How to Declutter Your Bathroom

Do you get overwhelmed by the clutter in your bathroom? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to declutter you bathroom and keep it that way!

The bathroom is one of the smallest rooms in the house, but can easily be cluttered. We’re in there multiple times a day, so it makes sense that we can totally make a mess of it quickly.

Just like with the rest of my house, I’d love to have a tidy bathroom. But with ADHD, decluttering AND keeping it that way can be a huge problem. How do you get it done?

I’ve got a few simple steps to follow to organize a cluttered bathroom and how to maintain it pretty easily. Let’s start the process!

Make a plan

The first step is actually making the plan. Now, making plans is really hard when you have ADHD. You try to focus, but all you see is the big picture and your brain freezes with overwhelm. It’s a daunting task, but it’s doable!

Start by asking yourself some questions:

• How do you want to feel when you walk into the bathroom?
• What needs to be easily accessible?
• What are the absolute necessities that need to be in the bathroom?

Sometimes, just writing down things like this can spark ideas and can help you develop a plan.

Here’s how I’d answer those questions:

• How do you want to feel when you walk into the bathroom? I want to feel at peace and not try to look for specks of dust every time I walk in.
• What needs to be easily accessible? Toothbrush and toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine items
• What are the absolute necessities that need to be in the bathroom? Hygiene needs, cleaning materials under the sink

Throw away any obvious trash

This is one thing you can immediately check off your list and help spark some motivation. Are there random toilet paper rolls on the sink? Are there wrappers laying around that can be thrown out?

Sort the bathroom into zones

Even if you have a small bathroom, thinking of decluttering the whole room can be overwhelming. Try organizing the room into smaller zones to tackle one at a time.

This could look like:

• Shower/bath tub
• Toilet/ behind the toilet
• Bathroom counter
• Under the sink
• Medicine cabinet
• Linens/linen closet
• Bathroom drawers

My brain can handle one zone much easier than the entire bathroom. Commit to working on at least one zone; and if you can only manage one per day, that’s fine.

Start the de-cluttering!

At this point, you’ll work one zone at a time. And I highly recommend starting with the hardest one. Brian Tracy wrote a book called “Eat That Frog“, which basically means: If you manage to eat a frog first thing in the day, the rest of the day will feel a lot easier.

So if you get the hardest zone done first, the others will feel much easier and more do-able. My “frog” is definitely the toilet and the area around it. I hate having to get down and wipe all around the toilet and the floor because it’s all so hard to reach.

During this process, you can also get some deep cleaning done. I don’t want to re-organize my items only to put them back in a dusty, grimy area.

Plan for the future- how much of each item do you need?

Once that’s done, it’s time to think about what you want your bathroom to look like from now on.

Maybe you buy toilet paper in bulk so you stack the extras in the corner of the bathroom. Is there another place you could put them so that they’re out of sight? Or do you need to start buying less so they actually fit in your storage space?

My next task is to think about where to put the floss and toothpaste when not in use. They sit on the bathroom sink on a regular basis, which is fine; but I’d love to store them in a way that they’re both easily accessible AND aesthetically pleasing.

Also: Be aware of the expiration date on items, especially hair products and skincare products. They do expire after awhile, and could be dangerous if you continue to use them. Maybe commit to keeping just a little bit of each so you don’t have too much at one time.

How to keep your bathroom clutter-free

Once your bathroom is decluttered, you’ll want to keep it that way! And it doesn’t take much time to maintain… as long as you do it, of course. Here are some tips that can help:

• Keep the shower curtain closed when not in use
• Place cleaning products under the sink- maybe in a storage basket or hang a tension rod in there to create more vertical space
• Check your old towels every 6 months or so and throw out those that are ratty and have holes
• Keep your hair dryer, hair accessories, and other unused items in a drawer. Maybe buy some cheap drawer organizers to keep the like items together.
• Place a shower caddy in your shower or tub to organize your bathroom items. Especially if it’s a family bathroom where multiple family members can have their own shelf for things.
• Get rid of empty bottles as soon as possible. Hand soap, shampoo bottles, etc. Don’t say that you’ll do it later because, well, ADHD.
• Hang hooks over your bathroom door for clothes, other towels, etc. This will keep the floor clutter-free.
• Install a towel bar or two to hang the bath towels you’re immediately using.

Having an organized bathroom doesn’t sound like much; but it seriously makes a huge difference.

What are some easy ways you’ve found for a clutter-free bathroom? Leave a comment and give us ideas!