The bathroom design I’ll never get on board with
Hygiene habits will make me gladly lose friends
Like fashion trends, every home decor trend is not ideal for everyone. And one home decorating trend I could never get on board with was something that my real estate agent (at the time) thought was the coolest thing ever: “a Victorian style bathroom.” While the toilet and shower were behind a closed door in my “bathroom,” my sink was inside of the bedroom hallway instead.
The Chicago agent tried to market it as a way to allow one person to wash her face, style her hair and get ready for a night on the town while another person showered. I cringed, thinking of bacteria on the doorknob every time someone used the restroom without washing their hands — unless I left the bathroom door open all the time. I despised this idea and kept my bedroom door closed at all times so I never had to close the bathroom door unless company came by.
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In addition to a suspicious roach infestation problem in this apartment, the sink location was yet another reason I should’ve ran (not walked) out of the door. Still, I liked this place enough to sign the lease and tolerated that sink for three straight years. (My first off-campus apartment in college was bigger than this apartment, had two porches and cost two-thirds less in rent. I miss the $225 monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Missouri.)
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For some, that sink is no big deal. For me, it made my skin crawl. Even before the handwashing craze during coronavirus, I’ve always been a stickler about washing my hands. I cannot wrap my mind around only 49% of people washing their hands with soap and only 28% using hot water, according to a Puronics poll. Curiously, 63% of people wash their hands longer or more frequently only in public restrooms versus at home. Again, I’m confused.