Declutter Your Bathroom - The “Why” and the “How”
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Would you like to have a calmer and more serene bathroom? Will a clutter-free bathroom help you get on with your day quicker? Do you find yourself buying new products because you can’t find the ones you know you have? Then you might benefit from some bathroom decluttering. Read on!
Why do bathrooms become cluttered?
There are three common reasons bathrooms become cluttered. Which one sounds like your culprit?
Poor Quality Storage
Bathrooms have notoriously poor built-in storage. Cabinets under the sink are dark, too deep, and difficult to access. Things that get pushed to the back of a cabinet might disappear into the abyss. If you’re lucky enough to have bathroom drawers, they almost never come with dividers. Small items in drawers easily become jumbled and look disheveled. These frustrating storage systems inevitably lead to products being left out on the counter, which causes the bathroom to look cluttered.
2. Overbuying Products
The next reason bathrooms might become cluttered is due to overbuying products. If you find yourself always buying the newest shampoo or the latest fragrance of hand soap knowing you already have some at home, you might be overbuying. Advertisements and displays at stores are designed to make you buy products even if you don’t need them. Companies are constantly coming out with new formulas, fragrances, and packaging to entice you to buy more than you need. If every time you go to the store you end up with a new bathroom item in your basket regardless of whether you’re out of that item at home, you might be affected by advertising.
3. Lack of Maintenance
And finally, bathrooms might be cluttered because you aren’t sticking to your current organizing system. This could mean several things, but here are two examples: 1. You aren’t purging items you no longer use. If you lose interest in an item (maybe you decide you don’t like a fragrance or you have a new favorite), it will probably sit under the sink, in a drawer, or in the shower taking up valuable space. 2. Your bathroom might have a tendency to be a catch-all room, especially if things that could be stored elsewhere in the house are finding their way into the bathroom. A bathroom that’s doing double or triple duty as a cleaner storage room, first aid station, or makeup vanity might need to be simplified to free up much-needed space for toiletries.
Now that you’ve identified the problems, here are some suggestions on how to fix them.
Improve Your Storage
Here are some products and tips to help you maximize your storage.
Drawers. If you already have drawers in your bathroom vanity, use some drawer dividers to get the most out of the space and to prevent objects from shifting out of order. My favorite drawer dividers are spring-loaded adjustable ones like these. If you need more drawers and floor space allows, purchase a free-standing drawer unit. I like to opt for closed storage instead of open shelves or bins to keep things neat and visually concealed. Here are some drawer units I love for bathrooms:
High: Ranulf Bath Linear Cabinet from Pottery Barn.
Budget: Sand and Sable Freestanding Bathroom Cabinet - Wayfair
Under-sink solutions. There are tons of products out there to help you make the most of your under-the-sink area. Using pull-out drawers or bins will help you utilize the back of the cabinet so things don’t get lost in the abyss. These are some of my favorites:
2-Tier Pull-Out Cabinet Organizer - Amazon. This is a great option if you have a large pipe in the middle of your sink area and need to work around it.
3-Tier Under Sink Pull-Out Organizer - Amazon This product is great if your under-sink area is a little roomier.
Use your wall space. Even in my first tiny San Francisco apartment, I had a little room on the wall above the toilet to put a cabinet. Wall cabinets maximize vertical space and give you some extra hidden storage to keep things looking visually simple and clean. Avoid cabinets with open shelves, clear glass doors, and towel racks (unless you need one). If you don’t want to put holes in the wall of a rental, you can opt for a back-of-the-door cabinet. Here are some of my favorites: (oh and pro-tip - bathrooms have water pipes in the walls. Make double and triple sure you aren’t drilling into one when you’re installing a wall cabinet.)
Nantwich Bathroom Wall Cabinet - Wayfair
2. Tackle Over-buying
Now that you’ve improved your storage, it’s time to tackle overbuying. The most common reasons people over-buy are a) they are susceptible to advertising, b) they aren’t “shopping” their own back-stock, or c) they aren’t making and sticking to grocery lists. Ask yourself this question and answer it honestly: “Am I susceptible to advertising?” If you love walking down the personal care aisles at your local store to see what’s new, then the answer is probably, “yes.” If you pay attention to ads that come up on TV, streaming, or social media for new products that promise to solve problems you didn’t know you had, then the answer is probably, “yes.” If you tend to subscribe to services that promise to send you items so you never run out, then the answer is probably, “yes.” That’s ok! We are all susceptible to advertising because the advertisers know what works. But we are trying to tackle clutter, so we need to be vigilant and implement checks for ourselves so we can stop over-buying and start enjoying our new extra space and save some money. Here are some suggestions to prevent over-buying:
Use ad-blockers. Ad-blockers have helped me tremendously when it comes to buying things I didn’t know I needed. If I don’t see the ads in the first place, I don’t have to consciously ignore, forget, or disregard them. The web-browser ad blockers I like are Adblock Plus and Adblocker Ultimate, and the mobile device ad blockers I like are NeverAds, Adblock Plus, and mobile web browsers with ad blocking capabilities like DuckDuckGo and Mozilla Firefox. You get the bonus of having better privacy too because blocking ads usually also blocks trackers. When it comes to ads elsewhere, consider paying for ad-free streaming services if you find you are being shown ads that are causing you to over-buy. Additionally, you can try and tailor your ads on social media platforms so you aren’t shown ads that trigger your tendency to over-buy. This is for more advanced users, but it can be effective. Dig into your ad preference settings and turn off targeted ads. You can also reset your ad targeting cookies. If there is a particular brand or ad that you see way too often, you can “dislike” or “hide” it on some platforms. If they ask for a reason, say “It’s irrelevant” and the platform will be less likely to show you ads like that in the future.
Shop your own back-stock. Now that you’ve gotten some new storage solutions for your bathroom, create your own mini warehouse. Group like items together so your extra shampoos are together, extra deodorants are together, etc. When you run out of an item, shop for it first in your warehouse before you order or purchase it.
Make a list and stick to it. If you are not out of or about to run out of an item, do not put it on the list and do not go down that aisle. You will only temp yourself with beautiful packaging and extremely effective advertising. The same goes for online shopping - do not put an item in your cart unless you are out or about to run out of it.
3. Implement a Maintenance System
Every organization system needs to be maintained. Create appointments for yourself to go back and check on your system to evaluate whether it is still working for you. Make any necessary changes. During your maintenance session, purge products you haven’t used or aren’t planning to use anymore. If a product has been opened and remains unused for a year, it’s probably time to toss it. Unsubscribe from delivery services for items that are piling up. Purge expired medicines, dried-up products, or anything that no longer interests you. If you have an abundance of trial size products, make a spa day for yourself and a friend and use those products up so they no longer take up space.
Notice whether things accumulate in your bathroom that would make more sense elsewhere in your home. I have a very small bathroom, so I keep all my hair styling products in my bedroom because that’s where I like to do my hair. I keep my makeup in my room as well because I don’t like the lighting in my bathroom. I also keep my household cleaners in the kitchen because I simply don’t have room for them in the bathroom. It’s important to take the time to maintain your system and make changes so it continues to work for you. This way you’ll stay organized and your bathroom will remain uncluttered.
Want more? Visit my Amazon Storefront and browse my collection of Cabinet Organizers. I’m constantly adding to this list, so you’ll always find something new and useful.
In conclusion, we’ve talked about implementing better storage systems for your bathroom, tackling the problem of over-buying, and the importance of maintenance. I hope some of these tips resonate with you and that you’re on your way to a decluttered bathroom.
Be calm, be organized, be you.
