42 Bathroom Essentials That’ll Spice Up Any Bathroom
It doesn’t matter whether you rent a tiny studio apartment or own a huge house. Every home has one thing in common: they all have at least one bathroom with a toilet, a sink and a shower or tub.
And while those may be the three most important elements in the room, there’s a lot more that you’ll need. In fact, there are 63 other items that you’ll want to add.
Regardless of your style or your personal design aesthetic, here are the 35 bathroom essentials that every home needs.
Functional Items That Every Bathroom Needs
Like every room in the home, your bathroom needs to be functional. It won’t do you much good if you can’t flush the toilet, run hot water in the sink, or drain the water from the tub.
To make your bathroom function as it should, you’ll need the following 13 things:
1. Shower Curtain
Unless you have glass doors that cover your stall or close in front of your tub, a shower curtain is a must.
Shower curtains come in just about every color, pattern and texture.
In a small bathroom with limited space, it may be one of the few chances you have to show off your personal style! Just make sure it’s the right width for your tub or stall and that you have the right kind of hooks and rod to hang it on.
2. Shower Curtain Liner
A shower curtain may provide the privacy you need when you’re in the bath, but without a shower curtain liner, you could end up with water all over the floor. Hang a plastic or vinyl liner behind your curtain and drape it inside the tub so that water can’t escape.
3. Bath Mat
There’s no way to avoid it — bathroom floors get wet. To prevent yourself from slipping when you get out of the tub, have an absorbent bath mat on the floor in front of your shower. Stepping out of the tub with wet feet can pose serious danger.
4. Towels
Unless you like to drip dry, you’ll need some towels. Invest in a set of durable bath towels or bath sheets to dry off after a shower. The more towels you have, the less often you’ll need to do laundry!
It’s also helpful to have a wall hook or a towel bar near your shower so you can reach your towel when you get out.
5. Toilet Paper
There’s nothing fun about using the toilet only to realize that there’s no TP nearby. Toilet paper is one of those things you can never have too much of in your bathroom. It doesn’t go bad, doesn’t go out of style and it will always be put to use.
Sign up for a toilet paper delivery service so you never have to worry about running low.
6. Toilet Paper Holder
There are so many ways to store toilet paper — a basket on the floor, a wall-mounted dispenser, a freestanding paper hanger, ect. Wherever you choose to store yours, try to keep a spare roll nearby for when your roll is running low.
7. Hand Soap Dispenser
Good hygiene habits are a must, so put a soap dispenser on your sink so that you can wash your hands after using the toilet. That way, you’ll never have to grab the bathroom door handle with dirty hands!
8. Toothbrush Holder
If you have an electric toothbrush, you can do without a toothbrush holder, but if you use the manual kind, it’s essential that you have one. Place it on your sink or vanity, stash it inside your medicine chest or store it in a cabinet near the sink.
With so many small and inexpensive toothbrush holders out there, there’s no reason to lay your toothbrush flat on the edge of the sink.
9. Mirror
A mirror is a bathroom must-have, and it’s not just so you can admire yourself and revel in how cute you are. It’s a must so that you can check yourself to make sure you don’t have toothpaste running down your chin when you finish brushing your teeth!
10. Trash Can
Even if it’s small, it’s important to have a trash can beside your toilet or sink. You may not make a lot of trash in your bathroom, but if you have guests over, you’ll want to make sure they have a place to toss tissues and feminine products.
Do yourself a favor and add a trash can liner so that the inside doesn’t get gross!
11. Non-slip Shower Mat
Showers and tubs get slippery. According to the CDC, about 235,000 people visit an emergency room every year because of a bathroom injury. 60% of those injuries happen while getting in, getting out of, or slipping in the shower or tub.
Minimize your risk by adding a non-slip shower mat inside your tub. Many of them have suction cup feet so that they won’t move around. Just remember to peel it off and clean the underside of it regularly. If you don’t clean the bottom, mold can form.
