We get it. Laundry is one of the least fun things you can do. Wanting to know how many times you can get away with not washing a bath towel is perfectly understandable. Still, much like “how long is a piece of string?” this question’s answer will vary depending on who you ask. Unless you’re asking a microbiologist, of course. But first, let’s get one thing straight… 

Yep, it’s Definitely Dirty

Many think that, because you’re only using your towel to dry your freshly clean body after a shower or bath, it’s not getting dirty. But they’d be wrong. As it turns out, John Mayer was right. Your body is a wonderland. But one that’s literally teeming with a billion invisible microorganisms like bacteria and fungus! They’re so tiny and plentiful, in fact, that showering or bathing is never going to shift them. They will, however, enjoy a free ride onto your towel when you dry yourself off. Initially, this isn’t a problem. Bacteria and fungus are everywhere. But if your damp towel remains that way and doesn’t get dried completely as well as fast, it becomes the perfect environment for these microbiotas to grow. 

Time is of the Essence 

To avoid unwittingly turning your towel into a Club Med for bacteria, mold and fungus, ensuring that it dries completely between uses is important. However, ensuring that it dries FAST is even better. A study performed by a group of microbiologists found that, when bath towels were dried on heated towel racks, their microbial load was reduced from 1000 cfu*/g to just 1 cfu/g! The reason for their finding? Heated towel racks work fast! In fact, a top-quality heated towel rack such as those you’ll find at Bathroom Butler can completely dry your towel in as little as four hours! This way, you can pump the breaks on bacteria and fungus’ breeding time.

So, the Big Question!

Clearly, when it comes to assessing how “dirty” your towel is, you have to use your head, not your eyes. If the last two days have seen it spend more time being damp then dry, you’ll want to wash it. However, if it’s been dried quickly after each use, it’ll definitely have much fewer “nasties” and this means you won’t have to wash it as often to keep things clean and hygienic. Many don’t realise it, but this is the main reason why heated towel racks are such a popular bathroom addition. They don’t exist to warm up your towels – their job is to dry them and do it fast. This way, you can get away with doing less laundry; don’t have to rely on sunny weather for drying and don’t have to turn on your power-hungry tumble dryer.

The Bottom Line

So, to answer the big question – “how many times can I use a towel before it has to be washed?” – if you’ve got a Bathroom Butler heated towel rack, definitely a lot less than you would otherwise!

Article originally appeared on Bathroom Butler website at https://bathroombutleronline.com/

All Photos By: Unsplash

When it comes time to scrub the shower, toilet, and floors, you might let out an audible sigh and feel your shoulders slouch. Not only is cleaning the bathroom a rather difficult job, it is labor-intensive and often gets messy. Few people look forward to spending their Saturday mornings bent over, on their hands and knees, scrubbing bathroom tiles. The good news is that there are ways to cut down on the time that it takes to get your bathroom sparkling clean. What’s more is the fact that there are even ways to keep your bathroom cleaner and fresher for longer. Here’s how you can reduce the amount of time you dedicate to keeping your bathroom sanitary.

Create a Bathroom Cleaning Schedule – and Stick to It

While bathrooms do get dirty, they often don’t get really filthy unless a lot of people use them or they don’t get cleaned often enough. As with most things in life, if you put off cleaning your bathroom and wait until it becomes visibly dirty, you are going to have a much tougher job ahead of you. Establish a bathroom cleaning schedule where you go no longer than one week between sessions so that you can give the area a quick wipe down instead of an agonizingly long deep cleaning session.

Purchase and Use Optimal Bathroom Cleaning Supplies

You simply can’t keep a bathroom clean with ease if you don’t have the right supplies. In addition to purchasing strong yet environmentally friendly bathroom cleaning products, you should also have a variety of sponges, rags, scrub brushes and mops, solely for use in bathroom spaces. You should keep your bathroom cleaning supplies in a bucket or carrying caddy so that they can be tucked out of the way when they’re not in use. Try out different cleaning products as well as supplies to help make keeping the bathroom neat easy instead of a chore.

Look into Automatic Cleaning Robots and Mechanical Options

One of the absolute easiest ways to keep your bathroom clean involves the use of modern technologies. There are self-cleaning robots that you can program to sweep and mop your bathroom to perfection, and you don’t even have to be home for it to work. There are also self-cleaning toilets that keep the commode in pristine condition, although they can be a bit on the pricey side. Before your next bath installation, consider how easy or hard it is going to be for you to keep up with a regular cleaning schedule. Ensure that you spend the least amount of time stuck cleaning your bathroom by seeking out technologies that do all of the work for you.

