Planning and design

Guest bathroom before Christmas: quick improvements without renovation

During the holidays, the bathroom and WC are used more than ever, and guests notice every detail. Without demolition, you can accomplish a lot in a few days: remove limescale, replace mouldy silicone, install a new toilet seat, prepare towels and hooks, improve the lighting, and heat the bathroom. Here’s a list of what you can manage in an hour, a day, and a weekend.

Prepared by: TGB Kúpeľne team, bathroom showroom in Senec since 1991updated 8. 11. 20268 min read

Illustrative image: A bright bathroom ready for the holidays with clean towels, a mirror with lights, and a subtle green twig

Before Christmas, many households host more people than usual. Parents come for a few days, children with families stay overnight, and visitors arrive on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. The bathroom and WC suddenly become the busiest rooms in the flat – and the ones that guests see up close. The good news is that you don’t need a renovation for a pleasant bathroom. Most of the things that guests notice can be accomplished in a few hours or over one weekend.

We have sorted them by how much time they take. Start with what is most visible, and save longer adjustments, such as replacing silicone, for the weekend at least a week before guests arrive.

What you can accomplish in an hour, a day, and a weekend

If you would rather replace the cabinet, tap or wall tiles directly, check out the article Bathroom renovation without demolition – it shows what can be changed over a weekend without breaking tiles.

Cleanliness that guests see first

Guests will first notice white spots on the glass of the shower enclosure, a dull tap, and grey grout joints. You can tackle all of this in an hour:

• Shower enclosure glass: apply a gentle cleaner for limescale, let it sit according to the instructions, and wipe it off with a squeegee. The procedure and what to avoid to not damage the glass are described in the article How to Clean a Shower Enclosure from Limescale.
• Taps: chrome taps just need to be washed with soapy water and polished dry. Never use abrasive or acidic cleaners on black, gold, or brushed surfaces – they will ruin the finish.
• Aerators: when water flows weakly or sprays from the tap, there's limescale in the aerator. Unscrew it, soak it in vinegar, and put it back. If the tap is dripping, replacing the cartridge will help – the instructions are in the article Dripping Tap.
• Shower head: clogged nozzles can often be wiped clean with a finger or the head can be soaked in a descaler. Soft rubber nozzles release limescale more easily.
• Grout joints: clean grey cement grout joints with a brush and neutral cleaner. How to protect them later can be found in the chapter Grout Joints and Silicone.

Mouldy silicone: replace it, don't just repaint

Black spots in the silicone around the bath or shower cannot be washed away – the mould is in the silicone, not on it. Repainting with a cleaning agent will only help for a few days. The only permanent solution is to cut out the old silicone, degrease the area, let it dry, and apply new sanitary silicone with a fungicidal additive.

Think about the time. Regular sanitary silicone cures approximately 2 mm in 24 hours, so don't do the replacement the day before guests arrive. The ideal time is a weekend one or two weeks before the holidays. When it comes to the bath, it helps to fill it with water before applying the silicone – the bath will settle and the joint won't crack. The entire procedure is in the article Replacing Silicone in the Bathroom.

WC for guests

A separate WC is a place where the guest is alone and has time to look around. Therefore, it's worth considering:

• Toilet seat: an old, scratched, or loose seat looks unkempt. A new slow-close seat can be replaced in an hour. Before buying, measure the bowl – length, width, and distance between the fixing holes. We describe how to do this in the article Toilet Seat: How to Choose the Right One.
• Leaking WC: water that continuously flows into the bowl can be heard throughout the flat. Usually, it just needs the valve in the tank to be cleaned or replaced – even with a wall-mounted tank, you can access it through the button hole. Instructions are in the article WC is Constantly Leaking.
• Visible paper supply: two to three rolls in a basket or on a stand, so the guest doesn't have to search for them.
• Soap and hand towel: if there's a sink in the WC, place a soap dispenser and a small towel next to it. If you don't have a sink and the WC is large enough, check out the article Small Sink for WC – it might come in handy next year.
• Bin with a lid and an air freshener with a subtle fragrance.

