Keeping a White Bathroom Clean

I had NO idea how many all white bathroom haters there are on the internet.  Yesterday, a pic of my bathroom made it to Hometalk's Facebook page and although it was mostly well received, there were also a few many people out there with a deep prejudice against all white bathrooms and they all had something to say in the comments (and nothing better to do, I guess?).  Putting energy into trolls like that isn't my style, but what I did realize was that many people out there might be wondering how I possibly plan to keep that bathroom clean.  With 3 boys.  Am I crazy??  Well, let's not answer that ;)

First off, it is a Master Bath.  My kids are older and don't spend a lot of time in there.  They are not prohibited from going in there, but they have their own bathroom to share.  I put a lot of thought and research into creating a space I could easily maintain.  We took out 2 linen closets to make room for the tub, so I was concerned about losing that storage.  I love reading any and all blogs and magazines about home storage and organization.  Fact is, life can be crazy with kids, so I have found if you plan an organized space, it can make all the difference.  The first step to keeping any space clean is organized storage...

1.  Organized Storage-Our vanity has 2 small drawers.  I bought small baskets at Target to hold my makeup and our toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Under each of our sinks, we have a plastic turntable where we keep our personal items.  All other personal items (tp, etc) are in the larger baskets on the shelf beneath the vanity.

Makeup stored in a divided tray.

These turntables under each sink are great for keeping personal items accessible and neat.  The green storage containers were purchased at Target and I printed the labels from here.

Hair products stored in large basket on shelf beneath sink.

The built-in houses pretty containers that hold the stuff we used everyday-cotton balls, bath salts, soap, etc.

The smaller built-in is the perfect size for towels.  I purposely did not "stage" these photos.  Everything isn't perfectly folded, but it's in its place.

2.  Washable Surfaces- The carrera marble top gets wiped down with a vinegar cleaner almost every day.  I also use the vinegar cleaner to clean the mirrors and fixtures because harsh chemicals would damage the marble.  I fully expect the marble to etch a bit in time and I am ok with that.  We chose the white porcelain floor over the marble hex we loved because it is easier to maintain.  Urine etches marble floors terribly.  We have 3 boys.  So no marble flooring for us.  Keeping the tub clean is easy thanks to the hand shower.

3.  Shower Glass- We use a squeegee after every shower.  It takes under a minute.  We have hard water so we know that if we don't take this step, we will have a big problem on our hands.  We knew when we chose a glass shower that we were committing to a long relationship with the squeegee :)  The hand shower is great for rinsing the tile after washing.

Our lovely squeegee

4. Bleach!-  Here's a secret I learned soon after I had my first boy.  White can actually be EASIER to maintain than other colors because of bleach.  All of the linens from the bathroom go in a hamper next to the vanity and they all get bleached.  I don't buy expensive towels.  Every towel in the bathroom is from Target.  When they need to be replaced, it won't break the bank.

These are my tips for keeping an all white bathroom organized and clean.  Let's face it, no one enjoys cleaning bathrooms.  But there are steps you can take to make it easier no matter what your color preference is.