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Ideas To Spruce Up Your Bathroom On A Budget

10.19.19

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Our bathrooms can be a real sanctuary when we’ve had a long and hard day. There’s nothing better than relaxing in the tub with a candle or two on the burn when your feeling stressed. When your bathrooms looking a bit shabby, you’re less inclined to use it for such a spa-like experience! If you want to achieve the bathroom of your dreams, but you don’t want to break the bank, here come a few simple ideas.

Declutter & Deep Clean

First things first, when your bathroom is cluttered and in need of a clean, the whole room quickly looks a mess. Go through all your cupboards, counters and products, get rid of anything that you don’t need and organise the things that you want to keep. For the most luxurious looking bathroom, it’s best to keep as many personal items out of sight as possible. Use drawers and baskets to keep your essentials in and go for a minimal look. Bathrooms usually don’t have lots of space, so the more minimal that you go, the bigger the room will appear. Having a deep clean doesn’t have to involve lots of expensive and toxic products. You can give your bathroom a deep clean using vinegar, baking soda, lemons and some good scrubbing brushes. Olive oil is a great go-to for polishing your chrome features until they are extra shiny. Decluttering your bathroom is the first and easiest step.

Add some artwork

You don’t have to do a huge remodel to jazz up your bathroom, for a budget-friendly fix; why not add some artwork? There are plenty of affordable and beautiful pieces of art out there from photography to illustration. Check your local art galleries, check Etsy, and second-hand stores to see what lovely things you can find. Artwork representing oceans, rivers or boats can be just perfect for the bathroom space. If you don’t have much wall space, go for something small or mid-sized so that it’s not too overpowering. 

Spa touches 

There are plenty of spa-touches you can add to your bathroom to give it that luxury factor. Firstly, invest in some calming scents that will help you to relax in the bathroom. Essential oils can be used to give the bathroom a lovely aroma; added to a bath; or displayed to add a touch of elegance. Lavender is a scent that is often praised for its calming properties, as is chamomile. Rose oil is considered to ease stress and boost positivity. Buying some beautiful plants and flowers for your bathroom will also help you to create a spa-effect. Bamboo or aloe vera plants are great for the humid conditions of the bathroom. Peace lilies are also a stunning choice to create a look of luxury. Choose one or two statement pieces that you love and get your bathroom looking like the spa that you deserve! 

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Lick of paint 

There’s nothing like a nice lick of paint to make any room feel brand new. Paint will help to protect your walls from moisture damage plus give the room a new glow. Most people opt for white or neutral colour schemes, to make everything appear bigger. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, why not paint just one wall in a bright colour? A feature wall can create a beautiful effect for any room. Shades of light yellows, greens or blues can look just perfect in a bathroom space. 

DIY bathroom checks  

When you haven’t cleaned out your drains in a while, there’ll be a build-up of grime (and probably some nasty smells) that’ll do nothing for your bathroom ambience. Buy some drain cleaner for your shower and sink to get everything fresh again. It may be the case that your drains and plumbing are too clogged to be fixed by a drain cleaning product. If you notice a raised water level in the toilet, water draining slowly or potent smells, you will need to call in the experts. DrainWorks Plumbing are a great service with plenty of experience and affordable prices. 

New accessories 

 Simple touches like buying in some new towels in bright colours and then arranging them beautifully can really make your bathroom look great. Why not fold your towels and display them with ribbons for a super elegant look. Treat yourself to a plush bath mat in the same colour, or some curtains in a trendy pattern. You’d be surprised how much a few simple additions can give your bathroom a boost. Ensure that you are colour matching everything so that there aren’t any clashes. 

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Beautify Your Bathroom The Right Way

10.11.19

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Are you thinking about remodelling an area of your home? If so, then you might want to consider making some changes to the bathroom. The bathroom is a popular room for renovation work for a few reasons. However, the main reason to focus on this area of your property is due to the fact that it’s going to add a tremendous level of value. Indeed, the right changes here can help you add as much as 25% to asking the value of your home when it’s time to sell. So, let’s take a look at how to complete a bathroom renovation the right way and ensure that you are making the necessary changes. 

Add A Vanity Cabinet 

To get started with your bathroom renovation, you can consider adding a vanity cabinet. The benefit of a vanity cabinet should be fairly obvious. With a vanity cabinet, you can make sure that you can easily and quickly clean up the clutter in this room. The good news is that vanity cabinets come in a wide range of different styles. They can have floating sinks that look incredible and they can be freestanding or connected to the room in your property. It’s entirely your choice which type you choose. 

Vanity cabinets are also available for a wide range of different budgets. So, you don’t need to worry about one not fitting into the cost of your renovation. You just need to think about the material and if the overall design is going to match your style. 