Towels, hooks and space for guests' belongings

The most common problem for guests in a foreign bathroom is not knowing where to put their towel and cosmetics. A few small items can help:

• Personal towels for guests in a separate place – folded on a shelf, on a chair, or in a basket. Guests will immediately know which ones are theirs.
• Hooks or a door hanger for a bathrobe and wet towel. Door hooks can be installed without drilling.
• A free shelf or a piece of board by the sink for a cosmetics bag. Clear it in advance – just put your own items in the cupboard.
• Heated towel rail for drying towels. If there is only a regular radiator in the bathroom, move wet towels elsewhere after showering to prevent the bathroom from getting damp. More about radiators can be found in the article Heated towel rail for the bathroom.

Light and mirror

Light changes the impression of the bathroom more than a new wall tile. In the evening, a pleasant warm light around 3,000 K is ideal, while neutral light around 4,000 K is suitable for the mirror, as it shows true skin tones. If you have only one cold bulb above the mirror, replacing it with a suitable light temperature is a job that takes just a few minutes.

An old mirror with a damaged edge can be replaced with a new one, for example, with LED lighting and anti-fogging, which won't mist up after showering. If the mirror needs a new electrical supply, leave the wiring to an electrician – protective zones apply in the bathroom. We compare sizes, heights, and types of mirrors in the article Mirror for the bathroom, and lighting and IP ratings in the article Bathroom lighting.

A small battery-operated night light by the door or on a shelf will help guests who are looking for the way to the toilet at night and are unfamiliar with the switches in your flat.

Heat and fresh air

A cold bathroom is the most unpleasant place in the flat in the morning. Before guests arrive, check the radiator – if it's cold at the top, there is air in it. The procedure is in the article How to bleed a radiator. Place a mat on the cold floor tiles that won't slip on the wet surface and dries quickly.

More people means more showers and more steam. Clean the fan grille and let the fan run after each shower or ventilate. Otherwise, moisture will settle on the walls and in the grout joints, leading to mould after the holidays. We describe how to choose and set up a fan in the article Bathroom Fan.

Guest basket

Guests often forget small items. A small basket or box on the shelf saves a lot of questions. Just put in:

Festive mood without clutter

The bathroom is small and every decoration takes up space. Just one or two accents will do: a sprig of greenery in a vase, one towel in a colour that matches the wall tiles, or a subtle fragrance. Never leave candles burning unattended and keep them away from towels and curtains. Battery-operated LED candles are safer.

Less is more – a clear countertop by the sink feels more festive than a countertop full of decorations, where there's no place to put a toothbrush.

When quick fixes aren't enough

Some problems can't be solved before the holidays and it's better to plan them for the beginning of the year:

• water leaking behind the bath or under the shower, stains on the neighbour's ceiling,
• the wall tiles are hollow or falling off,
• mould returns even after replacing the silicone and with good ventilation,
• you want a different layout, a level-access shower or a wall-hung toilet.

In such cases, renovation helps. We describe the order of work and what to order when in the article Bathroom Renovation Step by Step. During the holidays, you can assemble your new bathroom with your family using the 3D bathroom planner – free and without registration – and view inspirations in ready visualisations. You can then see wall tiles, taps, toilet seats, and accessories in person at the store in Senec at Bratislavská 71.

Bathroom accessories – hooks, towel holders, shelves, and soap dispensers – can be found in the category Bathroom Accessories at vkupelni.sk, toilet seats in the category Toilet Seats.

Related: Bathroom Renovation Without Demolition · Bathroom Maintenance and Repairs · Small WC · Mirror for the Bathroom · Bathroom Maintenance and Cleaning

Terms in the glossary: Sanitary Silicone · Aerator · Cartridge · Heated Towel Rail · Colour Temperature of Light · Defogging the Mirror