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Scott Salter asked:




These days – with a greater emphasis on personal grooming than there may have been in the past – we are spending increasing amounts of time in the bathroom. With this being the case, it makes good sense to have your bathroom be a comfortable, indeed engaging place to spend some time. Homeowners usually don’t need too much persuading that they should give some thought to decorating their bathroom, but the question that then arises is “how?” or “what bathroom decorating themes should I employ?” Below is a discussion of some of the more popular themes.

Modern (Contemporary) Bathroom Décor

Contemporary bathroom décor is best characterized by its clean lines and gleaming surfaces. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that this type of décor is more commonly found in your modern urban apartments. Stainless steel fixtures such as sinks, medicine chests, bathtubs, shower walls, faucets and spigots feature heavily in contemporary bathroom decor and are available in wide variety of shapes. Glass and ceramic fixtures will also tend to feature in the modern bathroom décor.Lighting also plays an important part in contemporary bathrooms with fixtures ranging from simple to funky and available in all colors, shapes and styles. A light dimmer can be useful to soften the light to achieve a particular mood or to brighten the light whilst applying makeup

Rustic (Country) Bathroom Décor

A country theme should be redolent of a slower pace and a relaxed atmosphere and country bathroom decors tend to be dominated by classic bathroom fixtures – with the clawfoot tub being one of the more notable examples.

Country decors in general tend to be dominated by wood, but with wood and water not mixing that well it’s best to stay away from wooden floors. However, wood can be worked in just about everywhere else. Wooden pegs and racks can be used to hang bathroom towels. Open storage cabinets – for toiletries and fragrances – look good when made of wood, and a wooden toilet seat will always look the number.

Vintage (Retro) Bathroom Décor

As with all bathroom decors, a vintage bathroom décor should fit in with the overall theme of the house. This can be one of the more difficult bathroom decors to successfully implement as finding vintage fixtures often means burrowing around salvage yards – and then there is also the question of whether they meet today’s building-code requirements.

There are however, some manufacturers who have bought back some vintage-style sinks, faucets, bathtubs and toilets whose designs were first introduced in the 1920’s. Porcelain tiles with a smooth finish are needed to finish this look.

Asian Bathroom Decors

Asian Bathroom Decors are a popular choice for anyone working within a confined space. They tend to be characterized by their simple elegance and combination of traditional bathroom design with distinctly Asiatic touches. Decoration tends to center around potted plants and the use of screens, with soft lighting also being employed.

Pursuing a bathroom decorating theme will ensure that your bathroom doesn’t turn into the poor cousin of all your house’s rooms and have it be a place that can draw favorable comment.

Donna S asked:


I accidentally left my bathroom’s heat lamp on too long. It burned out. Is it very expensive to fix?

Me asked:


And isn’t overly harmful when slightly breathed in (accidentally, that is)?

My bathroom location has little to no ventilation, and Fantastik or bleach sprays are simply intolerable during cleaning, and they leave a horrible gaseous smell for two hours afterward. I’ve tried Comet in a bucket with a rag or sponge, but it takes too long to clean a toilet with that, it seems; I’d rather have a (germicide) spray.

Thanks for the answers.

Mike Foti asked:




Finding the right type of bathroom window in remodeling or new construction can be tough. Here are two problems many homeowners have with their bathroom windows:

1) A remodeling bathroom window challenge – Your existing window is sitting right in the middle of a bathtub or shower area and the window frame is rotted or rusted out. You want privacy, you want the window to look good, and you don’t want the constant maintenance of having to re-caulk the window or rework the wood framing around the window.

2) A new construction bathroom window challenge – You’re building a new home with a soak tub or Jacuzzi in the corner of the master bathroom that has windows above the tub at eye level which are clearly visible from your neighbors property. You want a high privacy and good looking contemporary style window, but don’t really want to invest in expensive blinds.

How can you solve these two problems with style while maintaining your budget? One answer – bathroom glass block or acrylic block windows. This article will explore the benefits of these types of windows for your home.

Glass Block Window Benefits for your new home or remodeled bathroom

Here are the 8 benefits you’ll realize by replacing your existing bathroom windows or installing blocks in your new home bathroom window:

1. Increased privacy – With homes being built closer together as land costs continue to escalate finding a cost effective window that provides privacy in your hall bath or master bathroom window can be difficult. With block you can pick a high privacy pattern like Icescapes or Delphi from Pittsburgh Corning or Ice or Pristal from Mulia to let light in, yet maintain the privacy you need.

2. Reduce your heating and cooling costs – Most existing bathroom windows have old aluminum frames or deteriorated wood frames with a single pane window glass inside. They are inefficient windows which frequently fog up, required a lot of effort to maintain, and cause your heating and air conditioning costs to be higher. Block glass windows are 10 times more energy efficient than single pane glass and provide a combination of obscurity and style many vinyl replacement windows do not.

3. Increased Security/Ease of Gaining Entry into the Home – Existing window are flimsy, usually held in with caulk and are an easy target for break ins. New glass brick windows are mortared in for most remodeling projects, making them difficult and time consuming to attempt to break through. New construction glass block windows come with a vinyl frame and nailing fin providing excellent security.

4. Cut Maintenance takes time, money and energy – Single pane metal and wood windows need to be repainted and caulked to keep the elements out and to prevent rust and deterioration. With block bathroom windows there is no maintenance needed since the windows are either mortared in or nailed into the framed walls in the property.

5. Easy to clean – These windows can be cleaned with soap and water or window cleaning solution.

6. Windows will become easy to operate – Existing bathroom windows are sometimes rusted shut, or cannot easily be opened making a bathroom retain excessive amounts of moisture, allowing mold spores to grow. New block windows can be combined with fresh air vents or power exhaust fans to make your bathroom healthier for your family and friends.

7. Easy to open- Acrylic block windows can open completely (there is a casement window available in multiple frame and glass styles for bathrooms) and glass windows can be combined with vinyl hopper style air vents which open very simply as well.

8. Old Windows don’t fit your new design style – Glass block bathroom replacement windows now are available in colors, different tints, satin finishes, decorative patterns, beveled edges, and many custom architectural designs to match a contemporary, traditional, or transitional design style.

Your master bathroom or hall bathroom window no longer needs to be an eyesore. With a new glass block bathroom window you can get an easy to clean, easy to maintain, cost-effective/ energy saving window, and add to the style and value of your home at the same time.

Christine B asked:


My landlord just had the “Bathroom Fitter” people come in and re-do our tub/tub walls with an all-one-piece acrylic wall and tub thing-a-majig. Anyway, on my old regular tile/grout walls I used to use Comet, Tylex and Clorox Cleanup to get it clean and kill any mold, but now I don’t know what to use. I don’t want to ruin the finish. The paperwork says to make sure you use a product that is safe for acrylic, but I was checking out some of the labels in the store today and hardly any of them specify whether or not they’re safe for acrylic. Help!