Decluttering and How To Organize Your Bathroom

Not everyone gets the opportunity to have the perfect bathroom; large, spacious, and exquisite.

But irrespective of the size or state of your bathroom, getting the bathroom clutter-free and making the best use of space can help you get more out of your bathroom. Sometimes, it can just make your bathroom look bigger too.

You just might be shocked by the amount of space available in your bathroom.

And if on the other hand, you already have a fantastic bathroom and you need some help with making the best use of it. This article would walk you through all the essentials of decluttering and organizing your bathroom.

Because sometimes, you can have all a spacious bathroom and not make the best use of it.

This is why it is important to understand the need to declutter and organize your bathroom.

Why You Should Organize Your Bathroom

Organizing your bathroom comes with several perks. Apart from the fact that an organized bathroom has an incredible aesthetic appeal, it is also easier to use as you can easily find everything you need, whether it’s a band-aid or toothpaste. Interestingly, a lot of people don’t pay attention to this. You’d be shocked that the reason you get late to work every morning or the reason you’re always so worked up every morning is that your bathroom is not well organized.

Having your bathroom organized helps you rest assured about the state of things when you need to use the bathroom. You don’t have to worry about bottles or soaps falling out whenever you open a drawer. There is no need to waste any time finding anything. Everything is where it’s supposed to be, and all the items kept are neatly arranged and easy to access.

Another advantage of having an organized bathroom is that it is more sanitary. If your bathroom is organized, it is easier to keep the space clean all the time. If your bathroom is organized, you don’t have to go through a lot of stress whenever trying to clean up your bathroom.

Timely decluttering of the bathroom also helps you get rid of health hazards like old cosmetics and other items that might have expired. Some of these items do not only pose risks to you but also the environment. This is why routine decluttering is also essential as it helps you get rid of old and expired beauty and medical products.

Getting Started

Decluttering and organizing your bathroom can be quite an engaging process, more so because there are several other smaller components involved in the process. However, following the right sequence, you can make the process much more comfortable.

Before starting, it is important to understand what you’re trying to achieve from the onset. If you’re only trying to declutter and organize, then you might not need to but a lot of things. However, if you are looking to try out new layouts or styling options, you might need to find out what works best for your bathroom and get all the necessary supplies to achieve this layout.

Gather Your Supplies

Before setting out on decluttering and organization, it is recommended that you get the necessary items you need in the process. Usually, just decluttering does not require a lot of supplies, but if you’re looking at changing layout, then you might need to get more supplies depending on what you already have. It is, however, important to point out that sometimes you might choose to go for a complete remodeling. Although this might involve the services of a professional.

The sequence of the process is:

1. Declutter
2. Clean
3. Organize/Arrange

The first step in organizing your bathroom is getting rid of cutters in your bathroom. The best way to remove clutters from your bathroom is by storing less stuff in your bathroom. You are probably wondering what kind of items you should store in your bathroom and what you shouldn’t. The best answer to this is “only important stuff.”

As much as possible, you should try to minimize the items you store in your bathroom. The ultimate aim is to keep your bathroom as serene and organized as possible. Having unnecessary stuff hanging around in your bathroom would only lead to having unnecessary clutter around. And this leads to the disorganization of your bathroom over time. So, as much as possible, try to avoid keeping unnecessary items around.

What Are The Items to Declutter in Your Bathroom

When sorting the items to declutter in your bathroom, you might want first to sort these items into the following categories:

Hair care products

The range from shampoos, hair creams, hair gels, etc. They basically should be products that you apply to your hair routinely. Once decluttered, you should then sort these items based on the frequency of their use. More frequently used items should be placed at a more conspicuous place, and less often used items can be kept away.

Expired products and other products not in use should be appropriately disposed of. This would go a long way in helping to free up space and even ensuring your safety.

Hair tools (e.g., brushes, clips, etc.)

Unlike some hair care products, most hair tools are more often in use. While some of these tools are used daily, there might be some that are not used as frequently e.g., hair rollers, etc. These classes of tools should be kept away in order to avoid forming clutters.

Skincare products

These class of products are also similar to hair products. Only products that are in use daily should be within reach. They can be kept in cabinets, drawers, or even a bathroom vanity depending on the layout of the bathroom.

Makeup

Not all makeup items are used every day. While some are used daily, some are only used on several occasions, so you might want to factor this when sorting and organizing your bathroom.

