How to Organize Any Size Bathroom, Ideas for You
Bathrooms are a great place to start in your home when it comes to decluttering and organizing. They are filled with items that are probably not sentimental, may have not been looked at in a while, and are probably collecting dust. So no matter what size bathroom you’re looking at, here are some of my tried and true methods of bathroom organization.
Remove everything from cabinets
Take out every item (yes, all of them) from your cabinets and lay it all out.
Throw away the old and unused
With all of your items now on the floor, go through and find expired items and throw them away first. Then take a look and see if there’s anything you haven’t used in the last year. You’ll probably see quite a few items and there are some that you will probably hesitate to get rid of because of that just in case moment you need it.
If you feel hesitancy, ask yourself:
- Can I replace it for under $10?
- If I lost this thing, would I even notice?
- If I lost this thing, would I be upset?
Feel better about getting rid of it now? If it’s expensive and you would notice or care if you lost it, then keep it around, but give yourself a rule. Something like “if I don’t use it in the next 6 months, then I’ll trash it” or “if I don’t use it for the next special occasion I have, then I’ll trash it”.
Categorize your remaining items
I have the following categories in my own bathroom:
- Makeup
- Haircare
- Skincare
- Oral care
- Travel items
- Feminine products
- “Back-ups” (duplicates I buy of my everyday items)
Now, before you do anything else, identify in those categories the items you use everyday versus those you use only on occasion. Separate out the everyday items.
Start putting things away
Ideally, each category should have its own basket to put it in before you put it away. I like baskets that stack and can collapse like this. If you aren’t using them right now, but know you’ll probably need it later, it’s easy to collapse and hide away.
Only put away the items that you don’t use everyday to store under your sink or in the closet.
For feminine products, my favorite thing to do is to store them on top of the toilet in a three part organizer like this one. One section for tampons, one section for heavier pads, and one for panty liners. I can easily take them out of their boxes, store them in the basket, and hide away the extras for later. I’ll know when I need to restock when I don’t have extras stored in my cabinets and I never have that emergency where I run out and have to run to the store last minute. (I know we’ve all been there.)
Organize the everyday items
I try to avoid putting anything on the counters when possible, but this is the exception. For your bathroom, it’s so much easier to just have those everyday items within arm’s reach and you can still keep it tidy and organized with something like this that goes on the counter.
You may need one organizer for your everyday items like skincare, toothbrush, etc. And you may need another for your makeup, makeup brushes, etc. That’s okay. The goal here is to maximize your space and keep those things you need all the time convenient to you.
Nail polish
Why do I have a whole section on nail polish? Because I was so guilty FOR SO LONG of having dozens of colors that cluttered up my cabinets and never got used.
If you are one of those people who absolutely love giving yourself manicures and pedicures and that is how you do self-care, go you! Keep doing it! Have one of those under cabinet baskets dedicated to your nails that is stacked right up at the top for easy access. Or better yet, if you’re proud of your beautiful collection, display it proudly with one of those organizers that nails to the wall.
However, if you are like me and only ever did your nails maybe once in a couple months and when you did them, you immediately regretted it because they chipped almost instantly, hi. I see you. At some point, I had to face the reality that I just wasn’t in a season of life where nails were my priority and I’ve since decluttered all of it where I now only have 3 colors. One is a top coat, one is red because it’s seasonal but also a staple, and one that is my favorite pink.
“Special Occasion” Makeup
Another dedicated section to a category that I spent way too long with. I used to have those huge eyeshadow palettes, the beautiful lipsticks, the heavy foundation, etc. And it was wonderful when I was going out every weekend with my friends.
But now that I’m in my mom era, I had to get real with myself. I’m strictly a bare minimum kind of makeup person now. I do the least amount that is required that makes me feel put together and ready for the day. So I ditched all that special occasion makeup. And now when I have that occasional wedding? I either borrow makeup, make what I have work, or go out and buy a cheap eyeshadow palette for $5. This works for me, so decide what works for you.
I hope some of these tips helped you in your journey to organize your bathroom and take back this space. If you need even more motivation to continue your decluttering journey, take a look at these mindset shifts that will get you ready to do it. Let me know what your favorite ways to get organized are!
Happy organizing!
