Is Your Bathroom Back To School Ready: Tips for Heavy Usage and Health and Wellness

Back to school is a crazy time. With so much to do, there's one section of your home that probably gets neglected: your bathroom. You don't want to let things get messy when you have kids and parents fighting over prime bathroom time. Luckily, Bathroom Butler is here to help! Here some questions I asked Bathroom Butler to help us all get organized for the new school season.

• Q: Tell me more about Bathroom Butler and any health and wellness solutions you provide. 
• A: Bathroom Butler's Heated towel racks provide a healthier and more hygienic self-care experience for you and your family. Our Dry Element Technology allows the heated towel rack to heat up in 10 minutes and uses less electricity than 2 light bulbs. Bathroom Butler's heated towel racks are more hygienic and environmentally friendly - giving your family the best health and wellness bathroom experiences that are designed to optimize your self-care regime. 

• Q: What are the germ and bacteria concerns for bathrooms. 
• A:  There are many areas in the bathroom that should be of concern, but one that is often overlooked is damp towels. Damp towels are a breeding ground for unwanted bacteria. Used damp towels develop an unpleasant, musty odor as the bacteria build up on the surface. To prevent bacteria build-up, towels need to be dried properly after each use. Our heated towel racks do just that  - drying your towels effectively, reducing the bacteria by up to 90%, making them more hygienic and fresher between washes. 

• Q: What are some challenges that families and busy moms face with wear and tear on bathroom accessories from their kids, and even sanitation needs for their children, when it comes to their bathrooms. 

• A: A child's day is filled with outdoor activities that can cause a substantial amount of mess in the bathroom when it comes to bath time. Busy mom's don't have the time or the energy to constantly wash towels to keep up with the high demand. Not to mention the cost implications and negative environmental impact that multiple loads of laundry can create - it's simple unsustainable and inconvenient for the busy modern-day mother. Heated towel racks provide the ultimate solution of reducing towel washes by drying your towels between uses so that you reduce the number of towels you wash and create a more hygienic and enjoyable bath time experience for your child and the whole family too. When your kids get to experience having a dry towel with a comforting touch of warmth after every bath, it will encourage them to hang their own towels up. A common problem we find with chrome plated bathroom accessories is that they often don’t wear well over time and potentially start to show ugly pit marks. For this reason, we make all our bathroom accessories from grade 304 stainless steel which is an extremely durable and hard-wearing material. As there is no coating on the natural polished finish, there is no chance of any pitting or flaking of the surface – essentially it will last you a lifetime. Then also comes the issue of bathroom accessories that frequently come loose on their mounting and need to be constantly retightened. Bathroom Butler recognized this as a product design problem more than 12 years ago and developed what we now call our RIGID Loc mounting system. When correctly installed, once it is tightened on its mounting it will not come loose – no more paper holders falling off the wall at the most inconvenient time.

• Q: What are 3 tips you can give busy moms to help their bathrooms to be more durable and sanitized. 

• A:1. Install stainless steel bathroom accessories for optimal bathroom hygiene - Stainless steel bathroom accessories are more durable and anti-corrosive. This high-grade material is perfect for the humid environment of the bathroom because its natural corrosion resistance properties prevent rusting, staining, peeling, flaking or chipping. Stainless Steel is a non-porous material which means nothing can stick to it and therefore does not collect bacteria or algae, which makes it ideal for any bathroom space. Furthermore, it does not corrode and is easy to keep clean. But be sure to check what grade of stainless steel the product is made from, you should only be buying grade 304 or 316.
• 2. Use high-quality cleaning products - ensure you use high-quality cleaning products that are environmentally friendly (and safer for your family). Simply wipe your stainless steel bathroom accessories down with a warm, damp cloth and then buff dry. You could also use a touch of Chlorine-free stainless-steel cleaner for your stainless steel appliances to maintain the gorgeous shine. It's not advised to include any Tile grout cleaner or Chlorine-based chemicals, do not use them on the finish as these will cause permanent damage. 
• 3. A quick daily cleaning routine - the bathroom is one of the areas in the home whereby daily cleaning needs to be done in order to prevent unwanted dirt, mold and bacteria from spreading and causing health complications. Create a daily habit of wiping down your surfaces to help maintain your bathroom finishings and prevent dirt build-up. This will provide a more healthy environment for your family. 

 

Homeowners Gravitating to Bathroom Renovation Projects

“We just can’t stand our old bathroom anymore!” According to the 2018 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, the most common reason homeowner undertake a bathroom remodeling project is they want more style, space, lighting and resale value from the most used room in the home.

