AD | Bathrooms are supposed to be places where we go to get clean, aren’t they? And to relax in a tranquil bath full of bubbles, or wake up under an invigorating shower. But did you know bathrooms are also some of the best harbours of germs, mould, and bacteria? Suddenly that spa-like experience doesn’t feel so alluring any more. But the good news is you can improve this with a few easy upgrades to your bathroom accessories. Because clean bathroom decor is easy to incorporate, and it’s not expensive either.
Clean bathroom decor ideas to try
In an ideal world, we’d all have easy to keep clean bathrooms, with the very latest designs and mod cons. But if a bathroom remodel isn’t on the cards, you can still let the light in and bring a fresh feel to your space with these four budget bathroom makeover ideas.
Antimicrobial towels
Towel technology hasn’t come very far over the years. Standard towels are incredibly dirty, even when they seem clean. One study even found that towels are the dirtiest objects in your entire home. This is because towels retain moisture, allowing bacteria, viruses, mould, fungus, mites, and more to breed. Which you then rub all over your face and body… This can cause a number of problems including acne, inflammation of the skin, daytime allergies and even serious illness.
Antimicrobial towels, like these ones from Soji Towels* are woven with real antimicrobial silver, which will never fade, and they’re 99.99% effective at eliminating all microbial life. Soji Towels are self-cleaning and remain sterile for life, so you’ll be able to dry off with a fresh towel every day, even if you haven’t washed your towel for a week. And they’ll never develop any horrid musty odours, because those are caused by bacteria and mould growth. Plus, Soji Towels are spun with ultra-fine vegan bamboo and stitched using a Japanese open-air weave so they feel super soft, silky, and fluffy. Five star luxury clean bathroom decor feels in charcoal, white, and blue that will actually make you excited to get out the bath or shower!
A new shower habit
I didn’t realise until recently that washing with a loofah, sponge or shower lily could actually be counter-productive, even harmful. This is due to the intertwining material, even in a natural loofah or sponge. While this makes it a great scrubbing tool, it’s also a perfect haven for bacteria to thrive. Just like standard towels, mould can live in loofahs and sponges, as well as germs, dead skin cells, and remnants of dirt, oil, and grime that we scrub off our bodies. And this can cause infection if washing an open cut, trap bacteria inside your pores, and prevent you from really cleansing yourself from germs. A better alternative is to switch to some more eco-friendly exfoliating soaps, ideally from a small business too.
Clean bathroom vents and fans
How long has it been since you cleaned your shower fan or the vent inside? If it’s been a while, the vent is probably clogged and filthy. And this can actually make your bathroom dirtier. So take some time to open it up and clean it thoroughly. After which you’ll definitely notice the steam and vapour clears much more quickly, which in turn will help prevent mould, mildew, dust, dirt build up, and bacteria growth. This costs you nothing, but keeping the air moving is so important, especially if you don’t have a bathroom window. And if you want to take it a step further, you can replace your old fan with a newer, more powerful model because the better your ventilation system, the cleaner your bathroom will be.
Add air cleaning and moisture loving plants
This is one of the easiest and quickest clean bathroom decor tips to try. Plants add a natural, fresh element to your bathroom – my daughter has a little bamboo plant in hers, for example, and it’s very happy indeed. And adding some colour also has the benefit of making any discolouration in your white bathroom blend in as well 🙂 But plants aren’t all about looks. Studies have shown that plants can actually clean the air from harmful microbes. So, choosing some moisture loving plants such as ferns, spider plants, peace lilies, bamboos, and even orchids, really will make your space cleaner. And with minimal effort on your part too!
Clean bathroom design for a healthy lifestyle
It doesn’t take long to add a few of these budget-friendly clean bathroom design tips to your space. For example, you can probably replace your shower loofah and add a potted plant straight away. And if learning about your bacteria-harbouring towels has got you wanting to replace them all (I certainly do mine), then a gorgeous silver-infused antimicrobial towels for the same price as a set of standard towels is ideal. Because they don’t only feel good, they’ll also help keep you and your family healthier every day. Win, win, don’t you think?
What do you think of these clean bathroom decor ideas? Did you realise how dirty towels and loofahs could be? Have you implemented any of these simple design tips in your bathroom? If not, which ones do you think you’d like to try now?
* This is a sponsored post.
These are all great ideas Lisa! I had no idea about towels containing bacteria even when clean. I will look for a similar product here in Canada. Thanks for sharing!
It’s quite horrifying, isn’t it? I had no idea, but I’m glad I know now!
These are fab ways to clean bathroom decor on a budget! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you, Lucy x
These are great tips. I love the idea of adding plants that love the moisture and help to keep the air in the room clean as well. I think a lot of people overlook the benefits of adding plants to their home outside of just adding a little greenery as decoration.
Yes, exactly, Britt. Although I must confess, my houseplant game is not strong, so it’s lucky bamboo is hardy!
This are great ideas, I will look for similar productos here in Spain
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you, I’m glad they were helpful 🙂
These are some great suggestions. Its shocking how much dust and filth is attracted to fans and vents.
I know, I was disgusted when I cleaned ours for the first time!
There are some places that we skip when cleaning the bathroom. This helps, especially, the vents, some people forget about it. Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
YW Jack, the vents are disgusting aren’t they? 🙂
I have such a thing for towels. If anyone has so much as a sniffle in my home then they can’t use the hand towel and have to use their own whilst using the bathroom. Shared towels are one of the biggest ways to share viruses and bugs within households.
