MyBathroomFinder.com

Just a very quick note to say that we’ve just added a couple of new retailers to our searchable bathroom store.

Better Bathrooms are based in north west England and have a pretty comprehensive website that is particularly good for bathroom suites.

And Big Bathroom Shop have a tasteful and very wide-ranging site that offers pretty much everything you could need.

We’re very pleased to get the chance to work with them – along with Victoria Plumb, the previous ‘new guys’ in the shop who we added a few weeks ago.

Most of the visitors to MyBathroomFinder are looking for exactly the kind of things you’d expect – information on specific brands, or general tips such as advice on how to fit a shower.

But we do get some far more off-the-wall searches – here are a few examples from the site stats that have caught our eye recently:

• victorian bath cleaner – would it still work? Only joking – we do actually see what this means. Apparently mild soap and a soft cloth is the answer for galvanised iron or copper, possibly followed by a wax coating to protect against hard-water mineral deposits. Don’t scrub or abrade at any cost, or you’ll ruin the finish.
• pine telephone seat – we imagine this reader has a bathroom of a size that most of us can only dream about.
• what i need in my bathroom – glad to help with this one! We hope you could pick up the basics by browsing round the site, but perhaps it could be the basis of a future feature article…
• anti vandal toilet seat – the mind boggles. Let’s hope it’s at least for commercial rather than domestic use. And that the measures aren’t so aggressive that you’re forced to hover over the seat rather than actually sitting on it.
• how fit electric bathroom – there are some fundamental safety issues here that we don’t feel qualified to even get started on. One for our sister site AllTheToolsYouNeed.com.
• creative way to hang shower curtain and design your own shower curtain – we loved both of these. Get in touch and let us know if you found the answers.
• unblocking site – was the query about a site that needed unblocking or searching for a site about unblocking? And, given the blockage problems that a bathroom can generate, then we feel it would be a brave webmaster that would tackle this topic.
• tasteless furniture – go elsewhere! Everything here is in the best possible taste.
• monks bench – facilities for the ascetically-minded? Known as latrines or garderobes in the average mediaeval monastery, and based on a culvert flowing underneath a shared facility. See, there’s no end to our knowledge here.
• bathroom colour design for hospitals – doubtless an important topic, but also extremely specialised. Probably outside our remit.
• create a zen bathroom – another one that we loved. Perpetually flowing water, artfully-placed pebbles and concealed speakers playing Buddhist chants? Minimalist in the extreme? Another one we’d love to hear about if the searcher reads this post.

While we can’t answer every query that comes our way, we hope that most of our visitors find something on the site that can help them solve their problems or find the information they need. And, if you’d like to see us write a feature or a blog post on a particular bathroom topic, why not get in touch and tell us about it?

If you’re reading the MyBathroomFinder blog via a RSS Feed or syndicated to a service like LiveJournal, then this post is for you.

It’s to let you know about some of the site’s regular features that you might not have noticed, the ones that we update monthly.

They include our offers page, on which we list what we think are the top five or six bathroom offers available in any given month.

In July they include a voucher code for Woolworths, a half-price bathroom suite at Wickes, the Bathroom Heaven Blue Drop Summer Sale and the Summer Savings promotion at B&Q.

And it’s not just bathroom hardware. We also cover deals on items like furniture, towels and accessories. We don’t neglect pampering products either.

And our newsletter page is a great place to look for a monthly round-up of news, views and bargains from the UK bathroom market. If you decide you’d like to get this in your inbox, you can sign up to our email list (we promise not to send you junk mail or pass on your address to anyone else). Subscribe here >>

We want to know what you think about the MyBathroomFinder blog. It’s our intention to turn this into the UK’s most informative and well-read bathroom blog, and we can’t do that without your help.

If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a comment you’d like to make, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us at mail@mybathroomfinder.com or comment on any blog post.

The MyBathroomFinder team

Welcome to the latest edition of the MyBathroomFinder newsletter. We’re pleased to say that it’s a major milestone for the site – we’ve cleaned up the biggest outstanding area that needed attention.

New bathroom store

Now, in addition to the new directory and brands pages (see below) we’ve got a much-improved online store so you can browse our partners’ products with much greater ease.

Just type in a search term and see what’s on offer from a host of big-name retailers, including B&Q, Bathroom Heaven, Plumbworld, Screwfix and Wickes and you can get product details, compare prices and click through to the retailer’s site.