Keep Your Bathroom in a Good State of Repair

Bathrooms that are older and start to fall apart are much harder to clean than newer bathroom spaces. Think about how much harder you have to scrub the bathtub and tiling when the grout becomes old, stained, and caked in mildew. Check out a professional like American Vision Baths for all of your bathroom renovation needs. They offer bath installations, and you could even consider a shower installation. They also offer complete bathroom demos, so you can have a bathroom space created that perfectly aligns with your needs. Keeping a bathroom tidy is important, so ensure that it stays in a good state of repair for easy cleaning.

Try These Bathroom Cleaning Hacks

When all fails, you can always rely on a couple of easy bathroom cleaning hacks that will prevent your back from hurting and your knees from buckling. First, concentrate on the areas where you spend the most time cleaning. If you have to crawl into cramped spaces, buy a pair of comfortable knee pads. You won’t mind cleaning the floors nearly as much if you can avoid dealing with sore and aching knees. When cleaning areas such as the shower and tub, realize that a lot of times you can simply spray on a deep cleaning bathroom product, let it sit for a while, and then turn on the shower or tub to rinse away the residue. For windows and glass, let the bathroom get steamy first before cleaning so that you do not have to scrub as hard or long.

For the most part, bathrooms don’t clean themselves, which means that you are going to have to see it through. You’ll need the right tools for the job, and you also have a well taken care of bathroom that isn’t falling apart. Don’t put off cleaning your bathroom for too long so that you don’t end up with a really horrific situation, but also don’t worry yourself about cleaning the powder room several times a week. Once a week is just about all it takes to keep your bathroom neat and clean, without requiring you to use a whole lot of elbow grease.

Photo: Home and Style

Scrubbing the tiles always feature at the end of our to-do list. Until there is a new type of cleaning service, getting our hands dirty is the only option. Cleaning the bathroom is after all a necessity although a herculean task. However, here are some ways to get the most out of your cleaning without sacrificing the hygiene of the household.

Prevent Moisture in the Tracks

Keep a squeegee over the shower head and make it a point that the last one to bath wipes down the bathroom wall, bathtub and shower doors in order to prevent mildew stains. Alternatively, opening the window post shower can be of great help to dissipate the moisture.

Coat shower Walls and Doors with a Water Repellent

Use water repellents to keep the water, minerals and soap scum off the bathroom tiles.

Photo: Domino

Stop Using Bar Soap at the Sink

Try and use a liquid soap at the sink. Store them in a soap dispenser with a pump. A liquid soap is preferable as it eliminates the accumulation of soap on the countertop of the sink thus keeping it clean.

Organize your Cabinets

Remove items from your countertop and place them in the cabinets, especially items like cosmetics and hair tools. The bathroom appears cleaner with a clutter-free countertop.

Keep Ample Towel Bars

If you hang the towels across a bar then the towels will dry more quickly making the bathroom look tidier. If there is no space on the bathroom wall to install towel bars then install one on the door to make your bathroom more functional.

Photo: Domino

Use long-lasting Cleaners

Long-lasting cleaners go a long way in keeping your washroom clean. Their formulas help prevent stains from appearing up to seven days.

 Keep a Canister of Disinfectant Cleaning Wipes Under the Sink

Tap- and-clean products help in such spot-cleaning. Now remove toothpaste splatters, water marks and other marks before they dry up.

Photo: Bre Bertolini

Store a Stash of used Dryer Sheets

These can be used to quickly sweep some nab hair and dust particles from the floor without indulging in a major clean process.

Prevent Shower Curtain Build-up

Dip the bottom of the shower curtain in an all-purpose cleaner containing bleach in it in order to keep soap scum, water minerals and mildews away.

Religiously follow this routine and save yourself from the distress of cleaning the bathroom at the end of every month. If you find cleaning up everything by yourself too taxing, find a cleaning service provider who can send in trusted cleaners at your place and get your job done hassle-free.

Photo: DIY Network

When it comes to your plumbing, seasoned homeowners know that “little problems” can very quickly spiral into financial migraines. Yuck! So, it’s definitely in your best interests to try and take care of plumbing issues pretty quickly after they pop up. You can hire a professional to take care of your “little problems,” of course. But what if I told you that a little regular DIY maintenance – easy enough for any typical person to do on their own – can save you money and spare you a whole bunch of unnecessary stress?

We’ve been living in a pretty awesome era of information for the better part of two decades now. Learning how to do basic DIY tasks takes just a few minutes of searching and video-watching on Youtube – from the comfort of your desk chair or your smartphone.

Photo: HomeTone

Obviously, more complicated repairs may still require professional attention (a little YouTube research isn’t going to make you a miracle-worker). But if you aren’t sure how to fix a leaky faucet, you can have the whole process more or less figured out in 5 minutes – which means you can do it yourself, and avoid the whole process of: 1.) calling an expert, 2.) scheduling an appointment, 3.) waiting on the service, and 4.) paying the invoice for parts and labor. We’re talking fixing your problem within minutes, maybe an hour, versus living with the problem for hours, maybe days.