TBH before this article I had no idea they were such a breeding ground for bugs but I guess it makes complete sense!
I am such a fan of a plant in a bathroom! But as my current bathroom doesn’t have a mirror in it I’m really struggling to find a plant that’ll survive in there!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Ferns are pretty hardy – and you could always buy a small grow light (look on Amazon) to help – good luck!
Oo, I love the idea of keeping moisture loving plants in the bathroom to help keep the steam under control. Such a big help in reducing mold! One of my bathrooms happily has a window, the second one does not so it is harder to keep it clean/fresh.
Will be checking the towels out! They look lovely. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Plants are so good for bathrooms! And yes, do check out the towels, they are amazing 🙂
This post is really informative. It sounds silly but I can’t wait to own my a bathroom to keep clean and to do decor upgrades on. I will have to refer back to your posts when I have brought my own place. I didn’t really think about sponges etc. I have been using a konjac facial sponge. I will have to check out some eco friendly options. The konjac have a great body sponge that I might give a go! Thank you for sharing Lisa.
Lauren
Thank you so much, Lauren, and no, that doesn’t sound silly at all – although I will confess the cleaning aspect is not something I look forward to! Keeping my fingers crossed for you x
I am huge fan of minimalistic and clean living spaces so this post is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing!
Sumedha
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I love the idea of the towels, I’m constantly putting my towels in the wash because I know how much bacteria can stay on them especially when their are damp! X
Yes, as a beauty therapist, I know you’d be ALL over this! x
These are all great ideas! I didn’t know about towels, I will look into the SOji ones. It’s the kind of thing you use every day but never give much thought too! I was kind of shocked about the loofah too, so will get back just to my trusty soap bar. I can’t wait to move and get space for loads of plants in the bathroom, I love the idea of having a little green in there! thanks for sharing x
I know, right? When you think about it, it makes sense, but until you read about it you don’t realise. The Soji towels are amazing though, such a fabulous innovation x
I haven’t seen a lot of people talking about bathroom decor on the budget. I feel like sometimes the bathroom gets neglected. I really like your ideas.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Thank you so much – I think the bathroom being small lends itself to budget decor!
I hate cleaning my bathroom but I should really do it more often! I do clean out my tools pretty well though, so that helps. Thanks for motivating me like this!
Ha, you’re very welcome, glad to help!
Really interesting post! I love a clean and spacious bathroom – and these are some great tips xx
Thank you, Della, glad they are helpful! x
Having a squeaky clean bathroom is super important for our health. Thank you for sharing your tips, Lisa.
Thank you, Fadima, glad it was helpful!
I am ALL for plants – so I for sure need to add some to the bathrooms! And who knew towels were so dirty…eugh!
I know, it’s quite horrifying, isn’t it?!
Oh wow, those plants seem so useful and helpful at keeping up with a clean bathroom! I’ve been meaning to get more plants to look after and display in my bathroom, so these ones sound great x
Thank you, Soph, glad this was helpful! x
Oh you have no idea how much I love a clean, spacious and bright coloured bathroom. Plants add more colour to the aesthetics of the bathroom. I love my bathroom painted white with plants here and there. I never knew that towels are incredibly dirty, even when they seem clean. I never knew about the loofah sponge thing either and the amount of dusts and dirt vents take are horrifying haha. I suck at cleaning vents and I’ll try to clean them regularly. Lovely post as always x!
Thank you, Ruth, that’s very kind – and yes, I knew about loofahs but not about towels! x
I had no idea there is such a thing as antimicrobial towels. I am going to look into this, especially as it might be very helpful when are going to be back on road, with the caravan (in a year or so :)) ). Great post!
Neither had I, but they’re a brilliant invention, aren’t they? Perfect for travelling as well as in the home 🙂
I will be moving soon, so this helps a lot! I like to have an open space, so not to many things in the bathroom haha
Thank you, I’m glad it was helpful – good luck with your move!
Oh my goodness. I think I cringed so much throughout this and am now looking at my bathroom door in horror and not wanting to open it, aha. I’d never taken the time to think about some of these things but it makes total sense having read this. Hmm, I feel some spring cleaning coming on..! Great post!
Oh yes, some of the details are a bit grim, aren’t they?! But I’m glad the post was helpful – happy Spring cleaning! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, these ideas I have a fan in my shower room to stop the mould even though it still comes from the steam
It’s hard keeping on top of mould in a bathroom, isn’t it? 🙁
Helpful post! I didn’t know that loofahs or shower lilies could still be dirty! I’ve been using them! Definitely going to stop that and switch to exfoliating soaps! As for plants, I definitely am looking into adding moisture loving plants in our bathroom. It’s going to be a real nice addition to the room.
Thank you – neither did I until I looked into it, it’s quite grim, isn’t it? 🙂
Great tips Lisa! I am a bit of a hygiene freak and want to keep my bathroom spotless, especially during the pandemic. The plant idea is lovely and I might copy that. Have a great week xx
Thank you, Jenni – and yes, plants really do make a huge difference in the bathroom! x
Well that’s certainly an eye opener! May have to buy one of them plants to put in my bathroom. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome – happy plant shopping if you do!