Guest Post by Andrea Davis

Your bathroom is a sacred space, but it may sometimes fall short of meeting your expectations. Rather than spending thousands on a remodel, think about what you can do to bring your substandard bathroom up to par on your own. Here are some genius bathroom hacks to consider:

#1 Cleaning Your Tub and Toilet

Over time, your bathtub may accumulate grime, dirt, and even mold from continued use and moisture. You could pay to have your tub removed or refinished, but try these quick-and-easy DIY tricks first:

• Grapefruit: To keep your bathtub clean, cut a grapefruit in half and sprinkle salt on the pulp. Get your tub wet, salt the bottom of the tub and scrub with the grapefruit half. Rinse, and your bathtub comes completely clean.
• Cotton coils: Get some cotton coil from a beauty supply store, soak the coils in bleach, and place them over the mold overnight. Pull the coils away in the morning to reveal no more mold.
• Coke: Pour Coca-Cola into your toilet bowl to scrub out tough stains. It works!

#2 Unclogging Drains

Sinks, bathtubs and toilets can get clogged with hair and assorted other things over time. While you can use drainer chemicals to get some things out, others are a bit harder to remove. It’s not always practical to call a plumber. So, consider some of these alternatives:

• Alka-Seltzer tablets: Put four tablets down the drain along with some vinegar. Wait 10 minutes and rinse with hot water (think boiling hot). If there’s still something stuck down there, you might need a quality plumber.
• Soap and hot water: Boil some water and add dish soap. Then dump in the drain (or toilet). Flush or drain; it should work again.

#3 Organizing Bathroom Space

Do you have more stuff than places to put it? This can be especially annoying if you don’t have a separate linen cabinet for all of your towels and washcloths. These hacks will help you make some space:

• Put a magazine holder on a cabinet door: Depending on the size of the magazine holder, it could hold a curling iron, hair dryer, brush and many other items.
• Roll your towels: Rolling your towels — believe or not — opens up a lot more space in a cabinet for other items, whether more linens or something else.
• Use coat hooks: Towel racks only hold maybe a few towels at a time. If you hang coat hooks, you can potentially put four to five wet towels out to dry. In bathrooms shared by multiple people, this is very advantageous.
• Adhere magnetic strips to cabinet doors: For those who utilize tweezers, bobby pins, nail clippers and other small metal items that are easily lost, magnetic strips can be the organizational godsend that keeps them in one place without cluttering up a drawer.
• Add pull-out drawers: Since adding more cabinets is expensive and takes up even more room in your already-cramped bathroom, while not add pull-out drawers? You could potentially add more space, and it’s an easier way to access storage than rifling around in your cabinet for one particular item.

#4 Redecorating on a Budget

If you want to spice up your bathroom but lack the funds to replace everything, there are some small improvements you can make on a small budget. Some can add storage benefits, while others might be considered upcycling. These include:

• Using a mason jar as a soap pump.
• Adding an extra shower curtain rod for storage.
• Placing a stacked plate holder on the countertop for added space.
• Attaching more towel racks to the back of the door for storage.

Whether you decide to go the purely decor route or blend decor with reorganization or storage ideas depends on the size of your bathroom and what you need the most.

Andrea Davis is the editor at HomeAdvisor, which connects homeowners with home improvement professionals in their area for free. Connect with Andrea on Google+

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