How to Keep the Bathroom Organized

Tack bathroom tidying to an existing habit (like brushing your teeth). Tidying up the bathroom daily is key to maintaining a sane, clutter-free space. If you’ve been struggling to work this into your routine, the easiest way to develop the habit is to tie it to something you already do daily — like brushing your teeth. As you brush, make a quick scan of the sink and shower, and toss any empties into the trash or recycling bin. As soon as you’re done brushing, put away any products that have been left out on the counter, and bring items that don’t belong there (your morning coffee cup, for instance) with you when you leave.

Let each person personalize a tray. Sink sprawl is one of the most common clutter problems in the bathroom: This is what happens when everyone’s toiletries collect (and multiply) until they cover every square inch of surface area on and around the sink, making it next to impossible to find anything. Combat sink sprawl by assigning a tray to each household member, to be filled with daily necessities only. No judgments about what another person deems “essential” allowed — as long as it all fits on the tray!

The trays will provide a clear physical limit to rein in clutter, and they can be moved aside easily when you need to wipe down the entire sink area.

Or assign each person a shelf. If your sink is tiny and you use another space for storage instead, you can still apply the same principle: Designate one shelf for each member of the household to store his or her daily essentials, and stick with it. The clearer you can be about defining the physical limits of your storage space, the easier it will be for everyone to get (and stay) on board.

Provide overflow storage for less-used items. To keep the sink area streamlined, you will likely need to find a spot to stash those extra items that didn’t quite make everyday-essential status. Ideally, this is in the bathroom: A shelving unit or cupboard works well, but you could also store these items in a hall closet. Use containers to keep like items together and prevent toppling.

For example:

• Store makeup brushes upright in a jam jar or mug.
• Make finding the right nail polish easy with a clear acrylic container.
• Corral hair accessories and products in a lidded box.
• Stash extra makeup and skin-care products in a zippered pouch.

Store only daily necessities in the shower. Be honest about which products you actually use on a daily basis, and limit yourself to storing these items in the shower. Extras — like special scrubs, masks and treatments — can be stored in your overflow storage instead. The key to making this work long-term is to remember to remove those special products as soon as you’ve used them and to put them away where they belong. If you’re having trouble remembering to do this, try making it part of your daily bathroom tidy while you brush your teeth.

Use bins to define undersink zones. Prevent your undersink cabinet from becoming a black hole of clutter by clearly defining the space with sturdy storage bins. Look for plastic bins that can handle a little water without getting damaged, and designate a different bin for each category of items you need to store.

Stash bath toys at child height. The sooner you can get the littlest members of the household on board with tidying routines, the easier it will be to maintain good habits in the long run. Young children usually love “helping,” so make this easier for them to do by providing an accessible basket where they can take out and put away their own bath toys and towels.

Keep a small laundry hamper handy. Making it easier doesn’t just work for kids — it’s important for adults too! Make it simpler for everyone to keep dirty towels and clothes off the floor by putting a laundry hamper in the bathroom. If a hamper won’t fit there, then find the closest available place: just outside the door or on the floor of a nearby hall closet.