counter’s design, material, or color. Once you find a version you like, the next step is installing the new countertop as part of the room’s updates. 

Does It Offer Enough Space

One of the first questions you should ask of your bathroom is one of the simplest. Bathrooms are often amongst the smallest rooms in the home, and this can become a problem if it’s starting to feel cluttered with toiletries, cleaning supplies, and all your personal care goodies. If the space is feeling cramped, look into improving your storage solutions, using vertical options like wall-mounted shelves, as well as multifunctional furniture, such as vanity units with built-in drawers or mirrored cabinets. Being able to tidy away some of that clutter can help the space feel a little bigger, at least.

Does It Need to Be More Accessible?

If you or a member of your family has mobility challenges, whether due to age, injury, or disability, then accessibility isn’t just a matter of convenience. It can be an important part of safety in the home, as well. Consider whether you could use improvements like grab bars near the toilet and shower, as well as shower seats that could allow your family to more easily bathe. Working with an accessibility consultant can help you better assess your space and learn about options that you might not have known about that can make the bathroom much more convenient.

Are You Trying to Make It More Sustainable?

While it might not directly relate to how you use it, eco-friendliness is an important part of modern living for many people, and your bathroom has a major role to play. Just like your kitchen, your bathroom uses a lot of water, and investing in the right fixtures can help you reduce your water use. Not only is this better for your utility bills, it’s better for the environment, as well. Look at your options, including low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets, and water-efficient shower heads that can help you maintain the level of performance you expect from your bathroom, but without as much waste.

Do Your Fixtures Feel Out of Date?

As technology and design trends change, new improvements come out that can leave your bathroom feeling aged by comparison. Updating your fixtures isn’t just an aesthetic change, it’s a practical investment, as well. For instance, with the help of teams like Cathedral Plumbing, you can switch from a traditional bathtub to a sleek shower cubicle, opening up more space while allowing for more efficient bathing. You can also look at what upgrades you can make to your sink, faucets, and lighting features to really improve the quality of life the room provides.

Are You Running Out of Hot Water?

This is a problem that tends to become more prevalent as your family grows, and you find more people having to use hot water one after the other, or even across multiple bathrooms. Running out of hot water during a shower is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have in the bathroom and often it’s due to your existing water heater. A tank-style water heater has limited capacity, so switching to the tankless variety, like those from Navien, can really make a major difference.

Is It Easy to Clean?

If your bathroom is taking too long to clean, it’s going to quickly become a point of frustration. Often, this is due to a lack of good ventilation, which can cause things like mold and mildew to build up. Installing a stronger extraction fan and making sure that it’s placed right, usually directly above the shower, can prevent the build-up of humidity in the room. Otherwise, you should consider upgrading the materials and finishes in the bathroom, prioritizing those that are moisture resistant and easy to maintain.

A good bathroom is going to meet all of your needs and provide the peace and usefulness that makes it a vital component of the modern home. If you feel like something is missing, then consider the different needs above, and which of them might be worth focusing on with your next renovation project.