Is your bathroom and vanity area a mess, where no matter how much you clean and put things away, the clutter quickly builds up again? YouTuber Sarah from Abundantly Minimal has some very useful tips for how to declutter your bathroom—or bathrooms—in just one go. Not only will your bathroom, shower, tub, vanity, and sink area be decluttered, it will be vastly easier to clean frequently without feeling overwhelmed. Here are her tips.
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1. Batch Declutter
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If you have multiple bathrooms, it might be helpful to do the same steps at the same time. “So for example, maybe it will be helpful to work on all of the bath linens in different bathrooms all at once, or to work on the surfaces of all the bathrooms at once if there are multiple when you’re going through these,” Sarah says in her video.
2. Remove Everything
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Sarah’s first step in her video is to remove everything and do a deep clean of your countertops. “First clear out any existing items you have from that category, and if you’d like to deep clean your space while you’ve got that clean open surface. Then… you’ll return the items that are most essential to the space in the location that is most optimal for them.”
3. Essential Vs Non-Essential
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Decide which of your items are essential and non-essential. “Decide first of all if they’re worth keeping or if they bring value or joy to your bathroom,” Sarah says in her video. “If they do not, donate to repurpose, discard, or use up these items depending upon the item itself.”
4. Ask Three Questions
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Sarah in her video says to ask yourself three crucial questions when it comes to your vanity and countertops. “What must be kept out by the sink? What are you using every single day, and what bathroom decor adds value to this space? These three simple questions can really make a huge difference in determining what should be left out.”
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5. Leave Very Few Things Out
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It’s likely that very few things need to be left out.” This could be as simple as leaving out soap and a toothbrush,” Sarah says in her video. “Obviously decide upon the space itself, but let’s keep these surfaces as open as possible.”
6. Sort Your Towels
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You might find there are towels you never use. “Now, I do find it interesting, I think it might have to do with some marketing, but there are a lot of different sizes of towels that are sold,” Sarah says in her video. “I have found in my own personal life, I don’t really use certain size towels. So just because towels came in a set or because you thought you needed to have them, what types of towels are you actually using and how many towels works for you?”
7. Streamline your Shower and Tub
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Remove things you rarely use from your shower or tub. “Is everything inside the tub or shower used on a regular basis?” Sarah says in her video. “Hopefully things are in good shape after going through the bathroom routine lesson, but if not, let’s streamline or consolidate these products or items as much as possible. So it’s really the items you’re using every time or nearly every time. Otherwise, do those items need to be there? Probably not.
8. Simplify Your Storage
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If you have bathroom storage, what are you keeping there? “Are the items that you have stored in the bathroom essentials that make sense here?” Sarah says in her video. “Do they belong here more than any other location and do the bathroom storage areas have enough space for you to easily access each item? If not, let’s go through and simplify these areas.”
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9. Purpose-Driven Storage
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Sarah in her video recommends keeping bathroom storage as purpose-driven as possible. “Keep the items that are convenient to that space. Now, let’s say they are all related, but it’s just too much and your space is too crowded, whether that’s with more so the personal care products, makeup items, or other bathroom materials you can sort through. Do you have duplicate items? Do those items need to be stored in that area only? For instance, if you’ve got cleaning products you’re storing in the bathroom, could they be stored in one central location in your home or going forward after you use up these items? Could you look for multi-purpose cleaning options where you don’t have to keep as many cleaning products on hand and instead don’t need to take up as much space in your bathroom?”
10. Essentials Only
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Sarah in her video recommends keeping bathroom storage areas used only for essentials—other items can be moved to the linen closet. “Ideally, having storage areas that are not packed to the brim and that are organized with every item having a clear place, it’s going to make it a lot easier to maintain these clean and decluttered spaces going forward and always help you find what you need and be aware of what you have.”