Bathroom Refresh: Tips for Staging and Living

When we do a walk through with a homeowner to talk about what they need to do to prepare their home for listing, we provide all sorts of tips and tricks on how to simplify and ready each room. The space we’re focusing on today though, is the bathroom!

Step 1: Deep clean

First things first.  Let’s get it clean!  And I don’t mean the simple toilet, sink, shower wipe down technique, I mean deep clean.  Take a look around at your bathroom.  Look at the base molding, is there dust?  Look at the walls, is there dried water splatter or hair product residue?  In the shower, is there missing caulk or stains? Wash or replace the shower liner, and clean all the dust out of the ceiling vent.

It can feel overwhelming but deep cleaning your bathroom from top to bottom, even if it’s outdated, can greatly improve the feel and marketability with potential homeowners. So we nailed that down.

Step 2: Declutter

Prepack and minimize.  Look through your medicine cabinet, closet or drawers.  Are there expired products hiding in there that need to be thrown away? Any products you don’t use because you bought once and didn’t like it? Pass it on to a friend or toss.  Getting rid of items you don’t need or use will help us prepare for the next step…

Step 3: Organize

This doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor, I have used gift boxes, old containers and dollar store baskets to organize my bathroom.  Organizing your items by similarity or function is a good way to separate them.  I have a basket that’s just for hair products, another for my nightly regime and so on.  (If you really want to get in the organizing mood, throw on an episode of Marie Kondo).  Fold your towels, categorize your items into containers and voila, you are well on your way.  

Step 4: Refresh

It’s time to see what we can add to help the bathroom feel fresh.  Do the walls need a fresh coat of paint?  Maybe a new color? There are great options for peel and stick wallpaper that really can change the mood of a bathroom.  Need a new bath mat or rug?  Try places like HomeGoods or Target for an inexpensive, cute option.  How about a fresh, clean hand towel?  

Consider adding a plant or two, artwork on the walls, a bathroom tray that holds a candle and a vase, or a refillable soap dispenser without a brand label on it.  All these minor changes will greatly affect the way a person feels when entering your bathroom.

So, when you are preparing your bathroom (and home) for listing, keep in mind how it feels to stay in a beautiful hotel.  The way it feels to walk into the bathroom and have fresh towels, a sense of cleanliness and minimalism to it.  Stowing away the plunger and toilet brush in a nearby cabinet rather than out in the open are good tips for staging!

Hopefully this will get you feeling motivated for a spring clean.  I think I motivated myself just writing this, so I’m off to get my own bathroom refreshed for daily living!

Cheers!

-Kate