Bathrooms are often one of the main reasons people feel they need more space. I frequently hear people say they would like one bathroom for every bedroom in their house! I can see why people feel this way: having more bathrooms lowers the communication required to peacefully share fewer bathrooms. However, as a family of four who has now lived with one bathroom for close to five years, I think we’ve perfected the art of sharing one bathroom. I’m sharing our tips to make this process easier for your family.
TIP #1: Only the Essentials
When we first moved into our house, we used the bathroom the way we had for our entire lives (when we were growing up with more than one bathroom). All skincare, makeup, body products, etc. were in the bathroom. It just made sense at the time. As our family grows and we’ve spent more time in the house with only one bathroom, that has changed.
Now, only the essentials are kept in the bathroom. These are items like toothbrushes and skincare products that are needed directly after getting out of the shower. Everything else that can be done elsewhere is kept in the bedrooms. Makeup does not need to be done in the bathroom so that is now kept in my bedroom. Hair products are now in the hallway linen closet. Removing excess items from the bathroom has drastically improved the issues we were having sharing one bathroom. For the most part, people are not needing to get into the bathroom as often, so when someone is using the bathroom they are less likely to have someone else knocking on the door.
TIP #2: Communication is Key
Sometimes there is no way around having timing difficulties when it comes to a shared bathroom. There will always be moments when two people may need the bathroom at the same time. However, having open and honest communication within your family can be helpful to quell most of these moments. Scheduling showering times and sticking to that helps family members understand what is happening and when, and that they need to schedule their needs around these times.
Mornings are usually a time of heavy use for the bathroom. Because of this, our family has generally scheduled our showering times at different times of the day. The kids are bathed after dinner each night, I shower in the evenings before bed, and my partner showers before bed or after working out at the gym in the mornings.
Along with communication, being courteous is so important. Our family has had many discussions about bathroom use, and we’ve gotten to a point where we all understand that being intentional with our time in the bathroom is so important. We all use the bathroom only when needed, and we do not linger in there for long. Our showers are 20 minutes or less, so no one is wasting time in the bathroom causing more problems. Everyone is on board with being kind to others and being respectful of everyone else’s time.
TIP #3: Utilize Gym Bathrooms!
This tip is a bit rogue and is really only for those who attend gyms, but it has been a great benefit to our family, so I figure it’s worth mentioning. My partner goes to a local YMCA in the mornings before the kids wake up. After he is finished working out, he showers and gets ready for the day at the gym. This is extremely helpful to our family for a lot of different reasons, but a huge benefit is the removal of that time showering in our only bathroom!
If you or a family member have a gym membership I highly recommend trying this if you’re having trouble sharing a bathroom. It can alleviate some of the problems.
Does your family share one bathroom? How do you do it and what works for you? Living in a small house requires systems and I love hearing what works for other families. Let me know in the comments below!
