apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've never understood the whole magazines/books in the bathroom thing. Who stays in there that long? Why is that the place to read? Why not do your business and leave? It seems so odd to me that people are lounging around reading, or doing crosswords. Anytime I see reading materials in the bathroom it makes me feel icky. I wouldn't touch one of those magazines for anything.

agree 100% ms. pea. i find it gross to see visible reading material in a bathroom.

I agree - I just don't get why you would want to linger long enough to read...

I agree. My boyfriend does not. I take the comic books out of the bathroom, next thing I know they're back in there again. I think they look tacky not to mention gross (sorry, but man pee can be splashy, for lack of a better description). I wouldn't mind if they were somehow contained, not visible, and resistant to the bathroom "elements" - but I haven't found anything yet.

I for one LOVE reading in the bathroom. The reason: well you're already sitting down and you've got time to kill, so why not multi-task and get some reading done. Also, not all of us are so in and out. It may take longer for some people to do their business.

Reading material for on the toilet seems to be a man thing. I've never understood it. Reading material for in the tub however, I am a huge fan of. In fact, I judge the quality of a read by how many times I have to add hot water to my bath.

Yes, reading material in the bathroom is a touchy subject. I don't mind it, while my boyfriend is in the club that finds it tacky. I've come up with a compromise of using a step stool in the bathroom (we have a tall, clawfoot tub/shower that may be hard for some of our shorter houseguests to step into, so it's dual-use). Since we don't use the step stool often, the reading material sits within reaching distance of the toilet, but stays nice, hidden, and dry.

The item that I purchased was from Target in the kids section. I have the stool in white and I've added some white "no-slip" strips to the top to make it bathroom safe. The picture doesn't do a great job of showing it, but the top step flips open to reveal a nice, little storage nook, big enough for a few magazines, a book, or secret feminine items ;)

http://www.target.com/Step-Stool-with-Storage-Blue/dp/B000PBWSIQ/sr=1-5/qid=1248724039/ref=sr_1_5/187-7385347-8722039?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&field-browse=1041482&rh=k%3Akid%20step&page=1

Reading material for on the toilet seems to be a man thing. I've never understood it. Reading material for in the tub, however, I am a huge fan of. The tub is where I read the most and in fact, judge the quality of books by how many times I had to add hot water to the bath.

Alright, fancypants. It's great to read in the bathroom, and it's actually a necessity for me - I'll even grab a shampoo bottle if reading material isn't around! Oh, and it's not gross - what the heck do YOU get on your hands when you go??? I keep sparkly clean until I'm (cough) done, like the rest of you, I suspect!

So outside of the naysayers, I'm anxious to hear ideas. I actually keep all of my catalogs in a basket on the tub. I don't really have enough room for the curtain wire idea, but I do like it!

I actually think that looks like a great idea to hang towels on. I have an extremely small bathroom, and I could use the storage.

i think that it would break after a while. i had that thing. also i think that people should eat more vegetables and fruits and drink plain ol' tap water. lots of it. that should eliminate(no pun intended) the need to spend so much time in the can.

I have no idea why men want to read in the bathroom. My teenage son even does it. I hate it. Less now than when I was living with my then-boyfriend in our first one-bathroom apartment, but still. I don't think it takes anyone THAT long to do their "business," but being in the middle of a great article just justifies the extended time.

My brother-in-law is worse, though. He reads while the shower is running for a good 20 minutes. It drives my sister crazy. He is the perfect candidate for fruits, veggies, and Metamucil!

As a man who reads while in the restroom...
(Yes, gay men do it too)
...what would you people prefer that we do:

Play Videogames?
Crochet Teacozies to sell on Etsy?
Catch up on our correspondence?
Pay Bills?
Fold Laundry?
Plan Weddings?
Talk on the phone?

BTW- I use a swing-arm towel rack in one bathroom (It holds the TP as well)
...and keep a basket for magazines and catalogs in the other bathroom.

Re: Fruits, Vegetables and Water -
These are great, but won't do you a lick of good when you're on certain medications and painkillers...

I'm not really big on keeping magazines in the bathroom, but I do like the idea of the curtain wire for hanging items in the bathroom. We have a tiny little bathroom and this would be a great idea for utilizing that nether space between toilet and wall.

This is what we use in our bathroom. It's a Rubbermaid Slim 2 drawer container that has a hinged top to it.

Under the hinged top, we keep 3 extra rolls of TP.

Top drawer holds the 'current' TP roll, plus hygiene items. I drilled a hole on either side of the drawer for a toilet paper roll spindle to fit into it. Works perfectly and the TP feeds through the top front of the drawer for access.

Bottom drawer has magazines/books in it. Both hubby and I read in the bathroom...my dad used to as well! A learned behavior? Who knows...sometimes it's a time waster for hubby in the morning, but I'm asleep so I don't worry about it.

Here's a link to pictures of the setup if you want to take a look at pictures I took:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jann.schott/House?feat=directlink

I get that people need to read, but why do you have to leave it in there? If it's something you like, don't you want to finish it on your own time--not just bathroom time?

LOL bepsf, I recommend knitting tea cozies. Though if you have weddings to plan, by all means, knock yourself out. It bears reminding (though for no apparent reason) that Dumbledore read knitting patterns in the bathroom at least once.

Seriously. I'm not against bathroom reading (the huz does it) but I am slightly weirded out when I see a lot of mags in other peoples' bathrooms. Especially when it's Maxim or FHM or along those lines. So I would want something more discreet if I was going to keep anything in there.

Which brings me to. There was some Prevention article that said you should keep your bathroom reading material in the bathroom to avoid spreading bacteria. I don't see how it matters, though, provided you, um, put up your reading material before you, um, wipe.

criv227: here i was thinking i was the only person who had read the ingredients in all of my shampoo bottles.

I admit that the "IDEA" of reading on the loo makes me cringe a little... BUT its just so convenient! We had a shelf set aside for spare towels and whatever magazine or book we are reading at the time.

Its a nice place for a small amount of ME time.. where I distance myself from the rest of the world.. escape and leave my troubles behind me....

And i LOVE the idea of the curtain wire.

@lipstickonyourteeth --

That's the great thing about leaving the PB, Williams Sonoma & other catalogs in the bathroom:

The reading is short, you can pick up where you left off at any time, and the temptation/ability to pick up the phone and place an immediate order is highly reduced...

That wire, or something similar is a good idea for my kids' bathroom. They are averse to replacing the toilet paper rolls, so maybe I could just string up 5-6 of them at once. Lol.