The Benefits of a Small Bathroom Sink
A small bathroom sink worked right in to my mother’s philosophy of bathroom design. “The more that is in there, the longer everyone will take. I want you in. I want you out.” With six kids in the family, mom did not have time to be policing bathroom visits. If there was no place to leave a magazine, the bathroom would not become the reading room. If we had to do more than wash our hands in the bathroom, we probably needed a bath. If there was no place to store the towels, you had to remember to bring one in when you took a bath. If you remembered, it meant you were learning to be self sufficient, and that was mom’s goal: to make sure we all grew up to be responsible, self sufficient and have respect for others. Thinking back to when I was a kid and folks would remark how well behaved and responsible us kids were, I always think, it started with a small bathroom sink.
Bathrooms come in all sizes from the “hardly any room to turn around in” to “big enough to hold a grand ball in.” Some bathrooms are no longer just bathrooms. They have become a personal retreat with Jacuzzi’s and hot tubs. Some bathrooms are designed as part of the space while other bathrooms become the leftover space that needs a use. In the days of old when inside plumbing was taking the place of the outhouse, the width or length of the bathroom was determined by the length of the bath tub and the bathroom was built around it. It usually left an abutting room short changed.
Where space is limited, and expansion is not an option, a small sink is an ideal space saver. A basic no frills sink on a pedestal will fit in almost any space and still fulfill the functionality of the bathroom. A small sink may not be as accommodating as a large sink for washing out personal items but the bathroom is not the laundry room, either.
Why install a small bathroom sink in a large bathroom? A small sink will give the bathroom the uncluttered look. If storage is not an issue, a small sink will allow for more room in which to move around. Like mom’s bathroom philosophy, it will not provide the opportunity to spend extra time in the bathroom. The bathroom sink has one job. That is to allow the user to wash hands after using the toilet, wash your face and brush your teeth before you go to work in the morning or go to bed at night. If you have to do more than that, you probably need to take a shower.
From a cleaning stand point, a small sink is less work to clean. It is easier to clean around, and the surface area of the sink is minimal. The more frills the sink has the more there is to clean. Without a vanity attachment, there are no storage compartments to clean, or clean out when it is time to give the bathroom the uncluttered look. If there is no storage space under the sink, there is no danger of a child getting into any cleaning products.