Decluttering Your Primary Bath: A Simple Starter Guide

Bathrooms are a great place to start when you are embarking on a decluttering journey. I love to recommend decluttering your primary bath for a few reasons. One, they aren’t big. Two, they generally aren’t filled with things you are emotionally attached to. Three, they have many categories for sorting practice. And finally, your bathroom is a place to get in some reps facing off with discomfort and coming out a winner.

I don’t sell a Room Guide for the bath because I don’t think you need one. However, I do get requests for one from time to time. So here’s a primer on decluttering your primary bath. Use it to make your bathroom a place you love to be and build up some decluttering muscle while you’re at it!

Step 1: Pull Everything Out

Seeing all of your products out in the bright light of day is the important first step when decluttering your primary bath. If you are just starting out and this feels overwhelming, start with just the medicine cabinet or a single drawer.

The reason I want you to pull everything out is that when things are tucked away in drawers and cabinets we don’t realize how much stuff we actually have, which is almost always way more than we need.

It may be necessary to bring in a folding table to use a work surface so you don’t have to manage around sinks or work on the floor. If you’ve got a small bathroom, put the table in the hall or the bedroom. It can also be helpful to see all of your bath products out of context! Also grab a big trash bag, preferably the black variety that you can’t see into.

Now it’s time to sort into categories. I like to think about them in terms of the part of the body they are used for; hair, face, body, teeth, eyes, first aid/pharmacy. Separate the consumables (lotions, creams, oils) from the tools (hair dryer, water pic, etc.) Now check out those consumables – it’s a lot, right? You may want to go one step further with sorting for the bigger categories (like Face, for instance.) Separate skin care from makeup, serums from moisturizers, etc. Another example of a big category that probably needs an additional layer of sorting is Pharmacy. Sort by pain, tummy, cold & flu, etc – just like they do at the store. This way you can see the categories that represent the biggest opportunity to declutter.

Step 2: Edit

Next when decluttering your primary bath, the edit! This is where you have a big opportunity to push through some discomfort. I’m guessing that in pulling everything out you discovered a lot of partially-used products. The hair mousse you tried a few times and didn’t like. The super-expensive moisturizer that was too oily. The eyeshadow that used to be your go-to, back when you wore eyeshadow (it’s been 5 years.)

These are all examples of products that are not and never will be in your rotation. You kept them because you spent money on them. You kept them because you fully intended to get back to your old makeup routine at some point. And be honest, you kept them ‘just in case’ you ran out of the product you like and needed a backup (which has yet to happen.) 

Now is the time for some radical honesty. You aren’t ever going to use these products. They are taking up precious real estate in your primary bath. They are crowding out the stuff you actually use.

Toss all of that stuff in the trash bag, along with anything expired. I don’t care how much you spent, that money is already gone and you aren’t going to get it back by keeping the moisturizer. And no, you should not donate your partially-used products. Everything goes in the trash. The discomfort you are feeling is temporary, I promise.

Step 3: Organize

Okay, you’ve finished decluttering your primary bath – congrats! Now comes the fun part – organizing what’s left! Organizing is pretty easy once you’ve decluttered. You are going to start with all of the things you use on a daily basis. Those products and tools get prime placement. Keep them close to the sink so you can grab them easily. The clearer your countertop, the more serene your bath space will feel so if you have drawers or a medicine cabinet, use them. If you have to use your countertop I recommend a small tray to lend some elevation and intention to whatever is sitting on your counter. 

So what about everything else? Now you are free to assess your available space remaining and what storage options will work best for your remaining categories. I like small acrylic bins or trays in the bath for segmenting each category appropriately. My favorite solution to add more storage space in a bath is a vertical over-the-door rack like this one from Elfa. It has a ton of capacity and can be really useful for housing backstock of bulkier items like bath gel or epsom salt. 

Now you can stand back and admire your work – nice job! Notice the difference the next time you shower and get ready in the morning. My guess is you’ll find the experience to be much more pleasurable than it was before you decluttered. Also take a few minutes to reflect on the fact that the end result was worth that discomfort you pushed through as you decluttered all that stuff you don’t use. Congratulations, you’ve improved the living experience in your home and built up some valuable decluttering muscle you can now use in a bigger space!