The bathroom is without a doubt one of the most important rooms in a home, perhaps next to the kitchen or bedroom, yet it often gets neglected when it comes to making major renovations compared to the other two. As highlighted by Muariff Priambudi, making your bathroom less of a priority is wrong as it is priceless for your own needs. If you’re not too happy about the state of your bathroom at the moment, but haven’t done anything about it, then now is the time to consider a renovation.

To help you out, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Have a planned layout

Before anything else, it’s vital that you have a fixed plan of everything you want along with a strict budget. When you have a blueprint of what you’re going to build, it will be much easier to allot money and time. A mistake many people make is changing the plan during the renovation as this will often lead to expenditures you weren’t expecting. If you’re having a hard time creating a plan, it’s best to speak with a remodeling contractor and listen to their advice.

Hire an electrician

Aside from a reputable contractor, you would also need to find a reliable electrician to take care of any rewiring, lighting, and any other electric work your renovation might require. Real Homes suggests hiring a registered electrician because you will get additional protection in case anything goes wrong. In order for a bathroom to be safe you must hire a professional to add any fittings.

Clean thoroughly after renovation

When renovating your bathroom, the main focus tends to be on procuring the right furniture and accessories and improving the aesthetics, but you also shouldn’t overlook the small things. Aside from making sure that the look of the room is cohesive, you should also see to it that it’s completely clean, all the way down to the tiles. Laura Rudd writing for HomeServe notes that tiles can get covered in limescale and mold, causing discoloration that affects the look and feel of your rooms. But to rectify this, you can always use a grout cleaner or grout pen, to make the tiles look brand new. You also have the option of removing the current batch of grout and re-grout for a flawless finish. It’s important to do this after the renovations are over and done with so your bathroom will look brand new.

Be mindful of storage

You may have all the fancy amenities and high-tech tools money can buy, but untidiness and disorder will follow you if you don’t invest in proper storage. Whether you have a small or spacious bathroom, there are ways to maximize the space and install storage that will prove to be useful in the long run. For those with less space to work with, Good Housekeeping recommends using a storage ladder to hang towels and baskets full of extra toilet paper, as they don’t protrude much from the wall. Beyond cabinets and trays, you also have the option to create storage where there once wasn’t any by adding some height with bracketed shelves. It’s important to be smart about storage, so you won’t encounter countertop clutter, towels on the floor, or electronics just lying around.

Prioritize ventilation

Bathrooms are prone to dampness, so it’s important to have adequate ventilation. All bathrooms, regardless of size, need to have excellent ventilation to keep everyone in the house in good health, as well as to prevent mold from growing. As previously mentioned, mold will only cause stains and expensive damage, rendering your renovation useless. At the very least, you should have exhaust fans or bathroom fans. If possible, install more windows and window vents as they are excellent sources of ventilation.

Remember that lighting matters

It’s ironic how a room that people use to visually inspect their hair and faces typically have very dim lighting. Having bad lighting only destroys the look and utility of the space, so you have to make sure that you have ample illumination. The Spruce suggests that it’s worth adding lighting around the bathroom mirror in the form of sconces, in addition to the light on your ceiling. You can also add a dimmer switch, so you can adjust the lighting depending on your mood.