10 Ways to Refresh Your Bathroom without Remodeling

Bathroom remodels look inviting once they’re finished and as long as someone else is doing the work. But what if you don’t have the money, time or energy to replace bathroom fixtures or flooring, add a tile backsplash or even paint the walls, but you’d like to give your bath a little pick-me-up? Pick and choose from among these 10 bathroom refreshers.

1. Make your faucets sparkle like new. Get rid of hard water stains and scaling with white vinegar on a clean rag or sponge. The whole sink area will look cleaner and brighter.

2. Put something new on the countertop. Replace your toothbrush holder, soap dish and tissue box for something new and exciting or add a pretty candle in a mosaic holder. Even a handful of fresh flowers in a pretty glass vase can make your bathroom more inviting.

3. Aromatherapy is cheap and easy. Introduce a great new scent to the bathroom with potpourri, scented soaps and candles, a new air freshener, or scented oil reed diffuser. Change scents with the seasons so that there is always something new and fresh.

4. Replace ratty towels with fresh new fluffy ones. Cushy new towels in coordinated shades gives the bathroom a new look. Really go crazy and add a coordinating shower curtain for an instant update.

5. Change your wall art. If you’re tired of the same old same old, change up your wall art with new metal art, framed photographs, cottage-inspired wrought iron, candle wall sconces or anything that appeals to you. Do it on the cheap by framing up your own digital photographs or a verse of poetry or inspirational verse printed on parchment and elegantly framed.

6. Add a fashionable new rug. If you haven’t looked at bathroom rugs lately you’ll be amazed at the colors, patterns and themes available. Whether you lust for climbing cabbage roses or bold modern color blocks, a new rug in the bathroom can give you a lot of decorative bang for your buck.

7. Improve organization and beat clutter. Runaway clutter can make the most luxurious bathroom look tacky. Take a few hours to pitch old jars of expired face cream and a zillion sample bottles of shampoo. Reorganize your stuff with drawer organizers, wall shelves, bins or over-the-door organizers. Then enjoy your ‘new’ clean countertops.

8. Brighten up with mirrors. Expand the visual size and brightness of your bath by adding new mirrors. Replace the vanity mirror or balance smaller mirrors on either side of it. Decorate an entire wall with wall mirrors for a wide open look or attach unframed mirrors to your cabinet doors with adhesive. Ooh la la!

9. Replace the shower curtain liner. Vinyl liners can get smelly and moldy in just a few months. If you don’t want the hassle of cleaning it, buy a new one for just a few dollars. The difference it makes in bathroom hygiene is priceless.

10. Add automatic cleaners. Automatic toilet bowl and auto spraying bathtub/shower cleaners make it easier to keep a busy bathroom clean without having to resort to the rubber glove and scouring brush routine everyday.