If your home feels a bit chaotic, the bathroom might be a great place to start decluttering. It’s often filled with things you don’t really need, and because it’s a smaller space, it’s manageable to tackle in one go.
Cleaning out your bathroom can give you a quick sense of accomplishment, which can motivate you to take on other areas of your home.
Plus, it’s one of those spaces where you can quickly see the difference, helping you feel more organized and in control without feeling overwhelmed by the larger tasks ahead.
1. Start With Expired Products
Those ancient bottles hiding in your cabinet aren’t doing anyone any favors. Medications, skincare products, and cosmetics all have shelf lives, though many folks ignore those tiny dates printed on packaging.
Grab a trash bag and check everything, tossing anything past its prime. You’ll be shocked at how many questionable lotions and mystery ointments have been lurking around for years!
2. Handle The Medicine Cabinet
Where half-empty packages of bandages and random pill bottles multiply like rabbits! Time to corral this chaos by grouping similar items together and ditching duplicates.
If tablets are out of their original packaging, they should go immediately. For prescriptions you no longer need, look up proper disposal methods in your area instead of flushing.
3. Tackle The Towel Situation
How many towels does one person truly need? If your linen closet resembles a textile warehouse, you’ve got some decisions to make.
Keep two bath towels per person plus a few extras for guests. Anything frayed, stained or forgotten at the back of the shelf can find new life as cleaning rags or be donated to animal shelters.
4. Free Up Counter Space
Your bathroom counter isn’t a product showcase! Those fifteen bottles crowding around your sink make cleaning harder and create visual stress every time you walk in.
Keep only what you use daily on display. Everything else can live in drawers or cabinets. No storage? Try installing simple floating shelves or a small cabinet above the toilet for extra room.
5. Corral Hair Tools and Products
Hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, and brushes can quickly turn into a tangled mess. Finding a dedicated home for these items makes mornings smoother and prevents dangerous cord situations.
Try mounting a holder inside a cabinet door or using a decorative basket to keep everything together. Bonus tip: this is a great time to clean those tools, removing all that built-up hair and product residue!
6. Sample Size Madness
Sometimes those tiny hotel shampoos and gift-with-purchase samples seem too good to throw away. Before you know it, you’ve got dozens taking up valuable space!
Gather all samples in one spot and be honest about what you’ll actually use. For the keepers, create a small basket or bin labeled specifically for travel sizes.
The rest can go to women’s shelters or homeless outreach programs.
7. Shower Product Overload
If your shower ledge looks like a small bath and body shop, you’re not alone! Multiple shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and scrubs create clutter and collect grime.
Try limiting each person to one of each essential product type. Use up what you have before buying more, and consider installing a shower caddy or dispenser to keep things tidy.
8. Under-Sink Sorting
The cabinet beneath your sink often becomes a black hole where cleaning supplies and random bathroom items disappear. Pulling everything out might reveal surprises you forgot existed!
Group similar items together, check for leaks or damage, and install shelf organizers to maximize the awkward space around plumbing. Clear bins work wonders for corralling small items and preventing future chaos.
9. Makeup Collection Cleanup
Makeup has sneaky expiration dates many of us ignore. That mascara from three years ago? It’s probably hosting a bacteria party!
Sort through your collection, tossing anything that smells funny, has changed color, or hasn’t been used in over a year. Invest in drawer dividers or clear organizers to keep remaining items visible and accessible.
10. Rethink Your Cleaning Supplies
Most bathrooms don’t need fifteen specialized cleaners! Having too many products creates confusion and wastes space.
Choose a multipurpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and disinfectant as your core team. Store them in a caddy for easy access, and consider microfiber cloths instead of paper towels for sustainability. Your cabinet space and wallet will thank you!
11. Deal With Drawer Disasters
Bathroom drawers quickly become catch-alls for random items, from hair ties to old tubes of lip balm. Dumping everything out reveals just how much unnecessary stuff accumulates.
After sorting and purging, add drawer dividers to maintain order. Even simple cardboard boxes can create sections to keep small items organized and prevent the dreaded jumble from returning.
12. Address Abandoned Appliances
That fancy facial steamer you used twice? The electric toothbrush you replaced years ago? Bathroom appliances take up serious real estate!
If you haven’t used something in a year, it’s time to reconsider its place in your life. Working items can be sold or donated, while broken ones should be recycled properly according to local guidelines.
13. Solve The Subscription Box Surplus
Monthly beauty boxes sound fun until products pile up faster than you can use them! If drawers overflow with untouched items from subscription services, honesty time has arrived.
Create a designated spot with limited space for these products. When that area fills up, consider pausing subscriptions until you’ve worked through your backlog. Your bathroom and budget will feel lighter!
14. Consider Cabinet Contents
Those tall bathroom cabinets often become storage for items that don’t belong there at all! Random household goods, old decorations, and forgotten craft supplies somehow migrate to bathroom storage.
Be ruthless about what deserves bathroom real estate. If it’s not related to personal care or bathroom maintenance, find it a more appropriate home elsewhere in your house.
15. Create Sustainable Systems
The secret to keeping your bathroom clutter-free long-term? Simple systems anyone can follow! Once everything has a designated home, maintaining order becomes second nature.
Try the one-in-one-out rule for toiletries and cosmetics. Label shelves or containers so everyone knows where things belong. Schedule quarterly mini-decluttering sessions to prevent buildup from returning.