Spring has arrived
And with the sunshine and longer days comes the yearly task of spring cleaning our bathrooms. While some might find the idea daunting, we see it as a great opportunity to start fresh, and to improve the functionality of a space. After all, what’s better than a clean and de-cluttered bathroom? Read on for some bathroom decluttering tips to give you a jumpstart on your spring cleaning this year.
Keep, donate, or trash?
Our bathrooms are busy spaces, and can be chaotic in the mornings as we prepare for our day. Most of us have multiple bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and the like in our shower, and a counter overflowing with soaps, hair gels and oral care products. Our drawers and cabinets are probably even worse off, serving as dark dens for long-forgotten face masks and hair scrunchies from the ‘90s.
The first step to bathroom organization is to assess your space. What storage options do you have currently? Will you need to add more? For example, if you have a pedestal sink, you may need more shelving to make up for the lack of vanity storage space.
After you’ve identified storage compartment needs, clear all your products, appliances, gadgets, and medications from your bathroom, and make some decisions: keep, donate, trash, or move to another room of your house. Once you’ve completed this job, you’ll be able to see what you’re working with.
Focus on the countertop
A clear and uncluttered countertop is ideal, as it opens up your space, eliminates disorder, and puts the focus on the design details. Try keeping the bare minimum on your counter, such as soap, a hand towel, and a decorative accent or two. Keeping your countertop free of toiletries and other clutter will help eliminate dust and grime, leaving your bathroom cleaner overall. If you like having some extra toiletries around, you can always store them under your sink.
If you need bathroom storage ideas for your under-sink cabinets, try pull-out drawers which can help to prevent products from being buried in the back corners of the cupboard, or from getting toppled over. Other great options include plastic shoe box containers that you can label and use to corral like items, and over-the-door styling caddies to hold your hair dryer and other styling tools.
Declutter drawers
Your bathroom drawers can also benefit from some decluttering with the help of utensil organizers (great for separating each person’s toothbrush), expandable drawer organizers, or plastic bins which work great for organizing small items like hair ties and lip balms.
Other bathroom design ideas that utilize unused space include a medicine cabinet, storage ladder for towels, or an étagère (a multi-shelf unit that can be mounted to the wall, above the toilet). If you have kids, consider an over-the-door shoe organizer to corral bath toys, hair brushes, first aid items, and washcloths.