Off-Campus Housing Series Two: Your New Place (And What to Bring) Part One: The Bathroom

"Off-Campus Housing Series Two: Your New Place (And What to Bring) Part One: The Bathroom", March 2008

Ah yes, the bathroom. A lot of important business happens in here. Sometimes you don’t get to spend as much time in there as you would like, and sometimes you will spend a little bit too much. Regardless, you are going to in there quite a bit.

The first thing you need to do is SANITIZE. I realize this isn’t really something you need to bring, but it really is something you need to do. Do not rely on your landlord to clean for you. They may be bringing in people to clean your house, but they will only be removing what is easy to clean and see. Sad to say, but unfortunately very true.


Getting back on topic...Buy yourself some bleach, and get a spray bottle and some sponges. Dilute the bleach a little bit, and just go nuts in the shower. Clean it several times. You don’t want to have anything left from the previous tenants in the bathroom when you move in (gonasyphaherpales anyone?). You will also need to clean the bathroom floor, the toilet, and the bathroom sink, although you may not need to do quite so much scrubbing (or hopefully not!).

Now that your bathroom is clean, you can think of what you will need to bring. Depending on the kind of shower you have, you may need a shower curtain. Regardless of what your shower looks like, you will certainly need a bathmat for when you get out of the shower. Also, go purchase some shower organizers from the dollar store; that way you can keep all of your shower stuff separate from those you share the bathroom with. You may also want to get some additional towel hooks and rods (again dollar store) if there is only one in your bathroom. This is a preference thing; I find it easier to keep a bath towel in the bathroom, so I can use it periodically throughout the day to dry my hands after washing them, as well as so I don’t forget my towel when I hop into the shower (unless you and your housemates are cool with you prancing around in the nude). Last but not least, you will also need a brush to clean your toilet.

I am not done with the bathroom quite yet, though. There is now the matter of all of the products you will need to outfit your bathroom with. I have found the best way to determine that everything in the bathroom is being taken care of equally is for one person to buy everything, and then divide the cost amongst everyone and pay the purchaser back. The person who buys can change throughout the year, but I think doing it in this fashion is the most fair.

As for what you need to buy: toilet paper, paper towel, Windex, something to clean the toilet bowl (such as Toilet Duck), paper towels, sponges, and something you can use to clean the floor. Swiffer cloths work well, and if you’re lucky you can buy the mop and share it for multiple parts of the house. If you or your bathroom-mates have a sensitive nose, you may also want to invest in some sort of air freshening spray for those smelly times.

And that my loyal readers, is the bathroom. Stay tuned for the rest of the house, which will be upcoming over the next several weeks.