I going to provide some great decluttering ideas for your bathroom. If your bathroom is really cluttered, then we need to tackle it right now! The bathroom is probably almost as frightening as your closet (at least mine is) but we can have you back on track in no time flat – guaranteed.
First, let’s tackle that medicine cabinet. If you open this door will “things” fall out of it? Take a critical look at your medications – both prescription and over-the-counter. (If you wear reading glasses, I suggest you bring them along!) You’re about to toss everything out that has expired. If you have any medicine that is no longer current, you’re going to toss it. No questions asked. This is more than just a clutter issue. Not only is this just wasting space, but this could be dangerous. Taking expired medicine has untold ramifications – so be sure to go through each shelf in your house where you may be storing any type of medication (many of us keep it in the kitchen!). Toss what’s old and expired!
Got beauty products you haven’t used in at least three months? Whether they’ve officially expired or not, toss them. Once they’re opened, the oils with which they’re made can go rancid. You needed a good excuse to buy new ones anyway.
Take all those old toothbrushes. Toss them as well. Dentists recommend that you buy new toothbrushes every two months. But how many of us really do? Now is a good time to do it.
One more thing. See that toilet bowl brush sitting in the corner. You might want to trade that thing in now too. I’m certain its packing quite a bit of bacteria. You can go to your local discount store and find disposable toilet bowl cleaners. If you’re environmentally conscious, you can buy either buy a “green” cleaner or create a home-made cleaner of your own.
One bathroom decluttering hint is to use baskets for organizing items. You can place some of the smaller items in baskets. These baskets can be separated into categories of what they hold – all hair items are contained with one small basket or container. Or they can be divided by family member. Your teenage girl’s bathroom necessities can be stored alone in one (or more reasonable several) container. Once you’ve done this all you need to do is find an appropriate home for this container. Some individuals like to store them in the bathroom itself. But if your bathroom is small, then you may not have the storage space in it for these containers. You may need to consider that these “bathroom bundles” be stored in the family member’s bedroom – or even a nearby linen closet. And each member totes his own to the bathroom when he needs it.
I know, I know! For such a small room, I seem to have much to say about it. But precisely because the room is small and storage space is normally at a premium, is the reason I’m spending so much time trying to help you declutter it. Look at your walls. You may want to consider putting in either shelving or a wall-mounted cabinet to help store necessary “stuff.” You can either put towels in these areas or you can place your toiletry bottles out of sight. If you decide to store towels, consider rolling them for storage instead of just folding them only. Give it a try, especially if you’re using only shelving and the towels will be “on display” so to speak.
Got enough room in your bathroom for a “tree” coat rack? If you do, then consider buying one. Your family members can hang their pajamas and robes here as well as that change of clothes instead of using that floor (even though the floor is a nice convenient “hanger”.) And onto one of the biggest problems we have with bathrooms, especially small ones. You’ve just returned from your favorite “big box” store – whether that be Costco or Sam’s Club or whatever is available in your area. And you’ve bought an extremely large bundle of toilet paper. So large, in fact, that you’re sure you won’t have to buy toilet paper for another six months. If you can’t find any place to store the toilet paper, then you may need to re-think your cost-cutting strategy.
The linen closet isn’t quite as scary as the clothes closets. But you still need to examine this space with a critical eye. Why may I ask are you keeping those frayed and bleached out towels when you’ve just bought a new set. It’s time to get rid of them. Can’t stand to get rid of them? Then donate them to an animal shelter. Many shelters use them to help keep their dogs and cats cozy. It keeps them from sleeping on the hard floor. So how many towels does one family need? Every family should have enough towels to sustain each member for two weeks. For example, you should have two washcloths, two beach towels, two bath towels (four for those individuals who use a towel to wrap their wet hair) per family member. Additionally, you’ll want two sets of hand towels as well.