So, here’s a thing I have wondered, and I bet you have too. When you finish a shower, when it is warm and a bit steamy, you stand there and think, do I leave the door wide open? Should I let the steam come out, or do I close the door? Do I let the room stew in its own fog? It seems ridiculous, but apparently it is not just some random choice based on your mood.
For a very long time, I was the “leave it open” person. The idea of the bathroom breathing seemed right. Steam floating away into the air rather than hanging inside my little sauna-box seemed logical. But as it turns out, while I pat myself on the back for choosing airflow, I am giving an open invitation to – anything, really, interested in escaping the bathroom. It could take up residence elsewhere in the house. I never thought of that before.
And it’s not just germs – that also moist smell that translates to a really damp post-shower smell? Yup. That escapes too. Rather than your bathroom on a wet-towel-in-rainforest day, and smelling that way – your hallway or living area also may begin to smell “tropical” as well. This is something members of your house and guests will not enjoy walking into. Closing the door keeps all of that “contained.” It is not glamorous; but it is practical.
And since we are on what is and what is not contained – there is a whole list of items that probably shouldn’t even be in your bathroom anyway. Especially towels. I understand that everyone hangs them there, because it’s easy, but damp towels in this damp area of your home? You are practically welcoming mildew. At that point, you would be better off selecting an area with some actual airflow.
The same rules applies to wet clothes, of course. You would think, hey it’s ok to hang wet clothes in the bathroom, it’s already wet —wrong!! To make something worse is not that hard. Hanging in a laundry room, or on a balcony, or anything that has airflow is better. The bathroom makes things worse.
You should also consider the whole electricity thing we discussed. It sounds simple to say but, hairdryers, electric razors, and any other electric item, do not mix well with a steaming hot humid structural area. Not to mention, humidity tends to be a slow going enemy. It corrodes materials and increases the chances of an electric shock. Keeping your unclean electric materials in a less damp/humid space saves you on that “oh, no” experience too.
Plants are another touchy situation. Everybody likes the idea of the little cute placed fern near the sink, influenced by Instagram. But sitting in high humidity can suffocate many species of plants, literally. Too much water in the air leads roots to rot, yellow leaves, etc. In truth, most ferns are better off sitting in a sunny window, sunset area in the living room, than kept suffocating in a bathroom steam section.
Let’s talk about the open door versus closed door…. It is less about your right of passage stepping out from a damped climate wet area to a fresh air open air. The reality is, it has more to do with cleanliness, smell control, and keeping everything where they belong. It helps to be less crowded. When you close the bathroom door, it helps keep most of the bacteria and dampness inside the bathroom. It prevents them from wandering to germify your place. And if you want, you can avoid drugging up your space for more sustainability (as you heard today). The next time you show, make the same conscious decision. Instead of not closing the bathroom door because it isn’t right, you have the option of improving your space. This way, your home does not become another wet, molded-smelling, bacteria-caking place.
