Spring is finally here, in all of its cold and rainy glory. I’ve probably been influenced by years of advertising deluge, but when the weather warms up I get more inspired about taking on new projects. For all of the talk I do about design ideas, there’s one room that seems to get neglected. Even more so than the kitchen, it’s the bath.

The bathroom can be a difficult room to approach. For renters, especially, options can be limited. Beyond painting the walls, there are many other things you can do to spruce up your bathroom. For this week, I’m going to narrow the focus down to your tub/shower

First off, take a look at your shower head. Did you replace it when you moved in? If you didn’t, then I’m going to take a guess that it’s ancient, has mineral deposits all over it, and wastes water. This is especially true if you live in a rental unit. Never fear, replacing a shower head is very easy, and cheap. Even cheaper is simply cleaning your shower head. The easiest way to clean it is to fill a plastic bag with a mixture of vinegar and water. Tie the bag around the shower head and let it soak overnight. Rinse in the morning, and most mineral deposits should be gone. For heavy deposits, remove the shower head and soak in a bowl with some vinegar and water, or with CLR and water.

The other option is to replace the shower head. Removing the head is generally an easy task, you might not even need a wrench. Just unscrew the head, and take it with you to a hardware store. It should be a common size, but having it with you will make things easier. Shower heads run anywhere from $20 or so and up, depending on the features and design. You can find a slick brushed nickel Waterpik shower head for $19.99.

Next, let’s look at your tile and grout. It’s okay, I know you don’t clean your tile and grout. Who does? It’s a pain in the ass and no one really looks at your grout anyway, right? Well, you’d be surprised how much nicer things look when you finally get rid of that mildew. Real Simple has a video here on how to clean your grout.

And, if cleaning it isn’t enough… you can easily apply new grout. Here’s another video that explains how to apply ready-mixed grout using a sponge.

What if you have a tub, and it’s old and the finish is faded, fading, or even worse rusting? Well, you can either replace the tub, call Bath Fitter, or you can use an epoxy kit to ‘refinish’ the tub. These kits run between $20-40 and allow you to put a new porcelain-like finish over your existing tub. Armorpoxy has a tub kit “for dummies” available online, though you can also find kits in the paint department at most hardware stores. These kits are not incredibly hard to use, but they do require that you follow the directions and they will make your shower unusable for a period of several days. Keep that in mind, as you can’t quit once you start. However, it is much cheaper than replacing your tub and will definitely spruce things up.

This looks a bit like your grandmother’s picture window curtains, but imagine the possibilities.

How about your shower curtain? Want something funky? Get yourself a shower curtain liner, and then make your own fabric outer curtain from a bedsheet or other fabric. Here’s some instructions for those of you who know your way around sewing. You can essentially make the curtain out of anything, since the liner will prevent it from getting (too) wet.

I realize these columns are a deluge of information, so I’ll wrap things up here. Next week we’ll move on to inserting creative storage space in your bathroom.