The decluttering process goes beyond the mere act of removing physical clutter from your home. Indeed, it also holds the potential to significantly enhance your mental well-being as well. Numerous surveys have revealed that a considerable number of homeowners experience regular anxiety and stress due to the untidiness in their living spaces. Moreover, a cluttered house can give off a cheap and unorganized impression to visitors and guests alike.
Embarking on the journey of decluttering an entire home can present significant challenges, particularly for individuals unaccustomed to organizing tasks. To ensure that you are not overwhelmed even before actually starting, it is recommended to break the whole process down into more manageable parts. For example, a good initial point could be to declutter the bathroom.
It is a relatively smaller yet incredibly important room that, as many will confess, tends to become cluttered with all kinds of things rather quickly. Keeping the bathroom in order is crucial for a comfortable living. Apart from the cluttering of items, ignoring even small bathroom problems is not advised as, in time, they could turn into time-consuming repairs. That is why getting a professional opinion from experts like Ability Bathe when it comes to bathroom design and installation is always a wise decision.
Before You Start Decluttering
Decluttering should be approached as a marathon rather than a sprint. Split the task into manageable portions and make consistent progress over a longer period than attempting to tackle everything at once and losing motivation midway.
While it may appear chaotic initially, documenting the entire transformation of the bathroom with ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos allows you to witness the remarkable outcome you have achieved. A trick to keep you in a positive mood and energized is to set the right ambiance by playing music or one of your favorite podcasts.
When decluttering, it is also crucial to first create a well-defined plan and have a realistic vision of your desired outcome. It is essential to begin with a small area or a specific category, such as clothing, and thoroughly work through that chosen space before moving on to the next. Recognize that decluttering is not an instant process, and dedicating sufficient time to each area in the bathroom is paramount for effective results.
Reasons For The Clutter In The Bathroom
The accumulation of clutter in your bathroom can be attributed to two primary reasons. First, it is a common habit to hold onto various items out of fear that they might be potentially needed in the future. This may include specific hair products or cosmetics of a particular brand that you think you might regret throwing them out. There is also the fact that many cosmetic or bath-related products are on the pricier side, and simply getting rid of them might feel like a waste. Naturally, this leads to all kinds of shampoo, body washes, makeup, and other items taking up more and more space even if no one is going to really use them again.
Additionally, time constraints or a tendency to procrastinate when it comes to cleaning tasks can contribute significantly to having an unorganized bathroom. However, regardless of the underlying reasons for clutter buildup, you can effectively declutter your bathroom with just a bit of effort and by taking advantage of several easy-to-follow suggestions.
Look And Collect Any Obvious Trash
Once you have a clear understanding of your objectives, it is time to address the essential task at hand – the actual decluttering process. A good first step is to go through every space in the room and take anything that is evidently trash. Examples of such trash items commonly found in bathrooms include old, worn-out towels, ruined makeup brushes, expired or no longer-needed medication, old perfumes or colognes, etc. And that is just the beginning! You may be surprised to discover what lurks within the bathroom cabinets.
While discarding the bathroom trash, it is crucial to ensure proper disposal methods. For instance, expired medication should not be simply thrown into the trash or washed down the drain. Instead, research local resources for safe medication disposal or consult a nearby pharmacy for guidance on the appropriate disposal procedures.
Separate The Products You Use On A Daily Basis
Thoroughly examine each item within your bathroom, leaving no storage area unattended. Pay careful attention to the countertop, medicine cabinet, mirror cabinet, vanity unit, tallboy, storage bins, and ledges in the shower, and everywhere else. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of all the items, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair cleaning products, body wash products, cosmetics, towels, and more.
Once you have evaluated each item, separate the ones you and your family use daily, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and the like, from those that are less frequently used. Examples of the latter category may include excess conditioners and lotions accumulated from hotels, outdated towels, random first aid items, and old medications, among others. After categorizing the items, proceed to identify suitable alternative storage spaces for the items you don’t use daily, ensuring they find a new home that matches their frequency of use.
Consider The Best Storage Options For Your Bathroom
Achieving a well-organized bathroom primarily relies on selecting suitable storage solutions, although this task can be more challenging than it appears. To streamline the process, it is advisable to begin by assessing the specific dimensions of your bathroom.
One effective approach is to invest in a vanity unit that perfectly fits the available space. Fortunately, there is an abundance of options to choose from, ensuring you can find the ideal one that matches your bathroom specifications.
In addition, optimizing the vertical space in your bathroom can significantly enhance the available storage capacity. Consider installing a tallboy cabinet, a mirror cabinet, or a wall-hung storage cabinet. These units offer ample storage room to accommodate your belongings.
When making a choice, it is crucial to evaluate whether the selected storage furniture can adequately meet both your current and future family needs. Taking into account the potential growth of your household will help ensure long-term suitability and functionality.
Set Up Drawer Organizers If Necessary
Drawers frequently contribute to bathroom clutter, causing frustration and wasted time as you search for specific items, such as your favorite lipstick. Put an end to all the rummaging with a simple yet effective solution – a tray organizer accompanied by dividers. This practical setup will alleviate the headache of searching for items within your drawers, providing a dedicated space for each cosmetic product.
Another budget-friendly option is repurposing some shoe boxes as drawer dividers. By using them to compartmentalize your drawers, you can easily locate the specific items you desire. However, make sure that the organizers themselves are appropriate, or they could start to accumulate clutter instead.
Utilize The Space Under The Bathroom Sink Properly
The space beneath your bathroom sink often becomes a repository for lost or forgotten products. However, with the right approach, this area can be transformed into an organized and functional storage solution. For example, this particular space is ideal for storing cleaning products. Considering the frequency of use for these items, keeping them easily accessible under the sink is a logical choice.
By implementing an organized system for the items in the under-sink cabinet, you can effortlessly locate and retrieve the required cleaning product. This ensures convenience and streamlines your cleaning routine, in addition to making the most of the available space.
Pay Special Attention To The Medicine Cabinet
Organizing your medicine cabinet is essential as it will help you easily find the correct medications while also preventing unnecessary purchases and waste of money on items you already possess but were lost somewhere in the clutter. Furthermore, rummaging through a disorganized cabinet can be both frustrating and unnecessarily time-consuming.
To effectively declutter your medicine cabinet, it may be best to begin by emptying its contents entirely onto a suitable surface like the bathroom countertop or dining table. This allows for a comprehensive assessment and sorting of all the medicines that were piled inside over time. Categorize them into distinct groups, including over-the-counter and prescription medications, diet supplements, bandages and ointments, as well as all the miscellaneous items like thermometers and blood sugar monitors, which are less frequently used.
Decluttering Is A Process That Needs To Be Maintained
Once you have established a comfortable and functional organization system for your bathroom, maintaining it becomes a relatively straightforward task. However, it still requires a consistent effort on your part. After using items, make a habit of returning them to their designated places and avoid letting items that belong elsewhere accumulate in the bathroom. Incorporating this maintenance routine into your daily activities should become a seamless part of your overall routine rather than letting it once again grow into a daunting cleaning project.
You may also want to conduct periodic checks and ensure that infrequently used items are properly placed and simply left to linger in the bathroom. Consider implementing a quarterly bathroom audit to assess the necessity and usage of all items. However, if your bathroom tends to accumulate clutter within shorter timeframes, a monthly audit may be required to maintain its cleanliness and organization. By staying proactive and regularly evaluating the items in your bathroom, you can prevent clutter from building up and maintain an organized space.
