How to Declutter the Bathroom {The 6 Week Decluttering Challenge}

Hey guys!  If you are following along on The 6 Week Decluttering Challenge, this week we are working on decluttering the bathroom!  {If you missed week 1 you can read more about the challenge HERE}

I always find it is amazing how much junk can actually accumulate in the bathrooms.  For me, it is usually the beauty products that start to add up, but there were a lot of other little things that I was able to get rid of as well {see below for some ideas!}.  So let’s get going – it’s time to take back all of that drawer, countertop, and cupboard space and transform your bathrooms into a calm and relaxing space!

As with all decluttering projects, you want to start with a bit of a plan.  Create some manageable goals that you can complete in the amount of time that you have available, write them down, and commit to a time to actually do it!  {Check back to Week 1 for more details of the plan}. Do you have a particularly cluttered cabinet that you need to go through?  Maybe your counter space is so filled with products that you don’t have a clear spot to get ready in the morning.  Once your trouble zones have been identified, you are ready to get going!

DOWNLOAD THE PLANNING SHEET HERE

Still not sure where to start?  Here are some ideas of things to look at…

• Make-Up – First up, you want to make sure that you get rid of any make-up that is old and expired.  {You can find out more about how long you should keep make-up HERE}.  You then want to honestly evaluate what you are actually using and get rid of all of those products that you do not need or use.  Actually “try on” the colors and shades to make sure that you not only love the color, but that you love the color on you!
• Linens – Go through all of your towels.  Do you actually need all of the towels that you have?  We only keep 2 sets of towels per person in addition to a few extra decorative hand towels that I have.  We rarely have overnight guests so there is no point in keeping a separate set of towels specifically for guests. Check and make sure that towels are still in good repair – a nice fluffy towel after a bath or shower is so much nicer that a tattered, old, ripped one! Older towels can be used for cleaning rags {if you actually need them!} or donated to animal shelters.
• Beauty Products – I am a beauty product junky – I love buying new lotions and scented bath products!   While I do tend to use a lot of different products, I also seem to accumulate a lot of products that I don’t use – gifts that just weren’t something that I would use, products that I don’t like the scent of, and those hotel shampoos and lotions that I always mean to use but never really do.  Again, make sure that you are only keeping items that you really love and get rid of the other items that are not your favorites.  Donate them to women’s shelters or other organizations before they just go bad sitting in your cupboards!  If you have a lot of half used bottles, see if you can combine them {if they are the same product} or look for some pretty smaller bottles to use as a display.
• Cleaning Supplies – I always like to keep a supply of basic cleaning products in each bathroom.  When they are easily accessible, I can just clean as I go for the most part rather than dragging cleaning supplies from elsewhere in the house. Look to condense you cleaning products as much as possible.  Microfiber cloths, a window {polishing} cloth, toilet cleaner, cleaning toothbrush, and a spray bottle with a 50:50 water/vinegar mixture covers my basic daily cleaning needs.  I will use some other products when deep cleaning the bathroom, but these are kept with my other cleaning supplies outside of the bathroom.
• Bathroom Cupboards and Drawers – Empty out those cupboards and drawers completely!!  Give them a good wipe down and look at every item that you are going to be putting back in to make sure that it actually belongs in the bathroom and that it is something that you actually use.  You can use bins or baskets to store like items together so you {and everyone else in your family} can find them when needed and know where to put them away!
• First Aid Supplies – Go through the first aid supplies and see if anything needs to be replenished.  Toss any expired items or items that you think that you will no longer use. Note that actual medications, are best stored somewhere else other than the bathroom, due to the steam, condensation, and temperature fluctuations that can occur with showers and baths.

Getting started is always the hardest part.  Once you get in the groove of it, it actually feels pretty good to get rid of all of those unwanted and unloved items.  So hold on to that vision of a pretty, organized, and decluttered bathroom – I promise that it will be worth it in the end!