The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Low-Maintenance Bathroom

Description

Let’s face it: nobody really likes cleaning the bathroom.

Even the most ardent of house-proud homeowners will admit that, sometimes, scrubbing a toilet just isn’t top of their to-do list. But it still has to be done – so what’s the solution? One possible answer is, rather than ignoring cleaning and maintenance, to make some changes to your bathroom so that it’s much more low maintenance.

Whether you’re creating a bathroom from the ground up, or simply want to tweak your existing bathroom, this ultimate guide is packed with tips to make cleaning a breeze. Not only that, but we’ll also cover some whirlpool bath maintenance advice, too.

Ready to dive in?

Part I: Designing a low-maintenance bathroom from scratch

If you’re in the enviable position of being able to create your dream bathroom from the ground up, now is the perfect time to consider maintenance. The decisions you make now, before everything is installed, can save your future-self from hours of hard graft. So, where do you begin?

Here are our recommendations for creating a low-maintenance bathroom from scratch.

The layout of your bathroom

One of the biggest advantages of creating your bathroom from scratch is that you can have maintenance in mind as you do so – including how you actually lay things out.

We’re referring to the position of your bath, your shower, wash basin and so on. By strategically placing these within the space, you can create specific wet and dry areas and thereby know which sections will require more maintenance. Keeping wet areas compartmentalised will allow you to judge how much cleaning effort will be required going forward. Planning your layout also allows you to consider how people will move once they’re finished bathing – every splash counts!

Choosing the right bath and shower

The amount of time required to keep your bathroom running smoothly will often depend on the specific items you have within it – more specifically, your bath and shower. We’ll go into far more detail about whirlpool baths later on in this guide, so for now let’s focus on your high-level choice of installations:

• Your bath or whirlpool bath should be carefully considered from a maintenance standpoint. While all baths will require cleaning, you might want to think about ideas like corner whirlpool baths, which have fewer exposed sides and thus less need for cleaning. Likewise, you could choose a whirlpool bath with built-in storage, which will reduce clutter (and thus dust build-up) in the bathroom.
  
• Your shower will generally be lower maintenance if you decide against fully enclosed shower units. The reason is simple: less glass to clean! Another option is to go for a combined bath and shower, such as an L-shaped whirlpool shower bath.
  

Avoiding high-maintenance design choices

Some of the decisions you make in your bathroom may appear to be purely aesthetic. In reality, however, certain stylistic choices can actually make the room even harder to clean. One prime example of this is tiling. While tiling may look good, it also comes with a certain element which is the bane of anyone who regularly cleans a bathroom: grouting. That’s right: the simple grouting between tiles is notorious for being home to dirt, grime, mould and mildew – especially in the bathroom. If you avoid design choices like these, you can save a lot of elbow grease for your future self.

Part II: Updating an existing bathroom for a low-maintenance life

Okay, so we’ve covered the process for those who are building from scratch, but what about if you’re renovating? Well, there’s good news there, too – because there are lots of ways you can reduce the maintenance requirement of your bathroom (without tearing it all out).

Here’s how to make low-maintenance changes to your existing bathroom:

Improve ventilation

One of the biggest causes of excessive cleaning and repair in bathrooms can be summed up in a single word: condensation. With so much moisture in a bathroom, it’s no surprise that a lack of ventilation can lead to the growth of mould and other nasties in certain areas. What does that mean for you? Here’s a hint: it’ll involve warm water and bleach! If you want to avoid deep-cleaning mould every month or more, ensure you have proper ventilation either via open windows or an extractor fan system.

Reduce clutter

Here’s a common issue in bathrooms which doesn’t just create the need for additional cleaning — it’s visually messy, too. Having too much clutter in your bathroom, either from plants and ornaments or bath products like shampoo, will always result in more dust settling and more grime developing in the gaps and below the bottles. This means you have to come in every week or more to clean underneath every single item. Sound like too much of a chore? The solution is simple: add more storage. You can either choose a whirlpool bath as we mentioned earlier, or you can simply add a handy bathroom cabinet for added storage.

Upgrade your bath or shower

Just like for brand-new bathrooms, you always have the choice of installing a brand new whirlpool bath or shower in your existing bathroom. And – just as we discussed in the section above – there are plenty of reasons why a new bath or shower could help reduce the need for maintenance in your bathroom.

Part III: Reducing maintenance of your whirlpool bath

No guide  would be complete without a section focusing on whirlpool baths, of course. If you’re the lucky owner of a whirlpool bath, you’ll know that they’re not exactly self-maintaining. That said, there are a few handy ways you can make maintenance of your whirlpool tub a little bit easier – and extend the lifespan of your bath in the process.

Sound good? Here are our top tips:

• Never use “regular” bubble baths and bath oils with a whirlpool bath. Doing this won’t only result in a potentially damaging amount of bubbles pouring into your bathroom, but it’ll also cause the build-up of grime in your pipework. Over time, this can negatively impact the pump system in your whirlpool tub. If you simply can’t live without a bubble bath, consider our range of low-foaming bath oils — designed exclusively for use in whirlpool tubs.
  
• To extend the lifespan of your whirlpool bath, and to reduce the amount you need to give it a deep clean, you a whirlpool bath sanitising tablet after every bath you take. Just drop one in the water and run the system for a couple of minutes. This will clean and de-grease the pipework and keep anything nasty from building up over time. Learn more about whirlpool bath sanitising tablets.
  
• A small fault doesn’t mean the end for your whirlpool bath. While whirlpool baths are very reliable, like any other machine, they can sometimes develop faults with specific parts. This can lead to more regular breakdowns which, in turn, means more maintenance – if not complete down-time. To avoid this (and to avoid having to buy an entirely new whirlpool bath), you can simply replace the part you’re having trouble with. By using whirlpool bath spares to switch out failing parts, you can reduce the need to carry out maintenance, and continue enjoying your whirlpool bath to the maximum.

Whether you’re renovating your bathroom or designing it from scratch, we hope this guide has inspired you to create something beautiful… which isn’t too difficult to maintain. 

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