SOCIAL MEDIA

May 15, 2013

Keeping a White Bathroom Clean

I had NO idea how many all white bathroom haters there are on the internet.  Yesterday, a pic of my bathroom made it to Hometalk's Facebook page and although it was mostly well received, there were also a few many people out there with a deep prejudice against all white bathrooms and they all had something to say in the comments (and nothing better to do, I guess?).  Putting energy into trolls like that isn't my style, but what I did realize was that many people out there might be wondering how I possibly plan to keep that bathroom clean.  With 3 boys.  Am I crazy??  Well, let's not answer that ;)

First off, it is a Master Bath.  My kids are older and don't spend a lot of time in there.  They are not prohibited from going in there, but they have their own bathroom to share.  I put a lot of thought and research into creating a space I could easily maintain.  We took out 2 linen closets to make room for the tub, so I was concerned about losing that storage.  I love reading any and all blogs and magazines about home storage and organization.  Fact is, life can be crazy with kids, so I have found if you plan an organized space, it can make all the difference.  The first step to keeping any space clean is organized storage...




1.  Organized Storage-Our vanity has 2 small drawers.  I bought small baskets at Target to hold my makeup and our toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Under each of our sinks, we have a plastic turntable where we keep our personal items.  All other personal items (tp, etc) are in the larger baskets on the shelf beneath the vanity.
Makeup stored in a divided tray.

These turntables under each sink are great for keeping personal items accessible and neat.  The green storage containers were purchased at Target and I printed the labels from here.

Hair products stored in large basket on shelf beneath sink.

The built-in houses pretty containers that hold the stuff we used everyday-cotton balls, bath salts, soap, etc.

The smaller built-in is the perfect size for towels.  I purposely did not "stage" these photos.  Everything isn't perfectly folded, but it's in its place.

2.  Washable Surfaces- The carrera marble top gets wiped down with a vinegar cleaner almost every day.  I also use the vinegar cleaner to clean the mirrors and fixtures because harsh chemicals would damage the marble.  I fully expect the marble to etch a bit in time and I am ok with that.  We chose the white porcelain floor over the marble hex we loved because it is easier to maintain.  Urine etches marble floors terribly.  We have 3 boys.  So no marble flooring for us.  Keeping the tub clean is easy thanks to the hand shower.

3.  Shower Glass- We use a squeegee after every shower.  It takes under a minute.  We have hard water so we know that if we don't take this step, we will have a big problem on our hands.  We knew when we chose a glass shower that we were committing to a long relationship with the squeegee :)  The hand shower is great for rinsing the tile after washing.
Our lovely squeegee

4. Bleach!-  Here's a secret I learned soon after I had my first boy.  White can actually be EASIER to maintain than other colors because of bleach.  All of the linens from the bathroom go in a hamper next to the vanity and they all get bleached.  I don't buy expensive towels.  Every towel in the bathroom is from Target.  When they need to be replaced, it won't break the bank.

These are my tips for keeping an all white bathroom organized and clean.  Let's face it, no one enjoys cleaning bathrooms.  But there are steps you can take to make it easier no matter what your color preference is.


21 comments :

  1. I love your white bathroom. I am going to purchase the same vanity when we do our master bath. I always buy white towels too, they are clean and classic. Great job!

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    1. Thanks Tresha. I think you will be very happy with the vanity.

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  2. I LOVE that bathroom! It's such a shame that people have to express their negative opinions! Have a great weekend!
    -Shelley

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    1. Thanks, Shelley!! I appreciate your support. Hope you have a great weekend too!

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  3. hi, my name is Ofelia, love your bathroom, white ones like yours are classic, clean (with some elbow grease everything keeps clean, I guess), airy and luminous. Good job.

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    1. Thanks Ofelia! I appreciate your kind word!! Have a great week.

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  4. YOUR bathroom is absolutely gorgeous!!!! I love the modern farmhouse style of it. Its elegant and modern with those feel good vintage touches. And most importantly perfect for YOU!!! As a fellow mother of three boys I know exactly where you are coming from. I am actually thinking about an all white kitchen, I feel its actually easier to clean when you can see it. When baked on food splatters, soap scum, ect. are hidden by color it takes a lot more time and elbow grease to get off, than a quick wipe as soon as it happens. My bedding is actually all white, had it for several years and has held up better than any other multi colored option we had. Also as a mother of three boys you need that sanctuary to go to get away from chaos, noise and dirt.

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    1. Thanks, Kirsten. It is so great to hear that someone agrees with me about decorating with white!! I totally agree, it is easier to keep up the the dirt if you can see it and then it doesn't have time to build up.

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  5. {Kathy} I have to completely agree with you on the white towel issue. Thanks for all the eye candy, too. I am considering doing a remodel of my master bathroom -- where everyone ends up anyway-- and appreciate the classic design.

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  6. Hi Courtney - I recently remodeled my master bath using marble and was wondering what vinegar cleaner you use - love the all white decor!

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    1. I have been using Windex Vinegar. Hope that helps!

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    2. Thanks Courtney - I was doing some research about cleaning marble and thought you would find the following website helpful

      http://www.howtocleanthings.com/surfaces/how-to-clean-marble.htm

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  7. Hi, Courtney! I've been painting and lightening up my house for the past month and came across this post from Pinterest. Ever since I did the bath last month (painted Antique white, everything else... tile, vanity... was already white), it seems like it has almost been easier to keep the bathroom clean! Weird, right? The only change was the paint color!

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  8. I also love your bathroom. And just because you can't see the dirt on any other color, doesn't mean it's not there. It gets just as dirty as a white bathroom does. I'd rather be able to see the dirt and know it is there so I can keep it clean!

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    1. Thanks so much, Rhonda. I totally agree. Bathrooms get dirty regardless of the color :)

      Have a great day!
      Courtney

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  9. We are inspired by your beautiful Master Bath project! We have 4 grown children and time to remodel their "hall" bath. We are using your floor tile, subway for shower/tub, paint color, carrera marble top (with Hutton 36" Restoration Hardware vanity). I can't find the sink faucet or bath/shower faucet? The Lowes mirror is great, but discontinued as you stated. Thank you for inspiring...you do great work!

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  10. Shelley (yes, a grandma, they call me "Nanni!"

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  13. I thank you for the information and articles you provided

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