From the Rav’s Desk: Turning a Bathroom Into a Kosher Guestroom: Halachic Considerations and Practical Guidelines

Question:
We have enough bathrooms in our home, and I would like to turn one of our large bathrooms into an extra guestroom. My concern is: how can we revoke its impurity so that people who stay there can learn Torah, daven, say blessings, and so it can have a Mezuzah placed by its door? What steps are required to ensure the room loses its former bathroom status and becomes permissible for holy activities?

Answer:
In order to turn a bathroom into a bedroom that is rid of its previous impurity and permitted for Torah study, prayer, and blessings, and a Mezuzah, the following steps should be taken. One should remove the toilet and any paraphernalia associated with using the toilet, as well as remove the bathtub and shower area. The room should also be thoroughly cleaned. Ideally, it is best to also give the room a fresh new paint job and place new tiles in any area that requires tiling. If these additional changes are not possible, then as long as the toilet, bathtub, and shower have been removed, that alone is enough of a change to revoke the former status of the room. If the above was done then one may learn and Daven in the room, and the room is obligated to have a Mezuzah.

Explanation:

For many homeowners, especially those with growing families or frequent guests, maximizing available space becomes essential. If your home has more bathrooms than you realistically need, converting a large bathroom into a functional bedroom can be a practical and valuable improvement. However, for a Jewish home, such a renovation raises a unique halachic question:

Once a room served as a bathroom—a place defined by halachic impurity and restrictions—how can it be transformed into a space suitable for holy activities such as davening, learning Torah, or reciting blessings? Fortunately, halacha provides clear principles that allow such a transformation, as long as certain steps are taken to revoke the room’s former status and restore its eligibility for kedushah‑related activities.

To revoke the halachic status of a bathroom and convert it into a bedroom suitable for Torah study, prayer, and other holy activities, the room must undergo a clear and functional transformation. The most critical step is removing all fixtures used for bodily functions, including the toilet, bathtub, and shower, along with their related plumbing. Once these are removed, the room is no longer fit for its original use, thereby halachically uprooting its previous designation. Additional enhancements—such as removing mirrors, vanities, towel racks, and similar bathroom elements—further reinforce its new identity, although not required. Some Poskim also recommend visible cosmetic changes, such as repainting, installing new tiles or flooring, patching old plumbing openings, as these contribute to a complete psychological and halachic redefinition of the space.

If full renovation is not feasible, halachically the minimum requirement is simply removing the toilet and bathing fixtures; even if the room still looks like a bathroom or retains old tiles, this alone is sufficient to revoke its status. Importantly, the poskim explicitly state that merely cleaning the room and deciding not to use it as a bathroom any longer does not suffice; an actual physical change must be made to invalidate its previous designation. Thus, while additional cosmetic improvements are ideal, the essential transformation hinges on eliminating the room’s functional capacity as a bathroom.

Once the required changes are made to remove the bathroom status, the room becomes fully permissible for all holy activities, just like any other room in the home. At that point, one may daven, learn Torah, recite blessings, sleep in the room, bring in holy books, and even hang a mezuzah if it now qualifies as a bedroom. Through repurposing and proper renovation, the former impurity of the bathroom is completely nullified, restoring the space to full suitability for spiritual use.

Sources:

See regarding that an action suffices to uproot the state of a Merchatz and the Poskim rule that the same applies regarding a bathroom: Panim Meiros 1:87, brought in Shaareiy Teshuvah 84:1 “If an actual physical change was made to the bathhouse—such as removing the stove and similar fixtures—and it was turned into a regular living space, it becomes permitted to live in it, to recite blessings there, and to place a mezuzah on its doorway.”; M”B 84:3 “It is forbidden [to say holy words there] even when no one is present, and even if the bathhouse is used only during the summer while in the winter it is closed, nevertheless all the laws of a bathhouse still apply to it, for its name has not yet been removed from it. However, if they made an actual physical change to the structure—such as removing the stove and similar fixtures—and turned it into a regular living space, it is then permitted at once to place a mezuzah at its entrance, to recite blessings upon it, and to read and pray there. The same law applies regarding a bathroom as well”; Biur Halacha 84 “Vayirah”; Chesed Lealafim 84:1 applies also to bathroom, is to remove toilet; Ashel Avraham Butchach 83:1 [Remove the toilet]; Kaf Hachaim 83:2 applies also to bathroom

See regarding a new paint job etc regarding a bathroom: Ashel Avraham Butchach 83:1; Sheilas David 3; Kochav Meyaakov 100; Mechzeh Avraham 27; Aruch Hashulchan 83:3;  Piskeiy Teshuvos 83:1; However, see M”B ibid; Panim Meiros ibid; Ashel Avraham ibid which imply that any action suffices, even a single action, and it is not necessary to do all the changes mentioned above.

See regarding that cleaning the room and painting it alone does not suffice: Beis Yehuda O.C. 1:10; Yad Ahron Basra 84; Chesed Lealafim 84:1; Kaf Hachaim 83:2; Piskeiy Teshuvos 83:1