Guest Bathroom Must Haves

I love to throw big bashes, dinner parties and the occasional poker night for the boys, so I’m familiar with the question “where is your restroom?”. “Around the corner to your left”: the guest bathroom (GB). The one room in your house that almost every guest will inevitably use during your soirée! As an admitted type-A host, I always want my friends and family to feel comfortable and at home, which means making sure the spaces I know they’ll frequent are inviting, organized, extra clean, and functional. Over the years I have learned a thing or two about the best practices when it comes to a guest bathroom, which I am sharing with you today!

VISIBLE EXTRA TOILET PAPER.
I am staring off with the most important item in ANY bathroom, toilet paper! Not glam but an absolute, definite must have! There is nothing worse than visiting someone’s bathroom and realizing the roll is down to the last few squares!! As a guest, I do not want to be searching/snooping in drawers or cabinets, crossing my fingers that the host has back-up toilet paper in their bathroom somewhere out of sight. Not everyone stores extra TP in their bathrooms! Most guest/powder rooms don’t allow for Costco-sized storage of TP; that’s ok, and I personally don’t like my household backup TP in view in my day-to-day life. But I’m asking, no, telling you, back-up TP in view, and easy reach is a must for your guests!! Your guests might not straight up thank you for this small detail, but they will be grateful (and embarrassment free!) if they happen to be the one who pulls off the last 3 squares!

In my haus:
I use a cute basket that holds 2-3 extra rolls that sits in the corner, in front of the toilet. But I also have a metal TP holder I leave under my sink that holds 3 rolls as well.

Haus Tip:
If you’re hosting a large group, as the host, check that basket a few times throughout the night and replenish if necessary (or designate a friend, spouse or family member for the task). You don’t have to have the extra TP out in full view all the time, especially if you do keep extra in a drawer or cabinet, but do put it out when hosting.

HANDTOWELS.
Fresh, clean, dry handtowels, two at minimum, should be hung on a rack or placed by the sink! If your guest bathroom is also your main bathroom, remove any wet or used towels… I’ve personally been in homes where the only option to dry my hands is on a wet towel hanging over the shower bar, which is not ideal!! Depending on the size of your guest list and powder room space, you could be extra fancy and put out a basket of white facecloths, rolled up and stacked nicely with a secondary discard basket for used towels beside it. In my haus I don’t have the countertop space in my GB for this type of towel set-up, but if you do, it is a very luxurious touch! For the usual 4-12 person get-together, I think offering two or three proper hand towels will suffice. Also, if your gathering is going to span over several hours, make sure to check that the towels are still dry-ish and clean, and replace them with dry ones if needed! (Enlist that same “helper” that checks for the TP stock!)

DELICIOUS SMELLING SOAP.
The BFF to a fresh, clean, dry towel, and a necessity in ALL bathrooms: soap!! I like to have a foamy, hand pump soap that smells fresh and seasonal depending on the time of year! My go-to safe scent is anything citrusy & fruity, since it’s clean, zesty and bright! I have never had anyone be upset (at least as far as I know!) with a lemon scent. I have switched from bar soap to exclusively using Bath & Body Works foamy hand soap, it is definitely more hygienic, and offers an ease of cleanliness for repeated use over an afternoon or evening! Plus you’re never too old to enjoy the delight that is a foamy soap!

AIR FRESHENER or SCENTED CANDLE.
Again, a high traffic bathroom is gonna be put through its paces, so an air freshener or scented candle is a must!! Like soap, I opt for fresh, citrusy and fruity in this category as well. Like I said, I have very limited counter space in my GB so a candle isn’t an option for me, so I have a trusty B&BB wallflower plugged in! Their Limoncello scent is my go to but the wallflower line-up has lots of great fruity, clean options. And as ambient as a lit candle is, especially for a night time soirée, a plug-in fragrance doesn’t have that risk of open flame…! So if you do have room for a bathroom candle, make sure it is somewhere safe so that a tipsy guest can’t accidentally throw that fresh, dry towel on it! Same candle rule applies to parties with small/younger guests!

A BOX OF TISSUES.
Along the “easy access of TP” line, the second-worst bathroom faux-paw is lack of tissue. Maybe TMI, but I have been stuck in a guest bathroom with a nosebleed before and no kleenex in sight! Yes, fine, TP is in the same realm and can be used the same, but I think a visible box of tissues elevates a guest experience, and is just something that should be a staple in the bathroom. And if you don’t like the pattern adorning your box, you can get a neutral box cover!

WASTE BASKET.
Again, seemingly a no-brainer, but if your waste basket is hidden under the sink, you may have guests flushing things they shouldn’t be flushing!! You need a place to toss those used tissues (because they’re not supposed to be flushed!), and for your female guests, a place for any feminine hygiene products, since both pads and tampons really should not be flushed!! For the guest bathroom, I think a lidded plastic garbage can is the way to go, since plastic can be wiped clean and disinfected, while the lid is great “to hide” any products that may contain blood. We’re mostly girls here, and I don’t believe period products are anything to be ashamed of, however it can be slightly awkward when you’re at big a party and the only thing in the garbage is a lone wrapped up pad, that everyone knows is a pad, and can be seen because the trash can doesn’t have a lid. Again, we think this is so important, I’ve been in many a posh home, with nowhere to dispose of items, and that is NOT posh!! Minimalist, decluttered bathrooms does not mean no trash can!! Oh- making sure that can is empty at the beginning of the night is also a good hosting practice!

EXTRA.
If you have the time before your bash, and some extra counter or shelf space in your GB, a tiny bouquet of flowers or small decor item that ties into your party theme is a sweet, festive and thoughtful touch.

Maybe this isn’t our most glam post here at Hallo Haus Studio, but it is a very important one! We want to share all the REAL.LIFE.STYLE. things, and I think these simple guest bathroom must haves totally fall under the real life umbrella. I hope you got some helpful tips for a perfectly stocked guest bathroom for your next party! But if you have a GB “must” that I’ve missed, please let me kn0w in a comment below or come chat over on instagram!