How to Organize Your Bathroom

• First, attack the clutter. That means collecting all of the items in the bathroom, all of them, no matter where they are, and put them in boxes. If you wish, you can sort the items while you’re removing them, putting the ‘must keep in bathroom’ items in one box and the optional items in another.
• Wipe off everything you take out of the drawers and off shelves as you remove them.
• Follow the rule ‘when in doubt, throw it out!’ The less you have the better things will look. Get rid of half-used products that you don’t like and will never use. Throw out old makeup and skin care products. Toss those small sample bottles of products that you got free-with-purchase.
• If there are any things that you don’t need now but can’t bear to part with, store them somewhere else. Get and keep all jewelry out of the bathroom; it belongs in your bedroom or dressing room.

Clean every surface, including the counters, cupboards, shelves, drawers and every item you’ve decided you need to keep. Now replace the stuff, beginning with the medicine cabinet. This prime location should have only essential items in it. Despite its name, don’t put any drugs in there; the humidity of the bathroom adversely affects pharmaceuticals. Instead, keep them in the kitchen or a dry closet somewhere.

Now move on to the drawers. Purchase or construct some drawer dividers so that you can organize items by category: hair care, makeup, shaving, nail care, etc.

Put cleaning supplies to one side under the sink, and extra bath items on the other side. Turntables of the type usually found in kitchen cabinets also work well under the bathroom sink. Small, clear plastic boxes are also useful for keeping small items under the sink, or consider purchasing an under-sink organizer.

This leaves closets (if you are lucky enough to have them), cupboards (ditto), and countertops. (Because organizing bathroom closets and cupboards is a big enough task to demand its own page, we’ll cover them in ‘How to Organize Bathroom Closets and Cupboards.’)

Keep countertops free of everything except those things you use daily such as facial tissue or a hair brush. You can, however, include something decorative, such as fresh flowers or potpourri.

Other recommendations:

1. If pressed for space, spare towels, soap, and shampoo can be stored in a hall closet or hutch. Certain items are best kept in each household member’s bedroom: toothpaste, eye drops, bath soap, shampoo, cosmetics, and grooming supplies. Put these in baskets that can be used to transport the items to the bathroom and back.
2. Think about using hooks, which will more likely be used, instead of towel racks when you have kids @ one hook per person. If kids are not an issue, consider mounting all towel racks on the back of the bathroom door to conserve space.
3. Another potential storage area is over the toilet, where you can install a cabinet or a free-standing rack.
4. Consider installing a unit on the shower wall to dispense liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner to keep bottles from collecting on the shower floor or edge of the bathtub.