How to transform your bathroom without breaking the bank

Lime scale build-ups can ruin the look of a bathroom—lime scale sullies shower screens and wrecks taps. But, with the right products, it’s surprising easy to remove. Lime scale remover will work wonders on the shower screen—wash off using a scouring pad and plenty of hot soapy water. 

Taps may take a little longer, but will take much less time if you use a wire pad. For the best results, repeat the process until everything sparkles. 

Lime scale in the toilet can be removed with lime scale remover and a wire pad too. Soak stubborn stains in bleach. Also, consider buying a new toilet seat.

Different types of bathtubs need different types of cleaners:

Paint the bathroom and bath panel—light bathroom paint is highly recommended. No one wants a gloomy bathroom.

Grout can be brought back to life with grout cleaner—search online for the best products. If you need to replace the bathtub, shower or sink silicone seal, spray the old silicone with WD40 and leave to soak. In 15 minutes it should be malleable and easy to remove. When applying the new silicone use masking tape and wipe away any excess with a tissue. 

Top tip: always fill the bathtub with water before replacing the silicone. This will stop it splitting when you use the bath for the first time.

If the wall tiles are awful, and you don’t want to replace them, paint them. Make sure you buy specialist tile paint.

If the floor tiles are equally bad, don’t write off Lino. It’s come a long way in recent years and there are loads of designs to choose from. If your bathroom is small, you may be able to buy an uber-cheap offcut.

Some things are hard to salvage. If you’ve ended up with a bathroom that reminds you of a 1970s sitcom, you may decide to replace it. 

There’s some good news: the bathroom suite market has become increasingly competitive, which has driven prices down. You can now buy a bathroom suite online for less than £300. Add another £125 if you need to replace the various taps.

Replace or clean the window blinds, declutter, and fit mirrors to the walls to create an illusion of space.

Plenty of people overspend on bathrooms. If you don’t, it’ll be the best money you ever spend. There’s nothing better than soaking your weary bones in a beautiful room.  And, if you ever sell, buyers buy “bathrooms and kitchens”—or so the estate agents tell us.

Making bathing easier doesn’t mean making it more boring. Reader’s Digest work with Bathing Solutions, who were one of the first companies to specialise in the supply and installation of bathrooms specifically designed for the mature customer and who pride themselves on being able to make a real difference to the lives and well-being of our customers.

All of the walk-in showers and baths we recommend have special features designed with safety, security and simplicity at the forefront to bring you complete peace of mind and relaxation in the bathroom, providing the most stylish, contemporary and luxurious solution to bathing difficulty.