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Simple solutions for a ship-shape bathroom without using up time
sanity
Keeping a bathroom neat and clean can be simple. - photo by Photo Contributed

Everyone wants an immaculate home, but not everyone wants to spend their free time scrubbing and straightening. The reality revealed in a recent Good Housekeeping magazine study is that the average homeowner spends roughly 19 hours a week cleaning.

Wish you could reclaim some of those precious hours? Follow these simple, inexpensive kitchen and bath updates and your wish will be granted. Soon, these highly used rooms will look great and you'll be able to spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your ship-shape home.  

Shower sanity

Clutter...it can drive anyone crazy. In fact, in a recent study conducted by Moen Incorporated, men list having too many items cluttering up the shower as their No. 1 bathroom pet peeve. And with 60 percent of Americans sharing a shower area with a spouse or significant other, clutter can build up fast. So how can you de-clutter the shower? Try a new Stainless Steel Shower Caddy or Grab Bar with Integrated Shelf from Moen to organize shower necessities, helping to keep the shower area neat and tidy no matter how many people use it.

Terrible towels

“In addition to pet peeves in the shower, our research showed that more than one-third of homeowners cited 'leaving towels on the floor or on the kitchen sink' as a top pet peeve,” says Tom Tylicki, senior product manager, Moen Accessories.

Adding a new Retractable Towel Ring from Moen is a great solution. The thoughtfully designed product offers the traditional benefit of a towel ring, with a retractable cord that expands out and effortlessly retracts back to its original position. The towel remains on the ring at all times, keeping the countertop and floor towel-free, making it the ideal solution for every bath, kitchen or laundry room.

And to keep bath towels off the floor, adding additional towel bars, hooks or even a double curved shower rod, provides the perfect spots to encourage users to hang their towels after use. “The Double Curved Shower Rod offers visual appeal, almost an additional six inches of elbow room in the shower and provides easily accessible space to hang your towels," adds Tylicki.

Clean and clear kitchen sink

If towels aren't the culprit, dirty dishes are.  In fact, nearly 50 percent of respondents in a Moen survey about kitchen habits stated that “family members leaving dirty pots, pans, plates, etc.” was a top cause of tension.  And, coming in at a close second, with 42 percent of the respondents surveyed, was “household members leaving food/crumbs in the sink without washing it out.” 

Updating your kitchen faucet can make it easier to clean the sink area. Try a high-arc model with pullout spray functionality to reach every nook and cranny in the sink, and make every last crumb disappear. Likewise, undermount sinks which integrate seamlessly into a solid-surface countertop can help homeowners keep the sink area clean, because crumbs can be wiped directly from the counter into the sink.

Stop scrubbing

While a new faucet and accessories will add new functionality and style, the metal finishes can also mean more daily cleaning...until now. As you are making your simple kitchen and bath updates, consider adding a new faucet, showerhead and matching accessories in a Spot Resist finish from Moen. Spot Resist does just what it says - resists fingerprints and water spots - giving you one less thing to worry about cleaning on a daily basis. Soon you'll have a bathroom that looks amazing and stays that way.

With these simple and inexpensive kitchen and bath updates, your household chores will be done in no time, leaving your home looking great and providing you a few extra hours to spend relaxing.For more information about Moen products, visit www.moen.com.