Should You Put Alexa in the Bathroom? Yes, Here’s Why

Yes, you read that correctly. Your trusty Amazon Echo device can be so convenient in the most unexpected place — your bathroom. Think about all the times you’ve wanted to listen to music while getting ready or ran out of shampoo mid-shower and forgot to add it to your shopping list. Alexa can help with that. 

The trick is to figure out the best spot to place your Amazon Echo ($35 at Amazon) device. If you keep it away from the toilet (there’s germs and bacteria, duh) and running water, an Echo in the bathroom is a useful trick. So read on to find out where in your bathroom to put your smart speaker and all the benefits of having Alexa in the bathroom.

Read more: How Much Does it Cost to Set Up an Amazon Smart Home?

So, where’s the best place for your Amazon Echo?

The first step of putting Alexa in your bathroom is trying to figure out where to place it. You definitely don’t want it near your toilet due to all the germs that linger in that area. And you also shouldn’t place it on the sink or near the shower because you don’t want to risk getting your speaker wet. 

So where can you put your Echo device? The best option is to mount it on your wall or ceiling with a sticky strip or a nail (if possible). You’ll need to make sure that the cord is within reach of an outlet (or use an extension cord) before you mount it. Another option would be to set it on a wall shelf or a vanity without a sink.

Note that if you decide to mount it on the wall, it’s best to use a smaller speaker such as the Echo Dot.

Read more: Smart Showers, Smart Toilets and Smart Sinks: Should You Put Plumbing Online?

How can you use your Alexa device in the bathroom?

1. Order items when you run out

Let’s face it — you only remember that you need shampoo when you’re in the shower. But if you have an Echo in your bathroom, you can tell Alexa to order it. First, make sure you’ve got voice purchasing enabled in the Alexa app (Go to Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing and toggle the Purchase by voice setting on). 

When you notice you’re low on something, just say “Alexa, I’d like to purchase soap.” You can also just tell Alexa to add the items to your shopping list if you’re planning on going to the store later.

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2. Listen to music and podcasts

You may listen to music on your phone while you’re in the shower, but what happens when a song comes on that you don’t like? Chances are you use your wet hand to tap “skip” on the playlist, but things can go wrong doing that. 

With an Echo speaker in the bathroom, you don’t have to worry about that. You can just say “Alexa, skip” to move on to the next song. You can also quickly request a specific song you want to listen to (as long as you have Prime or another premium music service).

3. Set timers or reminders

If you’ve got several people in your house that share a bathroom, you can set timers and reminders to prevent arguing over whose turn it is to use the shower. Give each person the agreed-upon amount of time in the bathroom — say, 30 minutes — and when the timer goes off, their bathroom time is up. If you’re using a reminder, just say something like “Alexa, remind Sarah in 30 minutes that her time is up in the bathroom.”

4. Never forget a shower thought again with (digital) note-taking

Some of the best ideas come to you when you’re in the shower. So instead of forgetting them, tell Alexa to remember them. Just say “Alexa, make a note” and the voice assistant will ask what you’d like it to jot down. When you’re ready to hear what you’ve asked Alexa to keep a note of, just say “Alexa, read my notes.”

Now that you’ve got your Echo speaker in your bathroom, check out these five creative uses for your Amazon Echo and these six Alexa settings you’ll want to change ASAP.