Besides kitchen, bathroom is one of the biggest clutter pain points that often ends up being the dumping ground for all your makeup, skincare and bath products.
I recently installed a big wall mounting rack in my bathroom only to realise that it wasn’t big enough to hold all the stuff that I use on a daily basis. I’ve always found it challenging to keep my bathroom decluttered on a daily basis because it’s really small. The closet in my bathroom, despite being cleared up on a regular basis, never seems to be enough for all the stuff that it stores.
I’ve grown up obsessing over skincare. My Mom used to call me a hoarder for buying too many skincare products but I never took her words seriously. It was only when my bathroom closet started throwing out all the junk it had been stuffed with that I realised how badly it needed to be decluttered. I had no option but to face the reality that my bathroom was too small to hold everything that I had been buying irrationally.
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Apart from changing my spending habits, I had to do a major bathroom declutter that should have happened months ago. But I guess it’s never too late to do something that sparks joy in your life.
I’ve rounded up a list of a few bathroom decluttering hacks that are sure to leave a big, positive impact on your bathroom by keeping it free of clutter:
1. Get Rid of the Duplicates
The wall shelf in my bathroom used to be a hotspot for clutter because of the number of duplicates it had been housing. With at least 3 different varieties of shower gel, 2 variants of face wash and the many types of exfoliators, the shelf was almost about to fall down making me realise that I need to remove the duplicates as soon as possible. I now keep just one variety each of face wash, shower gel and exfoliant on the shelf and store the rest in the cabinet under the sink.
2. Cut Down on the Number of Towels
There was a time when our bathroom rack had 8 towels for our family of six. Add to it the number of hand towels and there was no place left on the rack for anything else.
Being a woman, I do understand the importance of towels in my house. But do we really need the many towels that we keep in our bathroom?
A few months ago, I remember how fed up my Mom used to be about the towel clutter in our bathroom, so much so that she ended up making a rule that all of us needed to follow.
“Hang the towel on the clothesline to dry immediately after taking the shower. And pick a towel from the same clothesline when you go in to shower.”
Needless to say, this has been the most effective way to tackle the tower clutter in our bathroom. We have all of 4 towels that we use as per the rule and wash each of them every 3 days.
3. Clean the Shower Area and the Bathtub
The only items that are required to be kept in the shower and the bathtub are the ones that you need while taking a bath. Everything that’s not shampoo, bathing soap, face wash, foot scrub, intimate wash, face and body scrub, shower gel or the loofah should be removed from the shower and the bathtub. Also, get rid of the duplicates from the list above and you’ll free your bathroom of half the clutter that has been piling up for years.
4. Clear the Countertops
Bathroom countertops are usually the most vulnerable area in the sense that it’s prone to attract more clutter than it can hold. And since it’s the most visible area of the bathroom, it needs to be kept clean as much as possible.
In order to tackle the counter clutter, install a toothbrush holder for all your oral care supplies (toothbrushes, a toothpaste tube and a mouthwash). While one side of the bathroom sink can house this toothbrush holder, the other side can be used to keep a soap dispenser.
While many people like to keep their makeup on the countertops (which is alright if you have a large bathroom), it’s better to keep less things on display if you have a small bathroom space. I, for one, like to store my makeup in the drawer under the counter because my bathroom is small and the countertop looks just perfect with only a few items.
5. Purge Like Crazy
Now that you’ve cleared the countertops, the bathtub and the shower area, it’s time to purge your bathroom of all the unnecessary items. Get rid of the expired makeup products, empty shower gel bottles, worn out toothbrushes and lotions that you are never going to use. Purging can sometimes be a little overwhelming but it’ll free up so much space in your bathroom that you will thank yourself for letting go of things.
6. Organize the Toiletries
Since bathrooms usually have a limited number of drawers and storage racks, it’s important to keep your stuff organized in a manner that you’re able to make the most of this limited space.
My small bathroom has just one cupboard with a partition. While we use one side to keep the sanitary napkins, nail cutters & filers, hair removing razors, perfumes and makeup products, face & body moisturisers, hair clips and bands, the other side is reserved for everything that belongs to the men of the house, i.e. shaving kit, men’s skincare products and deodorants.
Decluttering the bathroom isn’t as difficult as it seems to be, given you have the time and effort it takes to accomplish it. But there’s no use decluttering your bathroom if you lack the proper strategy for storing stuff in the bathroom closet and on the counter.
I hope this post helped you in purging your bathroom and keeping it decluttered. If there’s any tip or hack you’d like me to add to the list above, drop a comment below or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com. I love hearing from you.