We hope you find it useful and we’d love to hear any feedback you have.

Visit the new MyBathroomFinder store here >>

This month’s hot offers

• Presley’s and B&Q cut their steam shower prices – check out their ranges here and here.
• Up to 50 per cent off in Bathroom Heaven spring sale – see what’s on offer here.
• Save a third on B&Q bathrooms in their order-only suites and mix-and-match sections. Check them out here.
• A great crop of clearance specials at Plumbworld at the moment – visit this page to find them.
• Money off Cipini ceramics at Brighter Bathrooms – details here
• Cheap towels at M&S – visit its bathroom linen section

Visit our offers page here >>

Find out about the top bathroom brands

Are you wondering why Architeckt taps, Hydrolux shower enclosures or Saneux Quadro bathroom furniture is so popular? Or how to track down top names like Novellini or Pozzi-Ginori?

If so, we have the answer to your prayers – a new area in our products section that looks at the appeal of these brands and tells you where you can buy them.

We’ll be adding to it regularly so, if there’s a brand you’ve had trouble getting information on and would like to see featured, just let us know.

Visit our brands directory here >>

10 per cent off at The Body Shop

Here’s a little extra to brighten up the chilly March days for you. The Body Shop is offering MyBathroomFinder readers 10 oer cent off all online purchases made before March 31. Just enter the discount code DHAD000265 when prompted at the checkout. Click here to find out what’s on offer…

Get all the latest news with MyBathroomFinder

Whether it’s new products, special offers, links to consumer advice or tips and tricks of the trade, you can catch up with the very latest from the world of bathrooms from our news section. And, if you have a Yahoo Groups account, you may like to keep in touch with us there…

And it’s not just bathrooms…

If you like MyBathroomFinder, why not visit some of our other sites?

• My Kitchen Finder
• My Garden Finder
• All The Tools You Need
• My Gadget Finder
• My Mobile Finder
• My Brilliant Weekend
• Food For The Birds

Welcome to the February edition of the MyBathroomFinder newsletter. Sometimes it seems like January will never be over – but now the first hints of spring are in the air it’s time to think about planning for a new start. Whether it’s a refresh or a complete bathroom redesign, we’ll help get your spring-cleaning under way. And let’s not forget the pampering side of things. After the month you’ve just had, you definitely deserve to spend a little time on yourself…

This month’s offers:

Here’s a brief version of the hot offers and bargains that have caught our eye this month:

• Suite bargains at Presley’s Bathrooms – get a stylish Romulus loo and basin from just £191.80 including VAT, a 30 per cent reduction.
• And don’t forget the Roca package at Click Bathrooms – loo, basin and bath from a leading manufacturer for £259.
• Check out some cheap bathroom flooring at Wickes where there’s a special offer on oak-effect fast-fix laminate.
• Get guaranteed energy savings of up to £172 with E.ON until April 1 2009
• Pick up some Valentine’s freebies from Robert Dyas before February 17.
• Take a look at some towel special offers at BHS – including bales and bath sheets.

Get full details of all these deals on our offers page >>

Essential reading on bathroom design

A new report from the Bathroom Manufacturers’ Association, the trade association for bathroom manufacturers, has highlighted the key trends for 2008 – and it’s essential reading for anyone interested in bathroom design.

We’ve summarised the report in our in-depth section so you can get informed quickly and easily – and also included links to further information. This is really interesting reading and we recommend you take a look.

Browse our in-depth tips and advice section here >>

Updated directory

We’ve had a thorough spring-clean, as promised last month, adding lots of new retailers in all categories – up to and including complete bathroom suites. Whether it’s a bargain bath, the latest in designer ceramics, funky accessories or practical help with blinds or flooring, there’s something to help you here. So do pop along and have a look.

Check out our updated directory here >>

New bathroom brands section

We always try to listen to what our users are telling us – and our search results indicate that you’d like to see bathroom products listed by brand. So we’ve acted on this. Go to our products section and you’ll see a whole new set of pages letting you know about popular ranges from Architeckt, Hydrolux, Aquariss, Pozzi-Ginori, Saneux and Cascata – and we’ll be adding even more in coming weeks. We’d love to hear what you think, and if there are any brands you’d like to see featured.

