5 Things You Should Never (Ever!) Keep in Your Bathroom

Whenever I check into a hotel or visit a friend’s home for the first time, the tour is never complete until I check out the bathroom. I want to see what kind of soap they use, admire the floor tiling, take a picture of the cute hooks or hand towels they have, and glean ideas for my own bathroom gallery wall. However, there are a handful of things I believe should simply not be in the bathroom — and if I see them in yours, I might not judge you, but I will probably send you this article. 

If you’re thinking, “Isn’t that rich coming from the girl who ate an orange in her shower?” I would say touché, but I still have some (sound and logic-backed!) opinions to share. From environmentally unfriendly habits to nasty toilet water-ridden essentials, here are five things to keep the heck out of your bathroom. 

If you have a cellphone, you’ve likely heard the amazing news: They tend to carry 10 times more bacteria than an average toilet seat. It’s a chilling statistic to visualize, considering how often you clutch your phone to your face, speak into it, and touch it. The average American, according to a 2025 survey by Reviews.org, checks their phone 205 times a day, so it makes sense how one small screen can accumulate so much grime. 

Given that, you may want to refrain from exposing your phone to even more bacteria by bringing it into the bathroom. I personally have a compulsion to bring my phone into any public bathroom because I have a fear of becoming locked inside, but in the safety of my own home? I can part ways with my mini computer for a minute. 

I love to shower while listening to music, but ever since I nearly broke one phone by letting too much steamy air into the charging port, I leave my phone in the other room and keep my waterproof bluetooth speaker by the shower instead. I use a small JBL speaker that I can conveniently hook onto the end of the shower rod furthest from the stream of water, and it’s lasted me for years. 

If you do bring your phone into the bathroom, though, doctors warn not to spend too much time — more than 10 minutes — scrolling your phone while sitting on the toilet. And don’t forget to wipe your screen and case down with an alcohol wipe or spray down after leaving the bathroom. 

Unless you’re talking about a powder room, which doesn’t have a humidity-causing shower or tub, any bathroom is prone to lots of humidity — famously an enemy of paper. That means books, magazines, and even some wallpapers are better left to other rooms. When I was growing up, my family always had a magazine rack filled with back issues of National Geographic and Smithsonian Magazine, and with time, the pages would ripple and turn up at the corners. Save your reading material by stashing it on a shelf in your hall or living room, and make a habit out of turning the exhaust fan on in your bathroom while you’re showering.

As for wallpaper, any avid reader of Apartment Therapy knows that some of the most gorgeous bathroom renovations use wallpaper. That said, if installed incorrectly, paper wallpaper can peel off over time when exposed to consistent humidity. Another way to avoid that? Opt for a vinyl wall covering instead, like this peel-and-stick option from Tempaper & Co.

And while hanging artwork in your bathroom is an excellent way to inject a functional space with a little panache, just be sure that any paper prints are safely framed and secured to the wall. I have a couple of tiny pieces by my sink currently, but because I decided to hang them up quickly with some Sticky Tack, every few months I’ll hear a light thud in the middle of the night (not at all scary!) and know that the humidity has done its dirty work on the adhesive. 

I know what you’re thinking: This list has gone too far. Where are you meant to keep your toothbrush if not in the bathroom, the place where you brush your teeth? The thing is, because of the horrifying phenomenon of the toilet plume — wherein invisible particles spray out of the bowl every time you flush it — you really don’t want to keep anything you’re putting in your mouth nearby. 

If you can’t find a place for your toothbrush outside of your bathroom (say, in a cup in your bedroom or on your desk), though, you can opt to store it inside your medicine cabinet, in a container (just make sure to clean the outside of that container on a regular basis, too), or on a high-up surface far away from the insidious geyser of the toilet plume. And be sure to disinfect the surrounding area on a regular basis, as research has shown that even a closed toilet lid can’t contain the dreaded plume.

Some shower design choices are essential, like what kind of tiling to use or whether you have a nook, but others are just-for-fun — and some are nonessential for a reason. Maybe that means adding a fogless mirror, mood lighting, a wine glass holder, or any number of other little luxuries. While lovely, these add-ons can serve the unintended purpose of lengthening the time you spend in the shower. 

For instance, if you saw this TikTok by creator McKenna Barry, you might’ve gotten inspired to add a tiny waterproof lamp to your shower. I love the idea of making my bathroom feel cozier, I love turning off the big light (especially while showering), and I love anything that makes a mundane task feel more luxurious. There’s just one thing not to love about the viral shower lamp: I fear it would make the shower experience so sumptuous that I would never want to get out. 

And in times like these (re: when the climate is in a precarious state, to put it lightly), I’m trying to make any small, sustainable changes I can to be kinder to the environment. Among these is trimming down my shower time, which tends to run pretty long — and a warm, glowing lamp making the tub feel like an inviting reading nook, or a mirror inviting me to pluck my eyebrows in the shower is just not going to help me out with this goal. If you have more restraint than I do, then by all means, add an adorable lamp to your shower and keep your water usage down at the same time. 

The contentious concept of a “guest towel” is one the Apartment Therapy editorial team has talked about on more than one occasion. You know the one: You go over to someone’s house, use their bathroom, and when you go to dry your hands there’s just one towel there. Maybe you use it, cringing a bit at its already-damp state, or maybe you resort to a combo of shaking your hands dry and wiping them on your pants. Neither is ideal. So, please, when you have friends over, do not leave out that one soggy wildcard of a towel for your friends to use! 

You can do as Apartment Therapy Executive Editor, Terri Pous, does, and leave paper towels in the bathroom for that very purpose. Or for a more sustainable option, set out a stack of hand cloths and a small basket or laundry bin for people to toss them into when done. At the very least, put away your personal towels and have a fresh hand towel in an easily accessible spot right by the sink. Your guests will thank you!

Bathroom Break dives into the depths of your bathroom — from the history of toilets to how to make it smell like a spa. Check out all the stories here.