One of the bleakest aspects of sharing a house with people is usually the communal bathroom. Mouldy tiles, a shower that's feeble and tepid, plugholes blocked with... hair (shudders), and let’s not even talk about the toilet.
But you can make it better without spending too much cash, and if you live alone then there's really no one standing in your way. Here are our top tips for an amazing 90s-style 60 minute bathroom makeover.
Bathroom Hacks - Grazia
1 of 6Jar-Jar-Bling
Find something cute to keep your toothbrushes in, like a jam jar (try Tiptree) or those mini Campari bottles you lugged home from Sicily and swore you'd find a use for. This is it. It's a stylish answer to having a bunch of toothbrushes unhygienically littering the sink and windowsill. Just remember to stick them in the dishwasher once in a while because, you know, toothbrush water...
2 of 6Shower in style
Much as we love a novelty shower curtain (it's the tube map! LOL! etc.), they get pretty nasty after a few weeks making them a waste of money. Get thee to Wilko and bulk-buy their chic, lo-fi value shower curtains when things start to feel swampy. They cost THREE POUNDS people. All you have to do is wrestle with the curtain rings while trying not to break your neck balancing on the edge of the tub.
3 of 6Hotel-style bottles
No-one needs to know you bulk-bought a year's worth of cheapo supermarket own brand shampoo when it was on offer. Decant your lotions and potions into coolly minimalist acrylic bottles from Muji - they come in all sizes with flip tops, aluminium caps, foam pumps and spray dispensers, and cost just a few quid. Then line them up neatly to make a chic, colourful display.
4 of 6Spritz spritz
After your shower, spritz the walls with Method Shower Spray - it's the lasiest, easiest cleaning product EVER (you don't even have to rinse it off) and will keep manky mildew and soap scum at bay. Even better, it's free from parabens, phthalates and animal by-products and comes in a 100% recycled bottle (spray it on your halo too, you eco-warrior.) Oh and it smells of lovely flowers.
5 of 6Grow something
The only green thing growing in your bathroom should be a plant in a jazzy pot. Ikea have a huge range of succulents and cactae which we've found through rigorous neglect testing to be virtually unkillable (shower steam counts as watering, right?) Go for one big plant for maximum impact or buy three or four miniature ones and line them up to make a statement.
6 of 6bathroom hacks
Treat yourself to One Posh Thing - maybe a fancy hand soap from Aesop. Yes, ok, it's the price of a round of cocktails but it smells divine and the rest of your bathroom will bask in its reflected glory and look fancier by association.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.