            The study* finds that 37 percent simply couldn’t stand their old bathrooms any longer. The second most common reason for remodeling the master bathroom (30 percent of respondents) is that people have been saving up to do the project and finally have the funds to accomplish the task.

Falling in Love with a New Bathroom

            The Brandt family exemplifies the study’s findings. Their in-progress bathroom renovation includes installing a free-standing tub with a waterfall faucet in the front, plus an operable Hy-Lite^®acrylic block window.

            “The decision to add this window went from something we weren’t even considering to a focal point of our upgrade plans,” says Mike Brandt in Brandon, Fla. “It’s the only completed portion of the renovation so far and we really feel positive about our choice.”

            In Eden Prairie, Minn., the Arnold-Fair family also added two acrylic block windows as part of their master bathroom renovation. “We installed one of these windows into our walk-in shower to provide light in a trapped space,” says Randy Arnold-Fair. “Then we added one off to the side in a corner of the room near the new vanity.

           “The acrylic block windows allow for a maximum amount of light to enter the rooms without the need for any sort of curtains or blinds to assure privacy from the outside.

           “Installation couldn’t have been easier. These acrylic block windows are much lighter than a real glass window, so it was easy to handle. For my next remodel I’m tackling the master closet and I plan to include two more Hy-Lite windows in that room.”

Goal: Style and Light

           The Houzz survey results, which came from more than 1,100 registered users of Houzz who had completed a master bathroom remodel in the previous 12 months, were working on one or were planning to start one in the next three months, also reports on design goals from homeowners. Making the master bathroom stylish and beautiful was the top design priority report, cited by 79 percent of remodeling homeowners. As for functionality, the top priority, cited by 47 percent of respondents, was to add good lighting to the master bathroom.

           Homeowners installing acrylic block windows have found they can achieve both these top priorities with a single window.

           “We wanted the glass block ‘look’ for style along with ventilation and light in our shower setting,” says homeowner Erin Borofka of Bloomer, Wisc. “The operable acrylic block window was the ideal solution for architectural charm and maintenance-free living.”

           Available in many sizes, acrylic block privacy windows can be ordered in fixed or operable styles, to open up and allow in breezes when wanted. Hy-Lite, which has been in business for more than 30 years, also offers long, thin transom privacy windows, geometric and oval shaped windows.

           Located in Florida, Hy-Lite manufactures approximately 500,000 acrylic blocks each year to include in their privacy windows. The blocks are created with acrylic resin materials and then framed in either vinyl or aluminum. Skilled employees use silicone for sealing and glazing the windows.

            Hy-Lite, a U.S. Block Windows Company, is the leading manufacturer of acrylic block, glass block and decorative glass windows. The company's privacy product options include acrylic block shutters, accent panels, radius walls, partition walls and door inserts. Since 1988, the Pensacola, Florida-based company has been committed to providing residential and commercial construction professionals and homeowners with elegant, affordable privacy window designs. For more information, visit www.hy-lite.com.                

*The 2018 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study gathered information from 2,237 registered users of Houzz and included a final sample of 1,144 respondents with a master bathroom project, 580 with a full non-master bathroom project and 120 with a partial bathroom project. It was fielded between June 30 and Oct. 17, 2018.

Spring Bathroom Makeover with Primark

Primark, Europe’s leading fashion retailer,  recently arrived stateside this fall in Boston and Philadelphia! Primark is sweeping  the nation with their style and aesthetic designs. From clothing to housewares, they offer quality items for a fraction of the price of department stores. If you're looking for a way to revamp your wardrobe or your home this spring season, Primark has just what you're looking for. 

Thanks to Primark, I was able to give my bathroom a much needed makeover. I started off with some lovely black and white hand towels. The material was soft and fluffy, and they were much thicker than department store brands. 

To go along with the towels, they sent this awesome matching toothbrush holder and soap dispenser, which definitely adds a touch of class to my bathroom sink. 

You can also keep your bathroom smelling fresh with a delightful fragranced jar that looks just as pretty as it smells.

And last but not least, add something unique to your walls with this adorable hanging chalk-board. This would work just as nicely in the kitchen as it would in the bathroom and is a great way to leave messages for your family. 

I love everything I received from Primark, but the most amazing part about this set, is that you can get all of this for around $25-$30. Everything in their housewares department is a great price. Here are a few more of my favorites, all priced below $10. 

Items at Primark never last long, especially at these great prices, so  their selection is constantly changing. Be sure to check back regularly to see what awesome deals you can snag! To keep up with future promotions, follow them on their social media. 

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