Tips to having a healthy bathroom
Brand new bathrooms look clean and fresh. Sparkling tiles and tapware and transparent shower screens. But with use, the build up of soaps, cleaners, and general debris makes areas of the bathroom a breeding ground for mould and start to look old and tired quickly.
Invest in the best tapware your budget can afford
Although can be an expensive upgrade, good tapware saves water, are easier to maintain, and last longer. Do not over-tighten your taps as this is the main cause of leaks. But do attend to leaks when you notice them to prevent staining of toilets, baths or basins.
Tile selection
Choosing easy to clean surfaces from the beginning assists with maintenance of your bathroom. Textured tiles or mosaics may be your preference, but will prove difficult to keep clean with more grout and surface grooves. There is no reason to avoid these selections, but be selective in where you use them. Make a wall outside the shower or well away from the bath or vanity basin where there is little or no water splash.
Good ventilation
Condensation on walls and windows after showers should be avoided. If your exhaust fan struggles too keep up, open the window.
Sealing
Caulking where grout has come away from joints between tiles and fixtures and cabinetry. The enemy of your home is water, and this is no different for bathrooms. Over time bathrooms without regular maintenance will leak water through walls and the floor into the adjoining rooms. Cracks in tiles and grout must be repaired and replaced.
Ask about your water-proofing
Your builder must install a water-proofing system to your bathroom in accordance with the Building Code of Australia (BCA). The BCA lists the minimum standards for construction. This does not require water-proofing systems throughout the bathroom, only to specific areas including your shower recess, and where fixtures (baths and basins) and walls meet. You might want to provide a higher standard than the minimum required. Ask your builder about the cost and options that are available.