Keep your toilet nice and clean

In goofy movies, there’s always that character who will take a sandwich to the toilet. While that may be a tad unsanitary, the idea is that one should feel comfortable in these little rooms.

They shouldn’t be an afterthought, especially if one is building their own house.

Your guests shouldn’t dread visiting your toilet because it is dirty, dimly lit, damp and generally has an unpleasant smell.

For a great experience, both for the guest and, more importantly for the house owner, there are a number of  simple, ordinary items you could use to create a nice and pleasant atmosphere in   your little room. These include:

A BOOK/MAGAZINE RACK

This is not the most immediate concern for a good toilet but it adds character to the room. It never hurts to add a little knowledge rather than stare at the tile pattern.

Short reads are preferable but one can also have a title that one reads a little when they visit the toilet.

There are all sorts of ideas on a good bathroom magazine rack. Some are wall-mounted, others are recessed on the walls while others are simply placed on the floor.

They come in a wide variety of materials, including wood, others metal and of course, the ubiquitous plastic. You can have it professionally made or make one as a do-it-yourself project. For ideas, just log on to the the Internet.

A FLOOR MAT/RUG

These are good for protecting your feet from the cold tiles, especially if you spend some time in there reading.

It could be just a small rug placed where you usually put your feet although there are rugs that wrap around the base of the toilet for better comfort (contour rugs) and even come with a matching toilet lid cover.

But as with everything else there is a flipside: these mats need constant cleaning. Hygiene is important to keep bad odour away especially if there is urine splash, which hangs in the air for a long time.

AIR FRESHENER

This one is a no-brainer. The toilet should smell clean.

There are those that one can spray after they are done with their business, and then there are the automatic types that release a spray on a timed schedule.

Whichever the case, the fragrance should be pleasant and not astringent to avoid irritating those who might be sensitive to smells or allergic.

However, natural aeration is the best and one should discuss with their architect the design of a toilet that will allow a constant flow of fresh air into the room while getting rid of bad smells.

GOOD LIGHTING

While there are myriad ideas on fancy lighting for the bathroom, the general idea is that it should be sufficiently lit.

Fluorescents are excellent as they give a ‘“lean” feeling and make the user feel comfortable with the hygiene.

Dimly lit toilets are likely to give the impression that they are rarely cleaned, hence the need to keep them in semi-darkness.

Ultimately, however, the most important aspect of a toilet, whether it has all these add-ons or not, is the hygiene. Toilets should be kept very clean, both for health and comfort.

Dirty tiles, bowls or seats give a very bad impression and generally are a major turn-off to people who consider hygiene a code to live by.

For the more adventurous with cash to spare,  you can get a seat warmer and perhaps, also a painting or other work of art to jazz up the room some more.