Bathroom Sets

When you first hear the term bathroom set, you might not realize right away what someone is talking about. A bathroom set is sometimes called a bathroom ensemble and is a collection of implements that are used for various functions in your bathroom. Examples of the implements are toothbrush holders, tissue boxes, soap dishes, soap dispensers, trash cans, and cups. These five items make up the typical set but not everyone uses every piece. You can choose any combination that makes sense for you and your family. For example, we have two toothbrush holders in our bathroom because there are two bathroom sinks and it is more convenient to have a holder at each sink than keep one in the middle. Plus, there is room for guests for store their toothbrushes as well.  Another example is that some bathrooms are very small and corner sinks for bathroom do not allow the space for every piece of a bathroom set so you have to pick and choose.  In addition to the basics, there are often additions like a bathroom set shower curtain or waterproof bathroom TV case that matches all of the other accessories.

I will briefly describe each of these accessories in case anyone is not familiar with them. The toothbrush holder is usually a cup or a stand that has several small holes in the top big enough to slide the toothbrush handle into. The brush part them sits out. This keeps the toothbrush from touching the counter and picking up any bacteria. You want to be sure to occasionally clean out the toothbrush holder because you are typically putting the toothbrush away wet and the water collects in the bottom of the holder and bacteria could grow there. For this reason the stand types are somewhat more desirable because any moisture just rolls onto the counter and evaporates away or can be wiped away later.

The cup is pretty self explanatory, but some people do not understand the purpose. The cup is meant for use while brushing your teeth or to take a quick sip of water before bed. This accessory is not very practical or common today. Most families use Dixie cups or some other brand of small paper cups that can be thrown away after one use rather than worry about cleaning a special cup that matches the toothbrush holder. Because of this change, some bathroom sets now offer a Dixie cup dispenser instead. This is a rectangular contraption that has a spring loaded holder for cups. The cup on the top of the stack sticks out the top of the dispenser and as you take that cup to use, the next one pops up. You can load the dispenser by pressing a stack of cups down through the top.

A tissue box is really not a box at all, but a cover for your tissue box. They are typically meant to accommodate a small tissue box that is taller than it is longer. The large rectangular boxes do not work with these tissue covers. The tissue accessory has a hole in the top where the tissues stick out similar to the hole in the actual tissue box. The advantage to using this camouflage is that it hides whatever pattern is on the tissues and keeps the color and theme consistent in your bathroom. The disadvantage is that they take up a lot more room on your bathroom vanity than just a box of tissues would.

Soap dishes and soap dispensers may seem like the same thing, but in fact they are very different animals. The soap dish is a small rectangular or oval shaped dish that holds a bar of soap. The soap dispenser in a tall rectangular or cylindrical container that dispenses liquid hand soap by a pump. Both of these accessories typically sit right next to the bathroom sink. In many bathrooms the soap dish is used for purely decorate purposes and it holds designer soaps that are not meant to be used frequently if at all. The soap dispenser is much more practical today. Many families use antibacterial hand soap that comes in squirt bottles. You can buy large containers of liquid soap meant to refill those bottles or to fill your custom liquid soap dispenser. One final option for your soap dispenser is to have a wall mounted dispenser. This would work best with a vessel sink so that the user does not have to reach around a large basin to get the soap.

The last accessory and perhaps one the most important is the trash can. Every bathroom needs a trash can and the cans in sets are usually small enough to fit in a corner or under a counter easily. They are usually of good quality so that they will last, and are the perfect size for the small trash bags you can buy in the grocery store. Some even have lids to keep in offensive odors or keep the refuse out of sight if you so desire.

While all of these accessories are somewhat useful, what is the real reason you should have a bathroom set? The main benefit that they bring is the coordination. Each of the pieces in a bathroom set will have the same pattern or color so that they obviously match. You can choose a set that matches your wall paper, paint, shower curtain or window treatments if you wish. The constant theme will help tie the room together nicely. From a decorating stand point they are very useful.

In addition to the aesthetics, the piece are quite utilitarian. I described the advantages of each individual piece above, so you can see that each accessory is very useful. If you do not have a bathroom accessory set then you will have to have some other bathroom accessories to serve the same purpose. You might as well have a bathroom ensemble that matches.

Finally, the bathroom sets and accessories give you a great opportunity to show off any hobbies or likes that you have. For example, you can find a set with your favorite sports team featured or in your favorite color. There are sets made with almost any cartoon character or any theme you wish to showcase. A very common cartoon is featured in a Hello Kitty bathroom set. The picture above features a tissue box that one supporter decorated with Obama pictures. If you want to get you children excited about brushing thier teeth and other hygeine issues then you might want to consider bathroom sets for kids or more specifically abthroom sets for girls or bathroom sets for boys.

When Do You Buy a Bathroom Set?

Most people decide to buy a bathroom set on three occasions. The first occasion is when you are moving into a new home. When you are just starting out in an apartment or house then you are basically starting from scratch. This is the perfect opportunity to pick out a bathroom set that complements the decor in the room or the colors in the tile or wall coverings. The second occasion is when you are getting married. When couples register for gifts before their wedding, bathroom sets are very common choices. Single people are not very concerned with the decor in their bathroom, but when you start a family you often anticipate more guests in your home and the coordination of bathroom accessories becomes more important. Also, a bathroom set is not an expense that many young people are willing to pay early in their lives. Asking for it as a gift is the perfect opportunity to get started. The last time you might consider purchasing bathroom set is when you are looking for bathroom remodeling ideas. When you pick out new tile or wall coverings for a bathroom then you often want to change the entire look fo the room and it might be a good time to recycle your old bathroom set to the kid's bathroom or a guest bathroom so that you can update.

No matter when you are looking to make the purchase, you can fidn bathroom sets in almost any bath and kitchen accessory store like Bed, Bathand Beyond or LInens and Things. If you can not find what you like in a store there are also many places online that can expand your choices or even offer custom monogramming if you want. While certain ensembles can be quite expensive, it is very easy to find bathroom sets cheap. The large kitchen and bath stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or Linens and Things carry lots of different bathroom sets on sale. You can find perfectly sericeable accessories here. If you are really lucky you might find a bathroom sets clearance sale when they are changing themes. If this is the case you might have to settle for only part of a complete set or a style that is a little dated.