Bathroom Organization Techniques

to Streamline Your Morning Routine

Bathroom organization is critical to your success in life! Sounds odd, but hear me out. We start our day in the bathroom getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school, or starting a relaxing weekend. Who wants to get ready in a dirty cluttered bathroom? You won't feel clean getting out of the shower in a dirty bathroom and you'll waste time looking for things in the cluttered mess.

A clean and well organized bathroom is a must to start the day out right and timely.

When embarking on bathroom organization, think minimalism. Minimalism will be the biggest step as you will need to declutter everything that is old, expired, don't use, etc. Let's get started.

Declutter

Take in a big green plastic garbage bag and a couple of boxes. Start working high to low going through cabinets and drawers. Go through toiletries and purge everything that's old, out of date, lotions that smell funny, stuff with just a little bit left in the bottle, yet it's impossible to get out. Put the items you are keeping in the boxes.

Once you have cleared everything out, vacuum and wipe out the cabinets and drawers.

Keep a stock of toiletries on hand such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorants, etc. and keep these in out of reach cabinets. Utilize the space above the toilet. Purchase storage cabinets that can either be mounted or freestanding cabinets above the toilet for added storage space. Place like items together in a lined up fashion. Keep a space between the lines for a nice neat look and so you can see what you have. For instance, line up shampoos, conditioners in another line, deodorants in another.

FIFO (first in, first out) is critical to good bathroom organization. When you utilize the FIFO principle, you will use the oldest product first. So, be sure when you buy new toiletries, place the old one up front and the new one in the back.

Keep your frequently used items down in an easily accessible cabinet. This way you can quickly pull out shampoo, conditioner, and body soap and replace after your shower.

Counters and Vanities

Continue to think minimalism in your bathroom organization journey and clear the bathroom vanity and or counters of stuff. If you regularly use items, then place them on a tray or in a basket to keep them nice and neat.

Donate toiletry gifts you have an abundance of and don't use to your local shelter.

Cosmetics

Many women store cosmetics in the bathroom. This is a poor storage area for cosmetics due to the high humidity and changes in temperature.

Below are general guidelines for cosmetic shelf life if stored properly (at recommended temperatures and out of sunlight).

Use these guidelines during your declutter to determine if you should toss or keep cosmetics.

• Cream blush 12-18 months
• Powder blush 2 years
• Face powder 2 years
• Concealer 12-18 months
• Eye pencils 12-18 months
• Eyelash curler pads 3-6 months depending on usage
• Eyeliner 2 years
• Powder eye shadow 2 years
• Cream eye shadow 12-18 months
• Foundation 12 months
• Lipstick and lip liner 2 years
• Mascara 3 months

Remember the more you use a cosmetic, the greater the risk for disease causing bacteria to accumulate and the shorter the shelf life.

Wash or replace makeup sponges once a week. Natural bristle brushes can be washed every two weeks. Use baby shampoo to wash these items.

When you place cosmetics back in the drawer, use caddy organizers to organize within a drawer. I purchased different sized wood silverware boxes at Bed Bath and Beyond to tame my makeup drawer.

Small bathroom survival

If you have a small bathroom with several people using it, bathroom organization can be a problem. Solution, give each person a caddy to carry their toiletries in. This way you will not struggle with bathroom organization and having to store each person's stuff in the bathroom.

Medicine cabinet

For sanitary purposes, store your toothbrush standing up in a cup in the medicine cabinet. It's unsanitary to keep your toothbrush out because when you flush the toilet, bacteria from the toilet are released into the air. Yuck! This happens even if you close the lid.

Keep items you use daily in the medicine cabinet in small acrylic trays to keep them from getting jumbled around.

Before I had to baby proof my bathroom, I kept face wash, toner, and moisturizer in the medicine cabinet in acrylic trays that I could quickly pull out and use.

Shampoos, conditioners, and soaps

Don't store these in the bathtub or shower as it makes bathroom cleaning harder since you'll have to move them. As mentioned before, store them in an easily accessible cabinet to grab as you jump in the shower. If you must store these in the shower, to avoid mold, keep them off the floor. Use a caddy that hangs from the shower head to store just the essentials and nothing extra.

Towels and washcloths

If you have the space, then store towels and washcloths in the bathroom for easy access. If you don't have the extra space, store them in the hallway linen closet.

An added tip...I've found that all white towels work best for my family because I can bleach them when needed, and the kids don't argue over which colored towel they want.

Bath rugs

You be the judge whether or not to use one. They tend collect hair and dust, but they are necessary for when you step out of the shower. My solution is a foot towel. A foot towel can be picked up after the shower and hung to dry. Toss in the laundry and launder in hot water. You no longer have a messy bath mat that stays on the floor attracting hair and dust.

Hairdryers and curling irons

A great way to organize your bathroom and free yourself of these counter space hogs is to hang them. But, for a more sleek look, hide them in their own dedicated drawer. If you don't have that kind of room, put them in a box or basket and store in a cabinet.

Under the sink

Utilize pull out shelves to flank the sides of the pipe underneath. Use a lazy Susan to store your toiletries. Organize this bathroom space to store both cleaning products and your toiletries. Keep the cleaning products on the left and toiletries on the right. That way you don't have to rummage through everything when it's time to clean or take a shower.

Toys

Children's toys and good bathroom organization do not go together. But, you can get a handle on the toy clutter by hanging and storing these in a mesh bag in the tub to drip dry after the kid's baths. Alternatively, I store ours in a plastic basket on the counter by the tub.

You're all done! Your home organization journey is well under way. Bathroom organization may have cost you some time, but it will repay itself over and over in time saved. You will now gain plenty of time and maintain sanity each morning when you use the bathroom to get ready.

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