Over the counter (OTC) creams and pills

It is recommended that medication should not be kept in the bathroom. Although some over the counter creams can be held in the bathroom, especially the ones that are to be applied after a face wash or similar scenario.

But before storing any product in the bathroom, you might want to make sure that it is not affected by humidity and rapid changes in temperature.

Towels, Linens, and mats

Towels and some other fabric materials can also be stored in the bathroom, especially if the bathroom contains a linen closet. In the instance where there is no linen closet in the bathroom, baskets can be used to store these materials.

Cleaning supplies

Most people also keep cleaning supplies in the bathrooms. Cleaning supplies that are in frequent use should be kept in areas where they are easily accessible, but extras can be kept away until needed. Cabinets and drawers can be used to store these extras.

Prescription medications

Prescription medications should not be kept in bathrooms. Apart from the fact that it can be easily used in places like the kitchen or dining room, a number of these drugs are also affected by the high humidity in the bathroom.

First-aid supplies

First-aid supplies can also be kept in drawers or cabinets in the bathroom.

• Paper toiletries (e.g. Tissue)
• Old items

Storing These Items

Once you have carefully sorted these items, the next step is to find the best way to store these items.

Toiletries

For basic toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwashes, the most important factor to consider when storing these items is keeping them as close to the sink as possible. This is because most of these items are usually used when you are at the sink, so it is most efficient to keep them within arm’s reach.

You should, however, be careful when storing these toiletries as they can quickly form clutters. So, you should always try to keep them to the minimum.

Towels

Also, in storing items in your bathroom, face cloths and hand towels should be stored in drawers. This helps keep them close at hand and also prevents them from toppling over. Bath towels should be stored in your linen closet. In both instances, the towels should be kept where they can be easily reached, and also, if you are having guests over, you should consider having your towels in a prominent position. This way, your guests can easily find the towels themselves.

Shower supplies

Shower supplies like body washes, soaps, razors, shampoo, and other items used in the shower should also be kept close to the areas around the shower or tub where they’d be used. A tall shower caddy can also be used since they offer more efficient use of vertical space.

Hair Styling Products and Tools

Some people also store hair styling products and tools like curling irons, hairdryers in the bathroom since this is where they are used. Although handing them makes them easier to reach.

However, if you are not the type that uses these products frequently, then you can keep them in a drawer. Some users also choose to hang these items under the sink. Using this approach, however, requires extreme care handling the cords of some of the electrical appliances.

Toilet paper

If you have a basket on the floor of your bathroom or extra space under your sink, you can use this space to store extra rolls of toilet paper. Although, you should ensure to keep toilet paper as close to the toilet as possible.

First aid kit

Some users also choose to store their first aid kit in their bathroom. The primary point to consider when storing a first aid kit is that it should be kept in a place where it would be easily located. So, in case of emergencies, anyone can easily find it with a simple description.

Apart from the significant items, some other items commonly stored in bathrooms include:

Jewelry

To keep jewelry in your bathroom, you can use a small tray somewhere around the sink to keep your everyday jewelry, although you might also want to take care so they are not close to where items affected by moisture would be affected.

Special makeup:

Apart from day-to-day makeup, the chances are that you also have other makeup items that are not used every day. While you may choose to keep all your makeup together in one spot but if it begins to form clutter, you can keep the makeup for special occasions away in a drawer.

Linens

If your bathroom does not have a linen closet, you can store linens and beddings on bathroom shelving.

Papers and reading material

If you are the type that has reading materials in the bathroom, then the best way to store them is by using containers. Having piles of magazines and other reading materials only worsens the clutter in your bathroom. A basket or a wall magazine rack can help.

Items You Should Not Store in the Bathroom

While it is allowed to store some items in the bathroom, there are some other items that should not be stored in the bathroom. Some of these items include;

Non-waterproof appliances

Also, try as much as possible not to have non-waterproof appliances in the bathroom. This also includes important documents like bills and certificates.

Medications

Considering the fact that most medicines are usually affected by humid environments and temperature variations, moving your medicines to the kitchen might not be a bad idea. Another advantage of having your medication in the kitchen is easy access to water when you need to use them.

Cleaning Up

Once you have successfully gotten everything that should not be in your bathroom out of there, you might want to consider cleaning up before moving on with the organization of the bathroom. Decluttering offers you an excellent opportunity to do a thorough cleaning of your bathroom since the areas that are usually blocked by clutters have been exposed.

