Solutions to 3 common small bathroom problems

Dec 5, 2019

There’s no need to stress if there’s barely enough room in your bathroom to hang a towel. Small bathrooms have several problem areas in common and we’re here to share the solutions. These fixes may not expand the square footage of your bath, but they’re sure to increase the sense of space. These techniques can help you transform your small and awkward bathroom into an awesome space that feels a lot bigger than it actually is through planning, smart choices and several smart storage and space-enhancing ideas.

1.    A Small and Tight Footprint

Bathrooms and shower rooms that are new additions tend to have this problem more often than baths that were part of the original layout of the home. They often have a small and tight footprint that makes it tough to place a shower, toilet and sink in the room while still having enough space to turn around.

The best solution to this common small bathroom problem is to keep as many things as possible off the floor. Consider implementing a floating sink or toilet as well as any other large furniture in the bathroom. This has two benefits:

1.    It hides away the edges of the fixtures making the floor appear larger

2.    It makes the floor much easier to clean

You can take this a step further by opting to visually elongate the floor through the use of tile or vinyl with bold lines that will lead the eye across the full length of the room.

2.    No Room for a Shower Enclosure (in addition to a bath)

It can often be nearly impossible to fit a shower enclosure in a small bathroom. This is especially true if there is already a bath as that is a feature most people are unwilling to give up (particularly in households with children and only one bathroom.)

Luckily, nowadays it’s much easier to create a wet room and bath combo thanks to advances in waterproofing and high-performance glass. This combination is the perfect solution as it provides both practicality and an aesthetic value to the bathroom.

In a small bathroom, it’s a great idea to use the floor space between the sink and bathtub as a walk-in shower area by adding wet-room flooring and a glass enclosure. To achieve a more streamlined look with no visual interruptions you can also look into adding a frameless screen which will add to the spacious feel of the room.

Another option for adding a shower area to your small bathroom is to combine the bathtub and the shower. This is the more budget-friendly solution as well as being extremely practical for larger households. The initial look of this combination may not feel as luxurious as a walk-in shower; however you can achieve a similar look and feel if you add a frameless glass screen that will enhance the sense of light and space in the bathroom.

3.    No Storage and a Lot of Clutter

Having a tidy, organized and serene bathroom is on many of our wish lists. Unfortunately, when you have a small bathroom the lack of storage options can quickly lead to tons of clutter in the form of toiletries and countless plastic bottles and containers strewn across any horizontal surface. Keeping clutter at bay in a tiny bathroom is a task that can feel impossible to achieve.

When it comes to finding a solution to this problem, the best thing you can do is steal as much space as you can from unused or rarely used areas of the bathroom. What this means for you will depend on your space and your and your family’s habits.

If you have a bathtub that is mostly used for showering or bathing little ones, consider installing a mini tub and freeing up space for shelves or a cabinet. If you have a smaller shower area, a built-in recessed shelf can be the perfect solution for storing shower essentials such as shampoos, shower gels and brushes.

The wall behind the toilet is often the most underutilized area of a bathroom, so consider adding a bathroom cabinet there or closed shelves that can hold you towels, toilet paper or toiletries. Take a good, long look at the space you have to work with and consider the different ways you can make sure every inch of the bathroom is used as efficiently as possible.