These Paper Napkins Are A Guest Bathroom Gamechanger

Perhaps you live in a corner of the world where you're finally permitted to open your home back up to guests from time to time after all the lockdowns and isolation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Or, perhaps you just want to switch up how you welcome guests into your home in general. Either way, there's a quick swap you can make in your guest bathroom that is a total gamechanger, according to several interior designers who shared their opinions with Homes & Gardens.

Many people just hang a hand towel by the sink in their powder room or guest bathroom and call it a day — after all, you just need something for your guests to wipe their hands on, right? However, with concern about hygiene still prevailing for many homeowners, interior designer Shea McGee of Studio McGee has a simple suggestion. Instead of your guests all using the same hand towel to wipe their hands, consider adding a stack of thick paper napkins near your sink. No, not the thin, flimsy type of napkins you might bring along to a picnic — we're talking the thick, luxurious ones that almost feel like fabric.

According to McGee, this swap can help deliver "the ultimate sanitary, hotel-like experience." If you're concerned about a stack potentially looking sloppy or getting knocked over, interior designer Marco Bizzley recommends grabbing some type of holder, either wall-mountable or to simply set on the vanity by your sink, if you have the space.

The major benefit to swapping out that standard bathroom hand towel for a stack of luxurious yet disposable paper alternatives is your guests' comfort. As Get Green Be Well explains, even in normal circumstances, you should ideally swap your towels out every two days or so, especially if they're not drying completely between each use, as may be the case if you have a few guests over at once. Regardless, with many people becoming extra-cautious about germs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your guests will likely appreciate having their own fresh napkin to dry their hands off.

An added bonus for those who love to swap up their home decor is that there are many options available on the market. While you may have a seasonal hand towel or two to mix into your rotation, chances are, you're using the same towels you bought once upon a time for months on end. With paper napkins, you can easily find fun prints that can be changed out seasonally, giving your guest bathroom a mini refresh whenever you set out a new pack.

In terms of what to look for, as per Marco Bizzley reported by Homes & Gardens, try to find napkins that are a minimum of two-ply. While patterned napkins can give a little extra boost of absorbency if that's a concern, for a simple, chic option, "white always looks crisp and clean."