apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

that sign is hilarious. i can read the words but don't know what they all mean -- one of them means "car" (??)

and "go with the flow" -- pun intended there?

Having just gotten married 6 months ago (without living together first), sharing a bathroom with my husband is... occasionally a source of contention. We plan on moving within the next 6 months, so I've chosen to attempt to live with his [bad, annoying] habits for the time being, and have insisted that our new house have 2 bathrooms. Then I can stop hating him at 6:15 am when I'm late for the bus, need to use my curling iron, and he's just taking his dear, sweet time.

My boyfriend and I have shared a bathroom for nearly four years without a single bathroom-related conflict. When he finished grad school and got a real job, we solved the problem of how to get both of us showered and out the door by 8am by showering together. We love it. It's built-in time every single morning to talk and plan our days and spend time together.

It also helps that I don't wear make-up or style my hair.

Gee - How did families ever get along with only one bathroom back when a second bathroom as a luxury had by only a few?

When I was a kid we communicated and compromised - we used our own rooms for getting ready and hall closets for storage.

I've lived with several people in my adult life - roommates, both male and female, as well as boyfriends/fiance's. My only contention has ALWAYS been the cleaning of it. Neither party LIKES to do it, but it has to be done, so I'm usually the one to do it. I have recently come to accept, however, that if I want it done right, I have to do it myself. So, if it doesn't get done as often as I'd like, I just tell myself it's not a big deal, and I'll get to it when I can. If the fiance should bark about it (which he doesn't), he should also know where the cleaning supplies are.

As duffduff and her beau do, my fiance and I often takes showers together to save time and to 'wake up' together. We've installed a hand held shower that's connected to the regular shower head, and have it attached to the wall on the other end of the shower/tub, so we both have a stream of water at all times.

We've shared a teeny bathroom now for about a year, and haven't had a problem sharing the space. We're both pretty low-maintenance.

I lived in a big loft with four other roomates and one bathroom, but the best part was, its was sectioned off with a 7 foot high wall in the middle of the living room/kitchen--and the walls of the apartment were about 14 feet. Meaning you got used to whoever was in the apartment hearing everything. The really funny time was when we were throwing a huge party and there was a big line so I peed in the darkroom sink. when you have to go.....

Now my biggest problem is that I can't take a shower without my toddler wanting to climb in as well and draw with her tub crayons.

Boy, has this very subject been prominent for me and my boyfriend, lately. The culprits: my boyfriend's roommate and the roommate's boyfriend. Me, my BF, and his roommate are all late 30s to 40 in age. But my boyfriend's roommate's boyfriend (are you following this?)--or should I say boytoy--is in his early 20s and still lives at home.

Men reading this have no idea where this is heading, but I bet a lot of women--and especially moms out there--are clueing in...

The boytoy has never lived on his own and is still expecting mommy to clean up after him. So when he sleeps over at the apartment my boyfriend and his roommate share, he, er, is not exactly judicious about his aim. Or embarassed about leaving various marks/drips/hairs (yuck!) all over the toilet seat and, not unfrequently, bathroom floor.

The worst part is my boyfriend and I are the only ones who clean the toilet. The roommate and the boytoy couldn't care less. Kids, when you find yourself having to clean the toilet every weekend after your boyfriend's roommate's boyfriend just so you can sit down, you know there's a problem.

The only moral I can foresee is someday the two of them will live on their own. And I hope any guests that arrive in their humble abode bring their own disposable travel toilets with.

I grew up in a family of six with one bathroom (the vanity is 3'X3') and the toilet is right next to the vanity. A marked lack of modesty combined with limited time meant that often someone was brushing their teeth while someone else was actually on the toilet.

Now that I'm all grown up, sharing a bathroom with only my husband is a definite luxury. Because of my upbringing, I'm pretty low-maintenance when it comes to the bathroom area and fortunately my husband is very clean. We have a simple rule that keeps everyone equal -- he leaves the seat up and I leave the seat down. I am never surprised with a middle-of-the-night dunk in the toilet and, as an added bonus, we have never fought about the toilet seat!

my most recent roommate experience was living with my two best friends (one girl one gay guy) in a warehouse with one bathroom and no real walls...we almost always just left the bathroom door open and it wasn't unusual for someone to be showering, someone to be on the potty (#1 only though), and someone to be doing their makeup. no biggie.

but now the guy i'm dating is very anti-bathroom-sharing and it sucks!! if i'm in the middle of doing my makeup and he has to pee, then i have to exit the bathroom. if he's in there flossing or whatever, and i scurry in and start to lift my dress, he freaks out and leaves. i dont get it, but i guess it could be worse...

also, i clean because i am completly anal and dont mind doing it, because i don't think he'd know to wipe the baseboards and scrub the body of the toilet, not just the bowl.

I don't understand why it's such a big deal for people. I grew up with only one bathroom for my family and have lived as an adult with up to 8 people. Frankly so long as I get what I need to get done who cares if some else is in the bath or using the toilet. If my wife who shares a bed and live with me has a problem being in the bathroom at the same time I would be seriously freaked out. Living with of course being tidy and keeping the seat down for the ladies.

my best advice for cleaning problems: call around for cleaning services and ask them what their minimum fee is. So you get your bathroom cleaned and something else (whole kitchen, all floors), whatever they are willing to throw in for the minimum fee. I got a great deal out of The Maids this way.

I second cleaning the bathroom as the only major issue.
As for sharing, the only time my S.O. or I close the door is when someone is taking a... well, you know. I actually can't imagine dating someone who had a problem with me peeing in front of them (or vice versa). I don't even remember this being a big issue with my last room mate. We usually did make up and stuff in our bedrooms and used our very tiny bathroom just for showering in the morning. Sharing 1 bathroom between 4 room mates or something might be more of an issue.