In minimizing your home, you will eventually come across the chore to minimize your bathroom.
I clear out my bathroom goodies pretty regularly (for a working mom of three anyway.) And yet I end up with sixteen bottles of lotion, four open mascaras and a counter full of clutter anyway.
Over time I have come up with some simple tips to help minimize your bathroom.
If the task to minimize your bathroom is on your to-dos, stick with me here!
Establish Your Faves To Minimize Your Bathroom
This process can take some time, but it’s worth it. Let me share why this is important to minimize your bathroom.
Consistency is key to streamlining what ends up in your cabinets. I might buy some lotion that looks cute or smells nice. But I know I’m picky with what I use regularly.
Skip the spontaneous purchases. Find what you like and stick to it. Have a favorite lotion, favorite hair care, favorite face wash, shampoo, makeup. Don’t be a collector. Be consistent. Know what you love and go for it every time.
Perhaps you have one area that you choose not to minimize. That’s perfectly awesome. For example, in our house we don’t minimize Legos. So if makeup is your jam and you’ve decided it’s important for you to collect, totally cool.
Organize Into Categories
Organizing things into categories will help you find things first off. This is important for my next tip.
It will also help use the space you have more effectively. Put your skincare together, your dental hygiene products together. Do a his and hers category.
You can even consider sub categories to minimize your bathroom. Like makeup- get those brushes housed together and your shadows in the same place. You get the idea.
Get Rid of Duplicates
Consolidate items. Go category by category. If you have multiple open bottles of the same thing, marry the bottles and trash empties. If you have a million different lotions, make it a priority to use them up or trash everything but your favorite.
You’re not saving money by hoarding things you don’t use. I know because that is exactly what I did for years. It’s ok, girl. Throw away that hotel shampoo. There, there, now. It’s okay. Me, too.
Trash Anything Expired
It’s not really safe anyway but it didn’t stop me from holding on.
If it smells funny, get rid of it. Lookup recommended expirations on things if there’s nothing on the bottle. Prioritize medication and makeup when discarding expired items.
Find Negative Space To Minimize Your Bathroom
Once you have completed the above, start clearing things off. I say this all the time with minimalism, and it applies to how to minimize your bathroom:
Don’t think about what you want to get rid of. Get rid of everything (mentally) then think about what you want to keep.
Don’t over decorate. I want to see as much negative space as possible. My counter top has toothbrushes and hand soap. These things need to air out and dry regularly. Everything else has a home in a drawer or in a cabinet.
This is another thing I have said for years: If you need a storage solution, you probably have a stuff problem. Minimize your bathroom in small steps. Start with one category at a time and go as slowly as you need to.?
This is so helpful for someone like me. I needed to read this. Clutter causes anxiety, but I’m overwhelmed by decluttering- this breaks it down so simply.
Very interesting articles.