12. Plunger
Every bathroom needs a plunger. Pipes get clogged, toilets stop functioning and water sometimes overflows. Always have a plunger handy in case of a toilet emergency.
13. Tissue Box
It’s normal to breathe in dust while you sleep, so it’s common to want to blow your nose when you wake up in the morning. Keep a tissue box on the back of your toilet tank or on a shelf in your bathroom so you’ll know right where you can find a tissue when you need one.
Get Your Bathroom Organized
Ready to get organized? These eight bathroom storage essentials will make it easy to assign a place for everything and keep everything in its place!
14. Storage Basket
Storage baskets are great for holding towels, rolls of toilet paper, and all types of miscellaneous items. With a few small ones or one large one, you’ll have a stylish place to stash and hide all sorts of things.
15. Shower Caddy
Don’t let the corners of your tub or the floor of your stall shower fill up with bottles of shampoo and body wash. Hang a shower caddy with one or two shelves over your shower nozzle to keep all of your personal bath products in one easy-to-reach location.
16. Storage Cart
A rolling storage cart with drawers or shelves is a great way to organize everything from cosmetics and lotions to extra towels. They’re ideal for holding hair products and styling tools as well as paper supplies, such as extra TP and extra tissues.
17. Storage Containers
A few small storage containers inside your medicine chest or beneath your sink are all you need to organize a small bathroom. If you hide them in a cabinet, save some money and buy the clear plastic ones. If you want to leave them out on a shelf, opt for something more decorative.
18. Canisters
Canisters aren’t just for holding sugar, flour or coffee beans in the kitchen. Small canisters are also perfect for holding cotton balls, cotton swabs and makeup sponges.
19. Drawer Trays
Tired of opening your vanity drawers only to have to dig through a mess of things to find the one little item you need? Invest in a drawer organizer or a utensil tray. Those little compartments are perfect for holding extra toothbrushes, razors and all sorts of little items.
20. Storage Cabinet
If you have a large bathroom, add a freestanding cabinet with multiple shelves or doors and drawers. You can use them to hold everything from towels to storage containers to decorative accents.
21. Hamper
Unless you like wading through a pile of wet, dirty towels on the floor, get a hamper. When you get out of the shower, just toss your wet towel into the hamper so it’s out of sight!
22. Over-the-Door Hooks or Wall Hooks
Installing some over-the-door hooks or wall hooks in your bathroom can help keep wet items off the floor or from around your baseboards, where they can cause mold issues, and keep dry items dryer when you’re getting in and out of the shower and bath.
Keep Your Bathroom Clean
No one likes to shower in a dirty bathroom. To keep yours clean from top to bottom, you’ll need to have these seven cleaning supplies on hand at all times.
23. Toilet Brush
There’s no way to avoid it — toilets have to be scrubbed from time to time. Get a toilet brush that stores in its own stand and stash it behind or beside your toilet.
24. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
You can use different cleaning products to clean multiple surfaces, but a specific toilet bowl cleaner makes the job a little bit easier. Look for one with an angled neck so you can get up and under the bowl with ease.
25. Room Spray
Bathrooms can get stinky from time to time. Have a fresh-smelling room spray to spritz in the air so that it’s always ready for the next person to use.
26. Tub And Tile Cleaner
Soap scum won’t just disappear on its own. In fact, the longer you wait to clean it, the more it will build it and the harder it will be to remove. Get a tub and tile cleaner so you can spray down your shower or tub after every few uses.
27. Glass Cleaner
Keep those windows and mirrors streak-free! Store a bottle of glass cleaner beneath the bathroom sink so that it’s right there when you need it. If you have extra cabinet space, keep a roll of paper towels nearby as well!
28. Disinfectant Wipes
Sink faucets are full of germs. Just think about it — every time you use the toilet you then have to touch your faucets with your dirty hands before you can wash them! Pretty gross.