After cleaning, you can then move on with the organization.

Organizing your Bathroom

Depending on the layout of your bathroom, organizing your bathroom might not require you getting any product. However, if you have limited options with respect to storage, then you should consider going shopping. If you have a lot of items that tend to occupy a lot of space like towels or paper products, then you should consider getting a shelving unit based on the side of your bathroom.

If you don’t have a lot of space in your bathroom, then you can use baskets to organize your items. Before going shopping, it is important to understand what you need and what would work for your bathroom.

Sometimes, you might not be able to reproduce a bathroom styling inspiration in your bathroom exactly due to differences in layout. Still, you can pick some elements of the styling idea that you like and use it in your bathroom.

Bathroom organizers help maximize the space in your bathroom and reduce the time you spend searching when using your bathroom. If you have to work with dimensions, then it is safe to measure your bathroom before going ahead to make a purchase. This would help prevent scenarios where what you purchase is too large or too small for your bathroom.

Organizing Your Bathroom Closet

Most people don’t enjoy organizing Linen closets, mostly because it often comes with a lot of work; folding, sorting, etc. But this is not always the case. As a matter of fact, organizing your linen closet can be quite straightforward. The first thing to do is to determine the items that are going into the closet and the ones that would be stored in the bathroom.

Once this is done, you then arrange everything to ensure that frequently used items are at the front and the least frequently used items go to the far back. Smaller items can be kept in storage bins or boxes. You can also sort clothing materials (towels, beddings, etc.) by color, sets, or sizes.

And sometimes, in the course of organizing your linen closet, you can also consider these tips.

Stack Linens

Towels should be stacked with the folded edge facing outside. This makes it easier to hold and remove the towels without affecting the rest of the stack. All you have to do is place the upper and bottom sets inside a pillowcase or any other material to categorize them. Smaller items can be stacked in tote bags also to keep them organized.

Remove Extras

Also, having two sheet sets for every bed on your own can be quite excessive. Two bath towel sets per person are, however, permissible. If you have any extra bedding or towels that are not in use, you should consider putting them away instead of them just occupying space.

Check the Shelf Height

Another important factor that affects the organization of your linen closet is the shelf height. For a shelf that is too high, reaching the topmost section can be quite difficult, so it can be quite tedious to keep sheets or any other materials that should be at the top of the shelf. An alternative that is commonly explored is using plastic or wire shelving inserts to create more spaces, so you don’t have to worry about using the top shelf so much.

Storing Linens

One option that a lot of homeowners use to keep their linen closets organized is to keep the linens for each room in that room rather than using a centrally located linen closet. So, linens for each bedroom are kept in the bedroom, thereby reducing the amount of stuff you need to keep in the bathroom.

Label and Color Coding

Another approach to achieve effective organization is through the use of labels and color codes. You can use this to identify each shelf in the closet and the items contained in that stack.

Rotation

Also, to prevent overusing some set of linens, you should always pull out new linens from the bottom of the stack, so you don’t pick freshly laundered linens all the time. An alternative to this is to keep freshly laundered linens at the bottom of the pile and select from the top. It’s all about finding the most suitable system for you.

Optimize Your Space

Ensure to use the space in your linen closet judiciously. You can store bulky items and vacuum cleaners or other cleaning supplies in open space in and around the closet.

Organizing Your Shower and Bathtub

Keeping showers and bathtubs organized can be quite tedious because they are not exactly built for storage, but most users tend to keep bath supplies around the tub. The primary purpose of this is to keep them within reach. In all, the main factor to consider when choosing an organizer to be used around the shower and bathtub is the reliability of the organizer. Only durable organizers should be used around the bathtubs and showers

You should also try to avoid the forming of clusters around the tub and shower. So rarely used items should be kept away.

Organizing the Sink and Counter Spaces

As difficult as it might seem, it is important to keep a few things as possible on countertops. This makes the countertop much easier to wipe, and it also reduces the chance of clutters forming on these countertops. The appearance of a bare counter definitely looks better than a cluttered one.

When organizing the items kept on a counter, they should be kept closest to where they are used. For instance, hand soaps and lotions should be closer to the sink, the same with face washing products. Less frequently used items can go to the back of the counter.

