A dowdy bathroom can be a big turn-off for buyers. Bathrooms – like kitchens – tend to make buyers catastrophise about how much it will cost to update and renovate. This can lead them to dismiss your home as a property to buy, or seriously downgrade their offer.

But it’s not so difficult to get your bathroom sparkling. Here are some tips to making your bathroom saleable on a budget.

1. Ensure its spotless

Dated fixtures can be forgiven to a degree if they are spotless but grime is a deadly sin. Get out the bleach and ensure all grot and mould is gone.

2. Respray the tiles and bath

 The worst thing about imagining the work of a bathroom renovation is removing the tiles. As a home seller, you don’t have time for that! Get a resprayer in to repaint in a clean, smart white and remove any vestiges of the 70s or earlier. You’ll be amazed at the difference.

3.  Replace the vanity

If your vanity is showing signs of water damage or is in a colour that was cool back when Merv Hughes used to bowl for Australia, head to your hardware or bathroom store and buy a cheap and serviceable new one in white.

1. A new showerscreen

If the showerscreen is cracked or if doors have crevices where you just can’t get rid into to get rid of the mould, it will be worth the small investment to update the screens with more modern – and clean – versions.

1. Replace the taps and fixtures

Pastel coloured tapware was on trend back in the 80s but dates your bathroom now. Head to your local hardware store and buy some smart, but affordable new-look tapware and shower fittings for an instant lift. You’ll need a plumber to install them.

1. Smart new towels

Add the finishing touches to your renovation with a new set of fluffy towels in a contrast colour that ties in some way to the rest of the house and match with a bottle of coloured bath salts or a vase of flowers in the same colour.