Keep disinfectant wipes in your bathroom so that you can wipe down those faucet handles as well as the flush handle on your toilet tank.
29. Rubber Gloves
Do you cringe at the thought of having to clean a toilet or scrub a tub?
Keep a few pairs of rubber gloves on hand to make it a little less painful. Plus, some cleaners contain harsh chemicals, so gloves are a good way to protect your skin and hands!
30. Multi-Surface Cleaner
In addition to having specific cleaners at the ready for cleaning scum off your shower or stains off your toilet, you may also want to have a gentle, multi-surface cleaner handy for cleaning all those random spots that don’t really fall into the toilet or shower category. Think the fronts of your vanity cabinets or your baseboards around the bathroom.
31. Stain Remover
Inevitably, you’ll get some stains on your bath towels or bath rugs. Be ready for those stains with a gentle but effective laundry stain remover.
32. Pumice Cleaning Stone
If you’re dealing with difficult stains in your toilet bowl, you might want to forgo just using the dedicated toilet cleaner and toilet brush and, instead, pick up a pumice cleaning stone. The dense stone scrubs away calcium, limescale, hard water, rust and iron with ease. Once you have one in your cleaning arsenal, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to give it a try.
33. Shower Squeegee
Keeping a squeegee in your shower is an easy way to keep things clean between your weekly scrubs. This squeegee comes with a suction cup, so it easily attaches to your shower wall and is made from stainless steel for a sleek, clean look. Whenever you take a shower, just give the shower walls a few quick swipes with the squeegee, and you’ll find your next deep clean is exceptionally easier.
34. Mop
Mopping your bathroom can sometimes be a challenge. There are all these little oddly-shaped nooks and crannies. You’re dealing with surfaces you might not have elsewhere in your home. You could just do your best, call it a day and try to forget about that grime lurking behind the toilet … Or you could purchase a mop that’s a little more equipped to deal with the challenges of bathroom mopping.
This mop is more of a scrub brush on a long, extendable stick, outfitted with various types of brush heads to fit your needs while small enough to fit into those weird corners and the spots behind your toilet and vanity. It allows you to more thoroughly clean your bathroom than your awkward and unwieldy Swiffer might.
35. Broom and Dustpan
If you don’t already have one elsewhere in your home, pick up a broom and dustpan to keep your bathroom tidy. Don’t have a lot of space? This handheld set will take up minimal space and be easily hidden in a closet, drawer or under the sink.
Add Some Style With Decorative Details
Ready to make your bathroom one of the most stylish rooms of your home? These seven bathroom accessories will do exactly that.
36. Vanity Set
A vanity set that includes a soap dish and a toothbrush holder can add serious style to your sink or countertop. Coordinated sets in wooden or metal finishes are easy to mix and match with all different types of décor.
37. Hand Towels
There’s no better way to show guests that they’re welcome than to have a few hand towels draped over a rack or a towel hook by the sink. Some people like to have one set to use on a daily basis and a special set to put out when guests come over.
38. Candles
Nothing adds ambiance like a few flickering candles. Store a few in your bathroom so you can create a spa-like atmosphere the next time you relax in a long, hot bubble bath.
39. Artwork
There’s no reason to keep your bathroom walls bare. Hanging a framed print or two on the wall is a great way to add some personal style to your bath.
40. Wall Shelves
Whether you have a tiny bathroom or a spacious master bath, adding a few floating wall shelves is the perfect way to create room for decorative items. Hang one over your toilet tank or hang two or three in a row — they can hold those candles and storage containers we mentioned earlier.
41. Blinds or Curtains
A bathroom requires privacy, so if you have a window, cover it. From wooden blinds to roller shades to fabric curtains, window coverings are a must — unless you want people to be able to see inside.
42. Lighting
From wall sconces to vanity lights, your lighting fixtures can make or break your entire bathroom design! Choose finishes that match your faucets and other fixtures to create a perfectly coordinated look.