How To Declutter and Organize Your Bathroom

 

 

I recently did a huge bathroom organize, and didn’t realize how many items I actually had. We live in a small 780 sq. ft. apartment with only one bathroom. So as you could imagine, we spend quite a bit of our time in there. If you’re anything like me, one of the most helpful ways to organize any space is with a list. I’ve come to realize, the only way i’m going to get anything done around here, is if I have some kind of list to follow. So, grab your iPad. Set it on the counter with your favorite show or music to listen to, and go to town! Your tomorrow self will thank you for it.

 

Decluttering

 

To start out, you must first declutter. Getting rid of items that you don’t use or need anymore will clear out so much usable space. After decluttering is when you’ll organize all of the items you have decided to keep. 

 

 

• Cosmetics – Anything expired should be thrown away. Being honest with yourself is very important here. If you haven’t been using it, it needs to be tossed out. Because chances are, you probably never will.

• Cosmetic Brushes/Sponges – Again, if you aren’t using them. Toss or donate ’em! If your sponge has seen better days, it’s probably best to get rid of those too. If you have a set of brushes, but only use 3-4 of them, it might be best for you to part with the ones you don’t really need. 

• Perfume/Cologne – Haven’t used your perfume in months/years? Donate it! Personally, I like giving beauty/hair products to local women’s shelters. They will definitely be used and loved. 

• Nail Polish – If the formula has become clumpy, Toss. If you no longer like the color, Donate.

• Skin Care/Lotions – Get rid of anything that doesn’t work for you. I’m guilty of buying something, not loving it, then end up keeping it in hopes that one day i’ll end up liking it. Trust me, don’t do it. It’ll sit there forever. 

• Hair Care – Here’s my secret… I am professional goo-hoarder. I have an embarrassingly large collection of hair product, and realized I probably only use 10% of all of it. Do not feel bad if you end up having to get rid of a ton of product that does not work for you. I donated all of my unused hair product to my local women’s shelter. In the end it made me feel so much better for doing so, and relieved to have so much free space. 

• Hair Brushes – Not using? Toss ’em.

• Razors – Throw away old razors.

• First Aid – Anything past expiration should be tossed.

• Medications – All over the counter, and prescription medication that is expired should be safely disposed of. You can dispose of your medication by bringing them to your local Walgreens. If you don’t have a Walgreens nearby you can always call your local PD to find out where to safely dispose of them.

 

Organizing

 

Now that you have gotten rid of anything you don’t use or need anymore, you’re half way done. Now it’s time to give everything a home.

 

 

It really helps to have a couple of bins and even labels if you’re feeling extra organized. Like I said earlier, my bathroom space is very limited, so I have to be a bit creative with where I put things. I had purchased a 3 drawer cart from Target for under $20 dollars. I also wanted to utilize a lot of the under-sink space, so I had bought about 4 small clear stack-able bins, and 4 medium bins from IKEA for very cheap.

Please note: If you do not prefer bins or have a lot of drawer storage space please feel free to use drawers instead of bins. Depending on your personal preference.

• Cosmetics – I find it best if I have two areas to store my makeup in. My every day makeup such as, mascara, foundation, primer, eyebrow pencil, contour pallet and eyeliner are examples of makeup I use daily. It’s easier if your daily makeup is in a easy grab zip-up pouch. That way, you can throw it in your purse or gym bag if you plan on needing it. I use a small bin for all of my other makeup that I use for special occasions or events, and keep it under my sink.

• Nail Supplies – Depending on how many things you own for your nails will depend on what size storage bin you’ll need. For me, I actually do my own acrylic nails and have a ton of nail supplies. Which means I need a medium sized container to fit them in. I like to keep one polish in my daily makeup bag for touch ups, and my medium nail bin in my linen closet since I don’t need it very often. If you have a small collection of nail items, you can just put a small bin under the sink instead. 

• Feminine Products – I keep a small discreet cosmetic bag that I keep in a drawer closest to the toilet filled with tampons and liners.

• Oral hygiene – I use a small drawer next to my sink where I like to keep our toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash and whitening strips. Personally, I don’t like any of these items to be next to other things in the bathroom, so I prefer that they have their own drawer. These items could also be kept on their own shelf in the medicine cabinet as well.
  

• Hair Supplies – I use a medium sized bin that will fit under the sink to store all of my hair products, brushes, flat iron, curling iron, and blow dryer. Small items such as, hair ties, bows and head bands are kept in a little baggie (i’m not fancy, Ziploc’s are my friend), and thrown in the hair bin. It’s important to keep hair product standing upright, to prevent leaking.

• Skin Care – Keep all of your lotions, perfume, razors (kept in a Ziploc bag), and face wash in a small/medium bin. Depending how frequently you use these items, keep these under the sink or in a closet. 

• First Aid/Medications – For some reason I have quite a bit in this basket. I decided to separate everything by type of items with small Ziploc bags. Trust me, it seems like a bit much, but I can’t tell you how many times I have been grateful that I could find the pain numbing spray or band-aids quickly without trying to look through a big basket full of random first aid items. I’m sure all of you parent’s out there understand how accident prone our little ones are.  I keep all prescription medication currently being taken, in the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. I also keep a numbing spray, Advil and vitamins in the medicine cabinet. Everything else is kept in the basket, and stored in the closet. 

These items are too big for the bags, and kept in the basket

heating pad

Vicks medicated vapor plug-in

hydrogen peroxide

These items are examples of separated bags I keep inside the basket

band-aids, Neosporin, tweezers & gauze

extra inhalers

emergen-C

any prescription medications not currently being taken

tums, pepto bismol, gas-x (any medication for stomach troubles)

thermometer, children cold/flu medicine, children pain medicine, children allergy medicine

adult pain medicine, adult cold/flu medicine, adult allergy medicine

 

 

Here is a list of items organized by area

 

Medicine Cabinet

• Deodorant
• Pain numbing spray
• Advil / Tylenol
• Toothbrushes / Toothpaste / Floss
• Prescription medication

 

Under The Sink or Drawers

• Cosmetic Bin + Daily Cosmetic Bag
• Skin Care
• Hair Supplies
• Feminine Products
• Cleaning Supplies
• Animal Shampoo
• Extra Shampoos / Body Wash / Soap

 

Linen Closet

• Nail Supplies
• First Aid / Medicine Basket
• Towels

 

And now you’re finished! How does it feel? I hope this post was helpful. One of the best feelings is organizing and decluttering a space in your home. Please let me know if this post worked for you, and if you have any tips you’d like to share. Thanks for stopping by!

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