Feng Shui Tips for Bathrooms

The bathroom is considered the most negative area of a house in Feng Shui because it is associated with waste and because a large amount of water is drained away in this room. Water represents wealth in Feng Shui, so when that water becomes dirty and goes down the drain, it represents a corresponding drain on your finances. Ancient Feng Shui practitioners didn’t have this issue because bathrooms were located outside of the house. But since no one wants to go back to that, modern practice gives us many Feng Shui tips for bathrooms that you can use to balance any negative effects.

One of the challenges of making Feng Shui changes for a bathroom is that there is no ideal place for this room in the Feng Shui bagua, or mapping chart. For example, the least auspicious location for a bathroom is in the center of your home, which is considered the “grounding” area. A bathroom here could lead to lack of stabilization for the entire home. Also, a bathroom near your front door could drain away positive energy instead of letting it circulate throughout your house, a bathroom above the front door could flood your home with negative energy, and a bathroom above a kitchen could symbolically put out the positive Fire Element energy that naturally occurs in this room.

However, no matter where your bathroom is located, it's best to assure that all plumbing is in excellent working order, the room is always clean and free from mildew and clutter, and that you add something from the Fire element or Earth Element category to dry up some of the excess water. These simple Feng Shui tips for bathrooms can help keep your wealth, harmony, and love from flowing down the drain.

First, no matter where your bathrooms are located, the most important of the Feng Shui tips for bathrooms is to make sure you keep the toilet lid down. Some approaches to Feng Shui recommend that you close the lid before you flush because the suction of water sucks away positive energy with a strong force. If possible, try to hang bathroom mirrors where they don’t reflect the toilet.

Next, try to keep your bathroom door closed. The concern is that if the door is left open, the positive chi will run directly into the bathroom, rather than into the other areas of your home. This is especially important for a bathroom located directly across from the front door or at the top or bottom of a staircase. Another Feng Shui tip is to hang a mirror on the outside of the bathroom door to deflect the negative energy.

If your bathroom is located in the center of your home, in addition to hanging a mirror on the outside of the door, paint at least one wall in a Fire Element color like red, orange, or purple. You can also decorate the space with objects made of the Earth Element, such as a ceramic bowl or clay pot. Or accesorize with towels and accessories in Fire Element colors, especially red.

If your bathroom is located over the front door or over the kitchen, use double-sided tape to attach a small round mirror on the ceiling directly above the toilet to symbolically reverse the downward flow of water. You can also place Earth Element objects in the room to ground the energy.

Also on the list of important Feng Shui tips for bathrooms is the need to create a yin-yang balance in your bathrooms. A bathroom is considered to be a yin space because it is typically decorated with soft accessories like towels, bathmats, bathrobes, or shades and curtains in soft fabrics. To balance this, add harder yang energy by choosing tile flooring, chrome, glass, and ceramic fixtures.

It’s important to keep your bathrooms well lit, ventilated, and free from mold, mildew, and clutter, because a dingy space will prevent the positive chi from circulating around the room. And be sure you immediately fix any leaks since they represent the slow and continual loss of wealth.

Another Feng Shui tip is to grow plants in your bathroom whenever possible. Living plants represent the Wood Element that helps to reduce some of the excess water in the bathroom.