Our Main Bathroom Updated

Before

Last month I finished our main bathroom!

I knew I had pretty much a blank slate and a lot to do in here to get it to the point I would be satisfied with it.  Quite simply it had to be pretty.  I gave myself a $150 budget to work with.

I can't tell you how many hours I spent cleaning this bathroom.  There was a thick layer of hairspray imbedded with dirt coating every surface - walls, cabinetry, door, light fixture, thermostat, towel bars, light switch.  That stuff does not come off easily.  I used my Mean Green kitchen cleaner and it took it right off.  The transformation of the light fixture was mind blowing.

Before - gross!

Much better!

The faucet had been caked with cleanser and it had dried like concrete making the knob hard to turn on and off.  For quite awhile I had been trying to soften it and get it scrubbed off but it wasn't cooperating.  I needed to perform surgery.  With both a flat blade and a phillips head screw driver I took it apart and then the work really began.  I ended up using the flat blade to also chisel off the cleanser, an old toothbrush to clean the collected gunk out of the knob and a wooden toothpick to get in the grooves and tight spots.  I also used my Mean Green cleaner which worked amazing.  By the time I was done it looked brand new and it works so much better.  Bonus - I'm not grossed out by it anymore. J

Once I had cleaned the entire bathroom and mopped the floor it was time for the fun stuff.

I replaced the twenty year old brass shower rod with a new chrome one for $19.99 at Fred Meyer.  I went ahead and paid the extra $7.00 to have the fancy finials on each end instead of the plain gray rubber tips.  I think it is really much prettier.

The fabric shower curtain was $29.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond and was exactly what I wanted.  I used a 20% off coupon to save $6.00 making it only $23.99.  The transparent shower liner was on sale for $7.99 and the chrome rings were $9.99 at Fred Meyer.  The navy blue bath mat was on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond for $6.99.

My big splurge was the fancy soap dispenser for $19.99.  I fell in love with it and just had to have it.  After a month of shopping around and not finding one I liked any better I went back and bought it using a $5.00 OFF coupon making it only $14.99.  A price I could definitely live with.

The towels are super thick and soft and the colors pull together with all the colors from the shower curtain.  They were all on sale at Fred Meyer.  Two bath towels for $5.99 each and six hand towels for $3.99 each.  Layering them on the towel bars I think it gives them a much more classy and expensive look.

The two apothecary jars were $2.00 from the dollar store.  I thought they were perfect for holding Q-tips and cotton balls.  The little Chinese sauce dish I already had and the soaps were given to me by a friend.  She brought them back from The Mirage in Las Vegas.  They smell so good.

Total amount spent so far with sales tax $111.22.

I wanted to add artwork to the empty walls.  I've never put anything on the walls in here before but I thought it needed a little something more.  With a dwindling budget I needed to get creative.

I downloaded some vintage perfume ads and printed them off on photo paper I already had.  Then I put them in black frames I bought at the dollar store for $1. each.  I think they turned out perfectly and make all the difference in here.  I have also added a pillar candle and a square candle holder I bought at the dollar store.

Grand total came in at $115.56, well below budget.  Hurraaaaaay!