Check out our new brands section here >>

What’s hot

Like most people, we’re a curious lot here at MyBathroomFinder and there’s nothing we like more to know what other people are buying and using in their bathrooms. It gives us some great tips for neat products we might otherwise have missed out on, and it’s also a brilliant source of ideas.

So we decided to make this a site feature – what products are other people searching for? What are some of the most sought-after things in bathroom products, pampering products, furniture and accessories at the moment? Just click on the link below to find out – and we’ll keep it regularly updated to make sure it properly reflects what’s happening on the site.

Check out our what’s hot section here >>

Get all the latest news with MyBathroomFinder

Whether it’s new products, special offers, links to consumer advice or tips and tricks of the trade, you can catch up with the very latest from the world of bathrooms from our news section. And, if you have a Yahoo Groups account, you may like to keep in touch with us there…

And it’s not just bathrooms…

If you like MyBathroomFinder, why not visit some of our other sites?

• My Kitchen Finder
• My Garden Finder
• All The Tools You Need
• My Gadget Finder
• My Mobile Finder
• My Brilliant Weekend
• Food For The Birds

Happy New Year! Of course, these days, it can be hard to work out where the Christmas shopping ends and the sales begin. You may have seen the news reports suggesting bargain-hunters were even busy on Christmas Day!

Of course, this means there are an embarrassment of riches to tell you about on the offers front this month. Check out our pick of the best sales, discounts and freebies to be picked up in the world of bathrooms below.

This month’s offers:

Here’s a brief version of the hot offers and bargains that have caught our eye this month:

• Up to 40 per cent off at Bathroom Heaven – it wouldn’t be New Year without a Bathroom Heaven sale – and, true to form, this popular retailer is offering up to 40 per cent off on some ranges.
• Brighter Bathrooms: “biggest-ever sale” – get some very cheap deals on suites, showers, baths and taps.
• Get £295 in Plumbworld discount coupons – Plumbworld is celebrating the launch of its new-look website with a promotion for users – email the company to receive £295-worth of promotional coupons in your inbox!
• Get a third off suites and shower enclosures at B&Q – offer lasts until January 31. Check out the store’s bathroom section for details. Discounts also available on towel and designer radiators.
• Up to 50 per cent off M&S bathroom furniture – as part of an offer which nets you up to 50 per cent off selected cabinet furniture items before January 29.
• DIY clearance bargains at Tooled Up – looking for great-value DIY supplies to help get your New Year bathroom project underway? Take a look at Tooled Up.

Get full details of all these deals on our offers page >>

Retailers making a new start

Two of our featured retailers have had major work done to their websites recently. Plumbworld has relaunched its site to feature a much cleaner look and more usable style. All the great special offers remain just where they were, however, so do remember to keep an eye on them to see what you can pick up cheap.

We’re also delighted to see what’s happened over at bathroom and shower store Concept Zen – it’s always had great products and, in our experience, plenty of enthusiasm for them too. Now it’s got a cool design as well, so another one to check out.

Find out more about these and other stories on our news page >>

Pampering update: money off at The Skin Store

Pssst! Fancy a discount code for some seasonally-appropriate skincare products? Be kind to yourself after the rigours of Christmas and New Year – by taking advantage of the 20 per cent you can get off at The Skin Store until January 15.

You might find the detox section useful at this time of year or, if you’re spoiled for choice, take a look at the editor’s picks and bestsellers pages. In order to claim your discount, just enter code DISCOUNT20 at the checkout when prompted.

Check out more gorgeous, indulgent treats in our pampering section >>

Site news: new merchants on the way

We’re pleased to announce that several new retailers are on board for the New Year. We’ll be adding them to our directory section as soon as practicable – but, in the meantime, we thought you might enjoy an exclusive subscriber’s sneak preview:

• Brighter Bathrooms – bright ideas, big savings and a super range of suites, showers, baths, taps and accessories for your bathroom
• Trueshopping – MyBathroomFinder is delighted to welcome back this retailer, a one-stop department store selling top-quality, competitively-priced products backed by a fast, efficient delivery service.
• Woolworths – this high street stalwart also has a comprehensive website featuring all kinds of bathroom and household essentials.
• ZiggiZiggi – exciting and unusual homewares, including an exclusive new range for 2008. Has a dedicated bathroom section.
• The Pine Factory – pine and oak furniture, including a stylish bathroom range, with a low price guarantee.
• La Preya – offering leading skincare brands at discount prices, including Biotherm, Clarins, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Kerastase, Lancome, Shiseido, Sisley and Yves Saint Laurent.

