A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Decluttering the Bathroom

Want to know what the last New Year’s resolution I ever made was? It was to be more organized. It was the same resolution that I failed to accomplish many times in the past. 

I failed one so spectacularly that I never made another New Year’s resolution again.

That doesn’t mean that I gave up on improving my organizational skills. In fact, I am far more organized today than I was a year ago. It also doesn’t mean that resolutions don’t work for everyone. They just don’t seem to work for

This post is sponsored by Charmin. Though this is a sponsored post, all opinions and views are solely my own. #EnjoytheGo  me.

I’m taking a different approach this year with a vision board rather than a resolution. While compiling the images and words, I noticed that I was drawn to very minimalist and clean designs.

This is the exact opposite of our normal reality. Those clean rooms are not only on my vision board – they are in my future. The clutter won’t be welcome when we move into a new house so now is as good a time as any to start breaking that habit.

In my head, I see a perfect picture of how my bathroom will look but when I open my eyes, the chaos is out of control. 

A simple strategy for decluttering the bathroom

Have you ever looked at your bathroom and thought “how has the clutter gotten so out of control?” Maybe not, but that is definitely how I felt today. (Update: Holy moly! It is 2020 and thank goodness my bathrooms do not look like this anymore!)

Start in the cabinets

It is easier for me to start in the cabinets than anywhere else. For me, out of sight really is out of mind. I couldn’t believe what I found in my cabinets, but emptying them out is one way to declutter quickly.

I put the cleaning supplies in a bucket in the center of the cabinet. Toiletries found a home on the right. That left a perfect place for toilet paper to the left of the cleaning supplies.

Clear off the countertops

You wouldn’t believe how messy my countertops get. It even amazes me sometimes! However, you can declutter the countertops as quickly as you did the cabinets. Clear it off then put everything back where it goes.

Getting rid of the trash, empty containers, and what you’re not using should be done at the same time. 

Our master bathroom is being remodeled. Four of us are fighting over the hall bathroom. Even so, the bottles and the clutter on top of the counter was insane.

(Can someone tell me why there were three used but not empty men’s deodorants on the counter? I would have said that maybe the hubs uses different scents for different occasions but they were all exactly the same.)

Do a quick wipe down of the sink, tub, and toilet

You already did all the hard stuff by decluttering and clearing off the counters. You might as well clean everything too.  Do a quick wipe down of everything in the bathroom to disinfect everything!

Straighten up

Things in our bathroom just get out of place. Putting the scale back, picking up the clothes, and scooting the stool up to the sink are all great ways to declutter. Make it simple and the whole process will go quickly. I also find all sorts of little toys in the bathroom for some reason. How do Lego pieces even end up in here?

Pro Tip: Listen to Audiobooks while you clean. It won’t be as terrible! I love Audible. Catch up on your reading while cleaning. 

 Admire your work 

It might be three years after I made my “have a clean and clutter-free home” resolution but it still feels good to sit back and see my handy work. Not only do we actually have functional storage for our toiletries and cleaning supplies in the cabinet, my Audible has a new spot too.

While I love getting the “I need TP” texts on the regs it’s nice to be able to text back “look in the cabinet.” We used to keep the extra rolls in the hallway linen closet because there was no room in the bathroom cabinet. 

But, I’ll miss opening the door a crack and throwing the rolls at the requester’s head. Charmin Ultra Soft is softer and 75% more absorbent than the leading brand so it probably never even hurt. 

I believe that getting toilet paper chucked at your head is a viable punishment for not looking before you sit down… and for not replacing. Since I always refill the toilet paper, it’s safe to say that there is a good chance that the person needing the toilet paper has in the recent past used up the last of a roll and didn’t get more. Just desserts, I say.

So I guess all this work is proving to be a better bathroom experience for the whole family! What are some ways you declutter for the new year?

More like this: 

How to organize your bathroom toiletries

Organizing the Linen Closet

Overwhelmed?

Call in a professional organizer! Many even offer virtual organizing sessions.