So, are you ready to strap on your Weekend Warrior boots and get down to business with some DIY plumbing? Heck yes you are! But first, you’re going to needs some tools. Here’s what absolutely NEEDS to be in your plumbing toolbox:

1.) Plunger

Price: $2-7 for a cup-shape, $10-20 for a flange-shape
If you only get one tool from this list, get this. A plunger is a fast and effective way to unclog your drains and toilet, and is an absolute-must. There are two types of plungers, and while you could get away with just a simple cup-plunger, you may want a flange plumber as well. A flange plumber is a plunger with a big ball shape, as opposed to a flat cup, and is specifically designed to unclog toilets. Cup-shape plungers are better suited to sink drains.

2.) Tongue and Groove Pliers

Price: $10-25
Also called channel lock pliers, also called locking pliers, also called adjustable pliers, also called pipe spanners, also called water-pump pliers, and much, much more – this tool has as much versatility and utility as it has names. So yes, this is a definite must-have. Ideal for adjusting water pipes, their shape and versatility work with their textured, grippy teeth to firmly grab and tighten fittings, even when they’re a little wet. Got an irregularly-shaped, rusted-on nut or bolt in an awkward place in your plumbing? Tongue and groove pliers to the rescue! Beyond just bathroom maintenance, these tools are super useful all over the house. Get one. Or two.

3.) Plumbing Snake

Price: $15-30
If your plunger didn’t do the trick, your plumbing snake probably will. Also known as a “drain auger,” this tool features a spoiled flexible coil that can be slowly forced out into all sorts of tight, twisty spaces. Plumbing snakes are a fast way to clean your bathroom faucets and are super portable in manual or automatic models. If you want a real specialty tool, you may also consider a closet auger, which is a plumbing snake specifically designed for unclogging toilets.

4.) Needle Nose Pliers

Price: $6-20
When you’re working in tight places, like a nest of twisting and turning pipes, the trusty needle-nose plier is your friend. Perfect in a pinch, these tapered tools are great at grabbing hard-to-reach things, and are especially adept at fishing out wedding rings from shower drains (among other things).

5.) Basin Wrench

Price: $10-30
This tool is specifically made to get those hard-to-reach bolts that attach your faucet to your sink. It’s not the most jack-of-all-trades tool, but for those tough nuts to crack, you’ll be glad to have it. It will definitely save you some time and frustration!

6.) Hacksaw, and/or a Tubing Cutter

Price: $15 to 25 for the hacksaw, $10-20 for the tubing cutter
A hacksaw is a very versatile tool for cutting through metal pipe, plastic pipe, nuts and bolts, and all sorts of plumbing hardware. It should be a pretty familiar tool to most, but it’s an important addition to your toolbox. Be sure to keep extra blades on hand, and while in use, make sure the blade is tense in the frame for heavy cuts. For cutting copper pipe, you’re going to want a tubing cutter. It looks a little like a C-clamp, and it’s probably the single fastest and cleanest way to cut copper plumbing. You’ll find them in standard and mini sizes, depending on how tight of a space you’re working in.

7.) Teflon Tape and PVC cement

Price: $1 for the tape, $4-10 for the PVC Cement
Teflon tape is a great way to get a watertight seal on threaded pipe, and are especially useful for things like showerheads. Wrapping the tape 3 to 6 times around the threaded pipe should ensure a tight seal with no leaks! PVC Cement is used to join PVC pipes for a fast-setting, leak-proof seal. If you need to repair and/or replace PVC pipe, you’ll definitely want this handy.

8.) Caulk Gun

Price: $10-30
Caulk is used on seams and joints you don’t want water to get through; essentially, it makes appliances like bathtubs and sink basins watertight. But beyond bathroom hardware, caulk guns can be extremely useful both indoors and out for all kinds of sealing to make things air or watertight. This is an easy and cheap bathroom update that can make your bathroom caulk look brand new again! For example, a caulk gun can be used to apply window sealant or to glue in weather stripping. This is a handy tool no homeowner should be without. If you are trying to remove mold from your caulk see our article detailing that here.

So there you have it, some super useful tools you’ll be glad to have in your toolkit! Having a simple kit will help you better repair and maintain your bathroom, and at a fraction of the cost of hiring professionals. However, keep in mind that more complex fixes may indeed require the help of a professional. If something seems like it’s way over your level of experience and aptitude, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with a pro. But for more mundae home fix-it needs, these tools will take you a long way!

This post is brought to you by Trade Winds Imports, purveyors of fine bathroom vanities!