Refresh Your Bathroom For Under $100

Tired of your drab bathroom and want to make a change? Whether your bathroom is stuck in the past or feels like it belongs in a hospital room, you might think you can’t afford a redo. However, it’s possible to refresh your bathroom for under $100.

Make big changes with a revised color scheme, new towels, and enhanced lighting. Clean and declutter the space, streamlining storage to create a fresh, efficient, comfortable place to relax, get ready, and recharge. Incorporate a few thoughtful pieces to add a personal touch to your bathroom that makes it feel intentional and carefully designed.

Big changes don’t have to mean big spending. You can curate a bathroom that feels new and fresh using a little bit of money and a lot of intentional design.

Six Things To Make Your Bathroom Feel Like New

In a perfect world, you could complete a total renovation of your bathroom from top to bottom, with all the bells and whistles. High-end finishes, luxe materials, and spa-like ambiance at every turn would be your dream makeover. But a change of this magnitude requires a big budget that reaches well into the thousands and your funds for this project are, well, a bit less than that.

You have about $100. Does that mean your bathroom is stuck in its current state? Nope. It does mean you need to spend your money wisely and focus on a few key areas to achieve a significant change. If you’re working with $100 for a bathroom refresh, stick to these six areas to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Change The Color Scheme

One of the biggest ways to make a dramatic difference in your bathroom without spending a lot of money is changing up the colors. Sometimes, this means painting, which is an affordable DIY project that will cost you about $30. But what if your bathroom is all tile? You can still adjust the colors by adopting new hues for accessories.

Devote the funds you would have put to paint to a new shower curtain, bath mat, towels, and key items. How you decide to implement this step will depend on how you approach the next five steps. However, as you work through them, keep this first goal in mind to give your bathroom’s color palette a new look.

Get New Towels

New, fresh towels make a huge difference in your bathroom's aesthetic, but also in how you feel about it. When you use a new, fluffy towel, your mind instantly drifts to a luxury spa. But this doesn’t mean you have to spend oodles of money. Check out discount home stores or big-box stores, like Costco, for some excellent steals on plush towel sets.

Also, you don’t have to replace all of your towels, especially if they’re still in good condition. Get a couple of new bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths. Many towel sets feature at least one of each, so you could get what you need for about $20 to $30. Prioritize the new towels as the ones you keep out on the vanity or hanging on a towel hook. 

Adjust The Lighting

You don’t have to switch out light fixtures to change your bathroom lighting. Simply make sure the lighting in your bathroom is sufficient. It might be great, but if not, it’s definitely throwing off the overall look, feel, and functionality of the space. Replace dull bulbs with brighter options, and install dimmer switches to broaden your options.

Bright light is great when you’re applying makeup, but not when you’re trying to relax in the tub. Alternatively, smart bulbs are easy peasy when it comes to adjusting the color temperature, brightness level, and intensity of your lighting.

Clean And Declutter

A dirty, grungy bathroom is a major turn-off, and it’s anything but relaxing and inviting. The good news is, it doesn’t cost you a thing to deep clean your bathroom. Tackle grimy grout, remove the toilet seat to give everything a good clean, and scrub the shower, tub, and floor. Wipe down tile walls, clean dusty light fixtures, and make the mirror sparkle. Get rid of excessive amounts of half-used toiletries, samples, and all the other things that tend to accumulate in a bathroom.

Clutter adds to frustration, and you want your bathroom to feel like a peaceful retreat. Plus, when your bathroom isn’t full of excessive amounts of stuff, it’s easier to keep it organized. You’ll be able to get ready a lot faster, which makes you less stressed. And when you change how you feel and function in a space, this is all part of making it into something new.

Streamline Bathroom Storage

You don’t necessarily have to spend anything to streamline bathroom storage. If you declutter effectively, you might be able to reorganize what you keep into your existing storage solutions. However, think about how you keep items so that your system makes sense for how you operate.

For example, if you wash your face in the shower, keep your cleanser in the shower caddy, not by the sink. When extra storage is necessary, shop your house first for containers that could work, especially if they're going to be hidden away inside a closet or cabinet. Remember, it’s about stretching your available budget to maximize your results. 

Add A Few Thoughtful Touches

Good design is all about creating functional places that reflect your style. Personalizing your space makes it your own and you'll feel more at home when you’re in it. Choose three things to incorporate into your bathroom to create some curated, personal touches. But, again, this doesn’t mean you have to rush out and buy three new things. Here are a few examples.

• Use your grandmother’s vase to hold fresh flowers on the vanity.
• Frame a drawing that your child did in school using a thrifted frame and hang it on the wall.
• Check out your local secondhand shop to find a pretty, vintage soap dish that complements your new color scheme.

Prioritize Big Impact Changes On A Small Budget

Any time you’re designing a space on a tight budget, you need to be more intentional. Of course, preparing and creating a well-thought-out plan is a good idea even when you’re working with a large amount of money. However, the less cash available to you, the less wiggle room for changes, mistakes, or do-overs. Be clear on your plan, and then allocate your funds accordingly. Choose strategically to stretch your budget. Shop around, use coupons, look at clearance sections, secondhand shops, and online marketplace sites.

Budget Bathroom For $100 Or Less

Here’s an example of redoing a bathroom with $100. Imagine you have a blue-and-yellow palette in your existing bathroom. The walls are blue, and the accessories are predominantly yellow, except for the shower curtain, which is white, blue, and yellow. You struggle to get ready in the morning because the only lighting is a bright ceiling fixture that casts shadows when you lean into the mirror.

You’re tired of the look because it’s been that way for 10 years. Plus, the rug feels worn down under your feet, and the towels look like they’re ready to become dust rags. Here’s how you decide to freshen up your bathroom for $100 and make it look like a brand-new space.

• After cleaning and decluttering, you paint the walls a pale yellow, spending $30 on a gallon of paint-and-primer.
• You keep a few of the yellow accessories, but you get a new, fluffy sage green bath mat for $15.
• The shower curtain goes bye-bye, and you replace it with a white-and-sage-green fabric one for $20.
• You check out your local discount home store for a 6-piece set of white towels for $20.
• You replace the bulb in the overhead ceiling light with a smart bulb for $7 that gives you more control over lighting.
• To incorporate more of the new sage green color and enhance lighting, you find a cute lamp at your local thrift shop for $7.
• You place an heirloom crystal dish that was your aunt’s on the vanity to hold small soaps.
• To finish everything off, you pick a few fresh flowers from the garden and put them in a white vase you usually keep in the kitchen.

 The total for the above is $99.

Creating Your Own Budget-Friendly Bathroom

When you do your bathroom, you might decide to keep the same wall color but change out your accent color. Or perhaps you keep your shower curtain but get all new accessories. How you revitalize your bathroom is up to you, and it will look different for each person. What remains the same is being intentional and prioritizing changes that make the biggest impact without spending a big amount of money.

Related Guides:

• Easy Tips To Refresh Your Bedroom For $100
• No Money For Redecorating? Rearrange A Room Instead
• Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades That Look Expensive