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No room in the house works harder than the bathroom. And while these spaces exist to keep you clean, they can easily harbor odors, toothpaste smears, stray hairs, and other funky grime.

Of course, you neaten up and scrub these spaces regularly. But along the way, inevitable missteps can undermine even the best cleaning efforts.

“More than any other room, the bathroom should look and smell clean [and] feel spacious and organized,” notes Pamela O’Brien, an interior decorator with Pamela Hope Designs.

Read on for ways to reverse common mistakes and ensure your bath looks (and smells) its very best.

1. Haphazard towels

Corral your towels for a neater appearance.

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When used towels are tossed over the shower rail or bathroom door, it creates a less-than-tidy visual.

“Towels that are wet and hanging to dry in multiple locations feel damp and disorganized,” observes Jen Dallas, design expert at her eponymous interiors firm.

If you can rehang your towel bars in one area yourself (and then patch the wall), jump right in. Alternatively, swap in hooks or colorful knobs—because linens look neater there than in a messy clump on a longer bar.

Dallas’ fix is to group hooks in one spot, so “when you walk into the bathroom, you don’t see towels everywhere.”

2. Dampness and humidity

Damp conditions can lead to funky smells.

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If you’re always itching to fling open your bathroom windows, you probably have a dampness issue.

“Humidity here always communicates ‘unclean,'” says Dallas.

You’re striving for freshness in this spot, so address the ever-present fog by checking the existing ventilation.

The vent’s grill could be clogged with dust and hair, which means a few quick passes with the vacuum attachment might easily clear the air and banish the funk.

3. Jam-packed vanity

Clean counters make spaces look tidy.

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Counters are every homeowner’s bugaboo, whether in the kitchen or bathroom.

Yet, not everything can be stored in a cabinet or contained in one cute spot.

But as O’Brien points out: “A bathroom with a jumbo-sized acne medication sitting next to the sink isn’t gonna cut it.”

She suggests grouping the items (makeup, pills, haircare tools, etc.) in a stack of tray-like baskets on a shelf or under the sink.

“This way, you can pull them out as needed, and then put back the stack and close the door,” O’Brien says.

4. Garbage on display

A closed garbage bin is key.

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A bathroom wastebasket is mandatory, of course; but a full, open one can disrupt an otherwise clean look.

A lid fixes this problem, but balancing it open it with your foot—or worse, bending over to pry it off—is hardly a smart solution.

A better way to live with bathroom garbage (because, let’s face it, emptying it daily will never happen) is to store it under the sink. Or choose a can that disappears into your bathroom’s color scheme.

5. Sticky soap dish

Fact: Bar soap can look icky fast when left in a dish.

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That lovely bar of French-milled lavender soap smells divine, but it’s a hot mess in the ceramic dish by the tap.

Trying to wipe off this piece each time you lather up just isn’t practical. Easy fix: Trade that bar for a pretty, refillable liquid soap dispenser.

6. An overloaded tub

Keep products to a minimum around the tub.

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Owning a large soaking tub is a homeowner’s dream, right? And once it comes true, some folks go a little nuts with the bath gear.

All those loofahs, pillows, bath bombs, lotions, bubbles, and oils can create a cluttered look that cancels out the cleaning routine.

Instead, one great-looking basket can wrangle accessories between soaks, so you don’t have to look at these items teetering on the edge of your soaker.

The same holds for your kids’ bath toys—stash them in a plastic mesh bag or an out-of-sight bin, rather than on the bathtub ledge.

7. An old bathmat

A new mat can add life to a tired bathroom.

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A dingy, damp bathmat or small rug past its prime can undercut a sparkling tub and freshly mopped floor.

Unfortunately, we’re here to tell you that you can’t keep the same piece of carpet on the floor for years.

Luckily, there are loads of affordable bathmats out there, and a fresh one always looks great. It’s a fun, cheap way to add a new pop of color to the bathroom.

The post Gotta Go! 7 Frequent Mistakes That Sabotage Your Clean Bathroom appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.