How to Deal With Sharing a Bathroom With Your Whole Family

Hello everyone!

The bathroom that I normally share with my brother is currently under construction, and in the meantime we are both mainly using my parents’ bathroom since it’s more convenient than using the downstairs one. This means my whole family is basically sharing one bathroom- luckily the master bathroom is the biggest one in the house- but it’s still been a little frustrating. I realize that I am lucky to have the privilege of having a Jack-and-Jill bathroom attached to my room, a privilege lots of other people do not have, so I figured I would make this little guide on how to make bathroom sharing a little easier!

Schedule time – This doesn’t work for everyone, but I know it’s worked for a few of my friends. Have a specific chunk of time in the morning where the bathroom is all yours and you can get everything done- hair, brushing teeth, shower, etc.
Work around other people’s schedules – For me, this usually means taking a shower a lot earlier than I normally would- around 5-6pm, right after I get home from cheer practice. On weekends, I usually shower a lot later than I normally would.
Get a shower caddy/something similar – This is usually more for dorms, but it might prove helpful even in your own home if the space you’re sharing is small. You all probably have a sizable amount of toiletries and steps in your routine, and the bathroom can get crowded when everyone has all of their stuff in it. Having a caddy that you can easily carry in and out keeps all your stuff together (and no one can steal any of it!) without making a mess.
Keep most of your toiletries in your room – Similar to the caddy thing as far as trying to save space- keep things like makeup in your bedroom, because you can easily apply makeup in your room as opposed to a bathroom. It’s one less thing for you to do in the bathroom, and you don’t have to worry about transporting it in your caddy.
Use the bathroom elsewhere whenever possible – This is kind of random and may not be realistic, but I found that it helped if I went to the bathroom at school during the day; this way, I wouldn’t have to go before school or as soon as I got home. It sounds weird, but if you’re at friends’ houses, take advantage of having the bathroom to yourself!!
Streamline your routine – This means having the least amount of steps you have to do in the bathroom possible. Like I mentioned before, apply makeup in your bedroom instead of your bathroom. Try to get your bathroom routine down to 15-20 minutes or less; the main things you need to do are skincare, showering, brushing your teeth, and actually going to the bathroom, so you can work on doing it quickly!
When all else fails, run in and lock the door – This may not be in the spirit of being a fair sharer, but it has to happen at one point or another. If you need extra time, you’ll probably have to do this in order to fight off your other family members.

As with any type of sharing, bathroom sharing can be hard. Usually everyone has to deal with it at some point, and I’m kind of glad I have to deal with it right now- it prepares you for future dorm life/roommate life in college! I’ve always shared a bathroom with my brother, but I’ve never had to share with anyone else before. I’ve definitely learned a lot about my family’s schedules and habits… even more than I thought I would, and more than I needed to…

-Brooke