Check out our directory pages >>

Click here to find out about Christy’s January mega sale… up to 50 per cent off

Get all the latest news with MyBathroomFinder

Whether it’s new products, special offers, links to consumer advice or tips and tricks of the trade, you can catch up with the very latest from the world of bathrooms from our news section. And, if you have a Yahoo Groups account, you may like to keep in touch with us there…

And it’s not just bathrooms…

If you like MyBathroomFinder, why not visit some of our other sites?

• My Kitchen Finder
• My Garden Finder
• All The Tools You Need
• My Gadget Finder
• My Mobile Finder
• My Brilliant Weekend
• Food For The Birds

For those of you viewing this blog down a RSS feed… here’s some recent stuff you probably won’t have seen.

First of all, the December 2007 site newsletter:

Welcome to the December edition of the MyBathroomFinder newsletter. Most people’s minds are firmly on Christmas – but that doesn’t mean things are entirely quiet in the home improvements market. There are still plenty of deals and special offers about – and, of course, retailers are gearing up for the January sales. Here’s what you need to know about in the world of bathrooms this month.

This month’s offers:

Here’s a brief version of the hot offers and bargains that have caught our eye this month.

• Plumbworld has a Ceramica 1700mm shower bath for £299.97, reduced from £864.97 or a Mira Sport Max 10.8kW electric shower selling for £187.97, reduced from £319.60, among many other offers.
• Trueshopping’s current top savings include a thermostatic shower enclosure for £449.00, a saving of £950 on the suggested retail price, and a complete Modern Oval freestanding bath suite for £529.00, a saving of £570 on the suggested retail price.
• We’ve got discount codes for money off at the Wallace Sacks and John Lewis websites…
• And Furniture 123 has clearance offers available on slightly damaged ex-display items in its bathroom range.

Get full details of all these deals on our offers page >>

Read the full newsletter here. >>

Second, the updates to our directory section. We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes to make sure the site’s in top shape for the new year. And the result of that is a brand-new directory that we think is considerably better than anything that came before.

Now, instead of having to wade through a long alphabetical list of retailers and guessing what they sell you can browse by item. And, as well as the essential categories like suites, showers and taps, you can check out hydrotherapy products, look into pampering or find out how to get a greener bathroom.

We think it’s much easier to use, and we really hope you like it. We’ve also had a good look at the in-depth section to make sure all our features are up-to-date and relevant. That should now be quite a bit better too…

We’ve heard that plenty of people are planning a spot of bathroom renovation in the New Year – after all, what better time to take advantage of the sales?

With this in mind, our DIY sister site, AllTheToolsYouNeed.com, has just put together a seasonal guide to buying power tools.

While this may serve as a briefing for present-buying for DIY fanatics or a handy hint sheet to print out and leave lying casually round the place, we also think it’s a pretty good place to start as a shopping list to get you launched on that New Year bathroom project you swore you’d tackle soon.

Check it out here: Our top 10 tips for buying power tools.

Looking for advice on how to change a tap, tile a shower enclosure or put down laminate flooring? Then look no further.

MyBathroomFinder.com has a sister site called AllTheToolsYouNeed.com. (We’re sticking with the intuitive names, as you can tell.) That focuses on DIY tools and products and, in order to beef it up a bit, we’ve gone through the websites of all our partner merchants and linked to all their tips sections, advice sheets and tricks of the trade.

You can access this informational goldmine here. And do take a look round the site while you’re at it…

Phew! At last – the behind-the-scenes work we’ve been doing all summer is finally beginning to translate into improvements that actually appear live on the site.

Today marks the launch of our revamped and updated products section. We’ve been acutely aware that it wasn’t very helpful before – as the site got bigger the page expanded until it was one great, long list that you had to hunt through to find what you wanted. Not very user-friendly at all.

So now the section’s been split into sub-pages which we hope will make it a lot better to browse through. And the content’s been freshened too.

So take a look – and tell us what you think. We hope it’s a big improvement but we’d like to know about your experiences of actually using it.