How To Organise A Bathroom

Does entering your bathroom for a relaxing bath get spoiled by overcrowded shelves and full-to-the-brim cupboards? Do you find yourself nipping in for the loo, eyes covered and rushing out once your hands are dried. The bathroom is one of the easiest places in the home to get cluttered. It’s home to bottles and medicines, hair accessories and towels, and sometimes children’s toys or petcare even clutter the shelves. But it shouldn’t be a mess. 

Like your bedroom, the bathroom should be a relaxing place to retreat to in your home. Somewhere to go to unwind, soak in a hot bath with a facemask or simply relax your muscles in a salt bath post-workout. You should be able to feel clear minded and peaceful when entering, not rushing in and out to avoid a messy mind.

Although there are many hygiene and cleaning related items needed to store in this room, if you’re looking for tips and tricks on how to organise your bathroom, you’ve come to the right place. Whether it’s a downstairs toilet, overcrowded small bathroom or a family bathroom in need of some TLC, I’ll help you with ways to organise a bathroom to suit your lifestyle. 

Bathroom Organising Tips

Whether it’s big or small, the downstairs loo, the outdoor addition or you simply need to declutter your bathroom medicine cabinet, here are my top tips for bathroom organisation:

• Check Expiration Dates – One of the first and easiest ways to declutter is to check through all of the expiration dates on your cleaning products, haircare, medicine and more. Some people don’t realise cleaning products go out-of-date, and if you’re using expired products, chances are the chemicals have lost their effectiveness. Make sure to clean out and recycle all old bottles, and take any unused makeup containers to your local store for recycling. Some local stores actually have recycle systems – check out John Lewis or Boots recycle schemes.
• Consider Your Routine – Much like the designated zones in my kitchen decluttering blog, you’ll want to organise your bathroom based on your personal routine. If skincare is a staple for your bedtime and night time routine, have these items stacked and ready to go in the easiest place – whether it be an underhung shelf or behind a mirrored cabinet. Items you may use less often, such as petcare or spa sets can live in less obvious places such as rattan storage or woven baskets. 
• Hanging Items – Utilise an over-the-door organiser to give your clothes and robes somewhere to live whilst showering. These come in singular hooks or multi-hooks and can also offer a shelf depending on the space you have. 
• Less Stuff, Less Stress – I know some people love to fill their shelves with trinkets and ornaments, but oftentimes the bathroom isn’t the place. As the bathroom has many people entering and leaving, the hair, dust, dirt and maybe even fur that builds up in the air and floor can add to the chore of cleaning this room. Think about this when you decorate. Choose splashproof picture frames and easy-to-clean ornaments that won’t hold too much dust. The less there is to clean in this busy room, the less stress you’ll have.
• Intentional Buying – being mindful about what you buy, whether it’s the ethics, pricepoint or ingredients that sways your decision to buy, I always advocate for thinking before you buy. Instead of panic buying hair products or skincare that don’t truly suit your hair or skin-type, thoughtfully researching and intentionally choosing items you’re truly happy with before purchasing will give the products in your bathroom a much more meaningful place on the shelf. 
• Aesthetic Storage and Labelling – While we all have our own style, whether it’s monochromatic, sandy beach vibes or maritime chic, there are ways to organise your bathroom with aesthetic storage options and most importantly, labelling. Keeping all your items in matching storage can clear your mind, as a blank canvas emerges labeling is your hero for finding what you need. Organising based on activity, such as Cleaning, Skincare, Haircare, Petcare, Medicine, Shaving, and so on, means you’ll find the right product quicker than flicking through all the bottles in your cabinet. Alternatively, you can categorize by person, that way you know which items are yours, and those that are off limits!

How to organise a bathroom cabinet?

The bathroom cabinet is always my first port-of-call. After you’ve decluttered, recycled expired products and bought the right storage for your needs, you’ll find organising your bathroom cabinet the main crux for your bathroom organisation. 

Utilising different spaces in your bathroom can separate the mess into real designated zones. With over-the-toilet storage you can keep toilet paper and reading material separate; towels, cleaning buds and skincare can live on ladder shelving, pesky petcare can be stored in waterproof baskets under your sink, and  bath play toys can drip dry from suction nets.

You may find that a simple lazy susan can save so much space within your bathroom cabinet. Consider using them for medicines, skincare (swivelling around for daytime and nighttime routines) or shaving equipment. Attaching removable storage containers to your walls can also give you a space for quick-grab items such as toilet brushes and everyday makeup. 

It’s always a good idea to divide deep drawers or under-the-sink cabinets, especially using clear or see-through containers so that you can quickly grab items organised by function: cleaning, haircare, petcare and so on. 

Storing towels vertically is another gamechanger. You know the drill, if you’ve piled up your towels and need to get at one on the bottom, it just becomes a mess. Storing your towels vertically in pull-out storage boxes or in deep drawers makes pulling out the right towel easier. 

How to organise a small bathroom?

For those of us who don’t have the luxury of space in the bathroom, it’s important to find nifty ways to organise your small bathroom. Here, bathroom shelf organisers will be your best friend. Whether it’s a lazy susan, tray organiser or deep-drawer divider, find a home for all of your essentials and add any use-later or multi-buy purchases into an ottoman or storage space in a different room or hallway close by for top-ups. 

When lacking space, corner cabinets can be essential for making use of an area. These can easily be found in online marketplaces and upcycled to suit your bathroom decor. Similarly, ottomans can hold towels and toilet paper, and try to make as much use of your walls as you can. Building shelves upward, above toilets and sinks, in nooks or even in your window can be super helpful in expanding your small bathroom storage. 

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