When you choose your vanity cabinet, make sure that you understand how to fit it the right way. It’s important that you do this. Otherwise, you can spend a lot of money only to have an item that looks pretty poor as part of your overall design. 

Fix Issues With Damp And Condensation 

You do need to make sure that you are working to fix issues with condensation as well as damp in your bathroom. Issues with damp in the bathroom are going to lead to mould growth. As well causing your bathroom to look unattractive it will bring further problems. For instance, when mould starts to develop in your bathroom, you’ll probably start to notice little insects crawling on your bathroom wall, about the size of a pinhead. These pests are called mould mites and while they are harmless, numbers can grow quickly. It won’t be long before your wall is covered with them and that’s not the type of moving style you want. As soon as you eliminate the mould, you’ll find that the mites disappear. 

So, how can you make sure that your bathroom isn’t becoming a damp nightmare? Well, you can opt for fan installation. This can be added to the ceiling of your bathroom and allow you to extract the moisture in the air. Or, alternatively, you might find that issues with moisture are actually due to a problem with the windows. If that’s the case, replacing the bathroom window will be your best option. By replacing your bathroom window, you can make sure that you don’t have to worry about trouble with changes to air causing condensation. This is also going to help your levels of insulation, which will be great through the winter months. It’s also possible that the seal around your bathroom window has gone and needs to be replaced. 

Choosing A New Bath

You can think about selecting a new bath for your bathroom. Freestanding baths are always popular and look incredible. The benefit of a freestanding bath is that it automatically becomes a gorgeous centrepiece feature of the room. It’s certainly going to make the area more classically stylish. While these used to be vintage pieces, they have returned and are now on-trend with a modern flair. 

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Consider Getting Rid of Your Tub 

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You might want to think about removing the tub. Think about how much space the bath actually takes up in your bathroom. The answer is probably quite a lot and if you have a small bathroom that feels quite cramped then removing it could definitely be the answer. 

By removing it you can make sure that you free up space and then you can use this space however you want. It might seem weird to have a bathroom without a bath, but it’s actually quite common these days. Particularly, if you have more than one bathroom in your home. So, what do people have instead?

Well, the popular choice is to go all out with the shower. Essentially, you build a luxury shower area that is big enough for more than one person. That’s great if you live with your partner and can be a fun way to start the morning. 

It makes a lot of practical sense too. First, if you live a busy professional life, then you’re probably not going to have much time to take a bath. This is time-consuming, which means that you’ll benefit more from a luxury shower, even if you spend limited levels of time in your shower. You might want to consider a waterfall showerhead or something similar. You can even opt for a shower head that lights up and causes the water to glow. There are a variety of different choices here and once you explore, you’ll find the possibilities are endless. 

It’s important to note that this isn’t actually an easy renovation. A lot of people think that it’s just a matter of ripping out the bath and this isn’t true at all. You have to remember that the bath is going to be connected to your plumbing. So, if you want to remove it, then the plumbing issues also need to be dealt with. Luckily, there are pros that can help you take the right steps here. If you explore companies like Mr. Rooter Plumbing, then you’ll be able to get the support you need at the price you can afford. 

It can be tempting to complete all the work yourself. However, it’s usually best to avoid doing this. One of the reasons for that is that if anything does go wrong or you make mistakes, it’s going to lead to some expensive repairs that you’ll definitely want to avoid. This can quickly become a renovation nightmare and cause your bathroom remodel costs to grow completely out of control. It’s one of the reasons why people will often just call in a renovator to complete all the work in a bathroom. 

Epoxy Resin 

You could be adding new tyles or flooring to your bathroom. This is a great way to completely alter the aesthetic of the area and ensure that your bathroom looks incredible. To do this, you need to make sure that you are selecting a choice that fits in with your overall decor. 

You might think that your dream flooring option is not going to fit into your renovation budget. However, don’t be so sure. There are plenty of aesthetic materials that have the same quality of something like marble without the high price tag. As such, it is possible to get the awesome design you want even when you’re keeping to a tight financial plan. 

That brings us to epoxy resin. You might have seen bathroom floors look like glass or even frozen water. How do owners create this incredible effect? Well, that’s all due to epoxy resin. By adding a layer of this to your flooring in your bathroom, you will be able to create this stunning effect. 

Don’t Forget About Safety

While it’s often easy to miss out on practical elements of a bathroom, safety is an important consideration and it doesn’t have to spoil the look. The key thing to remember is that flooring should not be slippery. You can add adhesives to the bottom of the bath or the shower. This will ensure that you don’t slip and fall. You would be amazed by how many accidents occur in the bathroom. 

