Families share a lot of common spaces at home, but the one area where drama starts brewing quickly is the bathroom. Because real estate such as houses for sale in the Guelph Ontario area are at a premium and there are more people looking for new properties than bathrooms, having to share bathrooms becomes an issue when purchasing. But even if it’s impossible for every household member to have their private bathrooms, there are ways to split the space effectively and keep the peace at home with proper organization.
Here are some ideas on how you can make your bathrooms perfect for sharing:
Provide separate, color-coded towels
Even if you have a private bathroom just for you and your spouse, sometimes your kids may still wind up invading that master bathroom from time to time. One effective way to keep things organized would be to have a specific towel color assigned to each bathroom you have at home – one color for the master bathroom, a different one for your kids, and another one for the guests. If you don’t have multiple bathrooms, you can still apply this trick by assigning a color to each person. Not only will this make doing the laundry a lot easier, but you’ll also be able to monitor who’s been leaving their towels everywhere instead of hanging them properly after use. If you use this color-coded towel system, no need to have towel bars or hooks. Every family member is responsible for their personal towels.
Set a limit for bathroom time
If you belong to a huge family, the best way to share bathrooms without causing a problem is to set a limit on how long a family member can use the bathroom. For example, if it’s simply for doing hair and makeup, it’s best to just have a separate vanity instead of using the bathroom mirrors. Limit the bathroom for tasks that can only be done in a bathroom, such as showering, using the tub, brushing the teeth, and doing private business. Anything else that could be done in other areas of the house should be there so the bathroom stays as free as possible for other people.
Assign the cleaning to every household member
No matter who your roommates are – whether it’s your spouse, children, sibling or friends – you have to make an agreement that everyone will clean up properly after themselves. Bathrooms are among the areas at home that easily gets messy, cluttered, and downright filthy, and unfortunately, not everyone is going to be as neat as you’d want them to be. Be proactive and come up with a schedule for cleaning times where everyone will be responsible for cleaning the bathroom at certain days of the week. Without this kind of system in place, it’s going to be easy to start arguments and blame someone about that hair on the sink or melted soap bar that left some residue. Make sure everyone takes a turn to avoid any cleaning-related drama.
