Can I make wudu in the bathroom?

Why it's allowed

Wudu needs clean water and washing the right body parts in order. Nothing in the Quran or Sunnah says it must happen in a special room. The Quran describes wudu without mentioning a place:

In many Muslim countries, homes have a separate washing area, which is why some converts think a bathroom is "wrong". It's just a different house layout. Scholars from all four schools accept wudu wherever clean water is available, as long as the water itself doesn't get splashed with impurity.

Saying Bismillah

Saying "Bismillah" at the start of wudu is sunnah for most scholars (and required for some Hanbali scholars). At the same time, scholars dislike mentioning Allah's name aloud inside a toilet room. Options most teachers give:

• Say it quietly in your heart if the toilet is in the same room. Many scholars hold that the sunnah is fulfilled this way.
• Say it just before you walk in, then make wudu.
• If the bathroom is clean and the toilet closed, some contemporary scholars allow saying it softly, since a modern bathroom isn't like the open latrines of the past.

For more on this, see Can I do dhikr in the bathroom? and What dua do I say when entering the bathroom?

Practical tips for a home bathroom

• Close the toilet lid before you start, to avoid splashes.
• Feet: lift one foot into the bathtub or shower tray, or use a small jug, instead of balancing on the sink.
• Wipe up after yourself. Leaving a flooded floor for flatmates or family isn't good manners.
• Say the dua after wudu once you step out of the room.

If you're showering anyway, you can also do wudu inside the shower. See Does a shower count as wudu? At school or work, a public bathroom sink works the same way. See How do I make wudu in a school bathroom?