Furthermore, while you may want to add some electric outlets to the bathroom for beauty products, razors or toothbrushes, this needs to be handled the right way. In other words, you need to choose the correct place to fit them. Again, it’s worth consulting a professional here. They’ll provide you with expert advice that you definitely need. 

Walls

You do need to consider the walls of your bathroom. It’s important that you don’t leave the walls bare particularly around the bath. The issue here is that the walls will get wet and this is going to lead to stains that look unsightly and spoil the beautiful decor of the room. So instead, you want to make sure that you’re adding tiles or a similar covering. These can easily be fitted and will look absolutely incredible if you complete this job the right way. You get bonus points if you choose to clash the shade with the flooring that you have chosen. 

We hope you use these ideas to create the incredible bathroom design of your dreams. 

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Bekaming a mom

Pregnancy Essentials List

10.08.19

Pregnancy is no walk in the park and your body changes so much over the course of the 9 months. To make things easier and more comfortable for me throughout the pregnancy, I’ve come with a pregnancy essentials list. Some of these things you’ll need in the first, second or third trimester only whereas others can be used throughout the pregnancy. I also tried to be minimal and not buy too many of the one time use items or items that take up too much space. I hope you find this pregnancy essentials list helpful if you’re also pregnant.

Pregnancy Essentials List

Crackers

The majority of pregnant woman will experience morning sickness for some time. Some may be lucky and not experience any at all, and there may be others that get morning sickness throughout the pregnancy. For me, I had morning sickness between weeks 7-14 while also experiencing some nausea randomly in other weeks. After a lot of trial and error, I realized crackers really helped subside the nausea (my favourite are the Toppables brand). Especially in the mornings. I realized if I stayed on an empty stomach for too long in the morning, I would vomit. So, since the beginning of the pregnancy, I started keeping a box of crackers in my bedside table. As soon as I’ve brushed my teeth and taken a shower, I eat a cracker. Every day.

pregnancy essentials list

Diclectin

Another pregnancy essential for me is Diclectin. Diclectin is a a prescription medication that is used for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and it is combination of an antihistamine and vitamin B6. You need to take 4 pills a day to see a difference because it is a medication that needs to be in your system throughout the day for you to feel the effects. This really helped me during the worst of the morning sickness and I took it into the second trimester as well because I really did not enjoy feeling nauseous.

Stretch Mark Oil

My sisters gifted me this oil from Burts Bees and I started using it in the first trimester, well before there was even any sign of a bump. It smells so good (a lemony scent) and was very nice to apply to my stomach and back so I made it a part of my night time routine. I’m 30 weeks pregnant now, with a pretty big bump, and have yet to see any stretch marks. They say stretch marks are genetic and there is still another 10 weeks of this pregnancy left, so I could still get stretch marks. But this oil is definitely keeping my skin hydrated and healthy.

pregnancy essentials list

Pregnancy Wedge

When my bump did start showing, it became quite uncomfortable for me to sleep at night. I am a stomach sleeper, so I had to stop sleeping on my stomach and transition to my side or back. I started looking into pregnancy pillows and asked friends and family their opinion about those giant pillows. Some loved them, some barely used them. I didn’t want to commit to such a large item in our room, so decided to get the pregnancy wedge. And boy oh boy, this is such a holy grail item for me and is my favourite in this pregnancy essentials list. It’s small, helps lift my stomach when I sleep on the side and easy to move around at night when I change positions. I even use it when I sit cross legged and need a little more support.

pregnancy essentials list

Compression Stockings

In the second trimester, I started getting round ligament pain, which is a sharp stretching sensation in my stomach going down to my legs. So, I started wearing my compression stockings and they made such a big difference. I wear them at work and take them off at night and I have not felt this pain in my legs since I started wearing them. As for the sharp stretching in my stomach, I think chiropractic treatment and gentle massage from Gursheel has helped quite a bit.

Dry Brush

Related to round ligament pain, I found using my dry brush really helped. Dry brushing really helps with circulation and detoxifying your skin. I first featured my dry brush on my Amazon Favourites post and I have been using it ever since. It is a must have for pregnancy as well.

Nose spray

Also during the second trimester, I started getting a stuffy nose every morning (I shared this in my what they don’t tell you about pregnancy post from last week). I immediately purchased a saline spray from amazon that just contains sea water and that really helped to clear our my stuffy nose. I also noticed that if I used the saline spray too often, my nose started to dry out. I suggest only using this a couple of times a week to get the best benefit.

pregnancy essentials list

Exercise Ball

Now that I’m in my third trimester, I pulled out an exercise ball we had lying around and have really enjoyed sitting on it and stretching out my hips. It is more comfortable for me to sit on the exercise ball than on my bed/chair.