When you put together your family home, certain rooms tend to take precedence over others. It’s a lot of fun to design a cozy family room or to picture your dreamy farmhouse-style kitchen in full action as you cook a delicious dinner for the family. But once room that is perhaps even more important to the everyday functioning of your family’s home is the bathroom. Sure, you aren’t all using it at once like you are the other rooms mentioned – but that’s kind of the point. When you have one bathroom to share between four or maybe even five people (depending on how many kids you have), things can automatically get a bit complicated. The inevitable queue for the toilet, the rush as you all try and brush your teeth at once – and there’s always that one person who takes way too long in the shower. To a certain extent, there’s not a great deal you can do about much of this – these examples are simply by-products of living in a family home, and you will miss the madness once your kids have grown up and moved out! But still, you shouldn’t be fighting a losing battle against your bathroom every single day. Take a look at these top tips for how you can make your family bathroom much more functional.

Color coding

The last thing you need right after you’ve just got the kids settled for bed is an argument breaking out over who’s used who’s toothbrush. If you have multiple products in the same bathroom and they all belong to different people, try color coding them to make sure your family knows what belongs to who. This is especially important if certain members of your family need to use specific products for medical reasons – or if you just want to stop your children stealing your $30 a bottle body wash! Buy individual shower caddies in a variety of colors and get your kids to claim one each. It is also worth buying a variety of toothbrushes in different colors, so there’s no cross-contamination.

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The double sink

Sick of always dealing with a blocked and generally gross sink? Perhaps you’ve pretty much accepted that your kids will never wipe up their dried toothpaste no matter how many times you tell them, or perhaps your husband will simply never wash away his hair after his morning shave! If this sounds like something you’re used to, and you’ve got enough room, why not consider installing a second sink? Double sinks can look incredibly stylish and modern, and automatically free up space in your bathroom. There are a variety of styles to choose from, whether you want to go for classic porcelain or something a little more innovative, like marble or wood. Vessel sinks are also exceptionally popular and can immediately add a touch of chic to your bathroom. If overcrowding is the main issue you face in your family bathroom, this could be the perfect option for you – no more crowding around one sink just to have a go with the mouthwash!

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More storage space

If there’s one thing most bathrooms lack, it’s storage space. And if there’s one thing we all know about a family bathroom, it’s that a number of products we have in there sure can build up. Shampoos and body washes can be dealt with easily enough via the aforementioned shower caddy, but what about all the other things you tend to find in the average shared bathroom? Sponges, wash clothes, towels, hand soap, beauty products, hairdryers… the list is endless! Let’s start with the beauty products. This is a broad term that can cover everything from face washes to hair masks – and you’ll know how easy it can be to build up quite the collection. Having them just sitting on your sink surface can get crowded and also messy, as any leaks or spillages (and they will happen!) dry onto your surfaces. It can also be hard to know where to begin with your morning routine when you’ve got twenty different products staring you in the face! Chances are, there are only a couple of these products that you actually use on a daily basis, so install a cabinet of sorts to hide the rest away in. You don’t have to compromise on style either – you can get hold of some truly unique vanities from many great retailers. Try and get hold of one that offers multiple storage options: a big cupboard space for bulky items like electricals and cleaning products, and smaller drawers for miscellaneous items. It can also be worth investing in a towel rack or towel hooks, so you’re not constantly picking fabric up off the floor after your kids.

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Bathroom rules

It can be really hard to maintain the upkeep and appearance of one room on your own – especially a room that gets as dirty as quickly as a bathroom. The constant humidity and the amount of product used in a bathroom can easily make the place appear messy and unkempt – so encourage your family to abide by a set of rules in order to keep the place looking its best. Something along the lines of ‘leave the bathroom how you found it’ should suffice! Bathmats left to sit on a wet floor can easily become moldy and even a health hazard, so make sure whoever showers last hangs it up somewhere to air or puts it in the laundry basket. Hair in the plughole is also a common issue in big families – and nothing ruins the functionality of a family bathroom more than a blocked up bathtub. Place a hair catcher over your sink and your bathtub plughole, although encourage your family to pull any excess hair out all the same. By making these simple changes to your bathroom, you will find it much easier to use and the whole family will benefit.

A central room in any home, your bathroom can have a much bigger impact on your life than you realize. From giving you a peaceful oasis in which to relax in to acting as a practical room with plenty of functionality, how your bathroom is set up is highly important.

While baths and showers are commonly focused on, smaller features such as bathroom taps can have a profound influence. Bathroom taps highlight the exceptional variety found in these important accessories, offering a winning combination of style and quality in every single product.

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If you’re looking for new ways to use your taps to benefit your home then here are our top five tap tips.

1. Position carefully

The position of taps may not seem like an area where you have much choice, but this is inaccurate. Whether you go for single mixer taps that bring hot and cold water together in one spout or stick with the more traditional option of dual taps is up to you so think carefully and choose your position wisely.

2. Know your style

From the modern to the contemporary, bathroom taps fall into all style categories. To ensure that your taps work for you choose ones which match the style of your home and, most importantly, your bathroom. If you want something that looks at home in either case then go for a universal single lever tap with curved profile. 

3. Adjust the flow

As well as looking good, taps can also save you money by reducing water wastage. To do this, the Energy Saving Trust recommends you choose taps with a low flow rate or aerators.

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4. Match bath with basin

The key to an attractive bathroom is uniformity of style so make sure your bathroom taps match! This means choosing the correct units for baths and basins from the same range and considering how they’ll look alongside shower controls.

5. Keep it clean

Once you’ve chosen (and fitted) your preferred taps the next step is to keep them looking their best. This means knowing how to clean taps properly and ensuring that any relevant maintenance is carried out.

Wiping them with a dry cloth to remove moisture immediately after use should prevent limescale build-up and dulling on a day-to-day basis but you can also add extra shine to chrome taps with mild cleaners or even white toothpaste!