Organizing Cabinets, Vanity, and Drawers

Bathroom Cabinets

If your bathroom has a cabinet above the sink or anywhere else, then you only keep items in the cabinet based in their proximity to their areas of use. For instance, a cabinet above the sink should contain items that are used around the sink; toothbrushes, toothpaste. Less frequently used items can be kept at the back of these cabinets.

Some bathrooms also come with cabinets under the sink; these kinds of cabinets are good for storing extra items like toothpaste and toilet paper. You should pay attention to cabinets under sinks before storing items as some of these cabinets house pipes and any spillage can lead to water drips ruining paper products.

Bathroom Drawers

Ultimately, you are responsible for the things you keep in your bathroom drawers. It is, however, important to consider some factors before storing items in bathroom drawers: The number and size of drawers are some major factors to consider.

In all, it is important to ensure that your drawers do not just become a place to store random things. A drawer can be a good option for storing items that need classification or items that are not frequently used.

And if your bathroom does not have cabinets or drawers, then you can create a shelving unit using the vertical space in your bathroom or floating shelves above the toilet for storage.

Organizing items in drawers can be quite tricky. This is why some users opt for drawer divider sets. These sets are more suitable if you’re storing linen or other fabric materials in your drawers. The divider sets come in different forms from different manufacturers; you only have to find out what is most suitable for you.

Bathroom Vanity

Not all bathrooms come with a vanity, but If your bathroom has a vanity, chances are you probably already have a preferred morning routine. You can organize makeup and other skin products in the vanity. However, to make your routine more efficient, you should organize these items based on the way you use them. If you moisturize your face as part of your shower routine, then your moisturizer should be kept on the bathroom counter. If it is, however, part of your makeup application, then it can be kept alongside other makeup items in your vanity.

Maintaining An Organized Bathroom

Once you have successfully organized your bathroom, maintaining should be the easy part. All you have to do is ensure that you place every item back where you picked them from after use. Also, items that do not belong in the bathroom should not be kept in the bathroom.

You can also incorporate the routine organization in your cleaning schedule. All this makes maintaining your bathroom relatively easier.

The maintaining of your bathroom after decluttering and organization requires asking some basic questions continually about items stored in the bathroom; “Do I use this?”, “Is this item extra?” “Will I possibly use this one day?” “How many bottles of body lotion do you really need?”

Ultimately, these questions help you categorize the items in your bathroom into the items frequently used, items less frequently used, and items not used at all. This would go a long way in helping you continually keep your bathroom organized.

Also, the aim of the organization is to improve both the aesthetics and functionality of your bathroom, so space optimization is also an important part of organizing your bathroom. So, as much as possible, it important to ensure that items kept in your bathroom do not take up more space than necessary.

You can also choose to get creative with layout and styling options. There are several layout inspirations online. You only have to find out what works for your bathroom.

Decluttering A Small Bathroom

If you’re worried that your bathroom is small. There’s nothing to worried about. While you cannot declutter on a daily basis, here are some simple steps for you to follow.

Purge

First things first, take out everything in your bathroom. By everything, we mean everything. Sometimes it is easy to grow an emotional attachment with some items, and this can lead to you keeping them around for longer than necessary.

Sort & Declutter

Once you take out everything from the bathroom, you can then move on to sorting items based on the frequency of their use. Substances that you use frequently should be separated from less frequently used items and items that you no longer use.

Clean to declutter your bathroom

The next step is to clean your bathroom. Since you already have everything out. This allows you to be thorough with the cleaning process. This would give your bathroom the sparkle it needs once you’re done with the entire process.

Once you’re done with cleaning and decluttering, the next step is to arrange everything in order of how important they are. It is important to make the best use of storage space at this point, considering the size of your bathroom.

Conclusion

In all, decluttering and organizing your bathroom doesn’t just make it look amazing; it also helps you get the most from the space. For example, if your bathroom is well organized, you don’t have to worry about where everything is every morning before going to work. You already know where everything is and can go straight to pick and return them after use. Also, you don’t have to worry about running into a clutter of items on the floor when you are rushing in the bathroom.

Apart from this, guests that come to your home would also find your bathroom easy to use, especially if you’re the type that likes to label everything. This is why decluttering and organizing your bathroom is not just important; it is a must. However, with the steps listed above, you’d be done in no time, and it also saves you a lot of stress.

Declutter and organize your bathroom today to give it that face-lift your bathroom today to get that amazing and functional outlook.