Does anyone else get the itch to start “spring cleaning” their house long before spring actually arrives? I always develop a case of cabin fever this time of year, so I end up channeling that restless energy into decluttering, cleaning, and reorganizing the house.
But getting my spring cleaning out of the way early isn’t such a bad thing! In an episode of The Office titled “The Secret,” Michael Scott sums this up nicely: “If you do your spring cleaning in January, guess what you don’t have to do in the spring? Anything.” :-) Since I’m already in decluttering mode, that’s what we’ll be focusing on in today’s post! I’ve written about things to get rid of in your pantry, and what to do first when clutter is overwhelming, so today we’ll take a look at things you ought to get rid of in your bathroom! (If your closet is more of a problem, find out what to get rid of in your closet as well!)
7 Things You Should Get Rid Of In Your Bathroom
1. Travel Toiletries
Many people collect travel-sized toiletries from past hotel stays. If you have a toiletry collection taking up space in your bathroom, consider donating your collection to a local shelter that accepts toiletry items.
Those mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion will be much more useful to someone in need than they will be collecting dust in your bathroom!
2. Old Perfumes
Since they tend to be pretty expensive, it can be hard to part with perfume bottles that aren’t quite empty yet. However, keep in mind that the scent of perfumes can change over time, and sometimes in ways that aren’t very pleasant!
As you dust off and reorganize your perfume bottles, take the time to smell each one too. If anything smells off, go ahead and toss it.
3. Hair & Makeup Products
Every once in a while, I buy a new makeup or hair product that I only use a few times before it gets relegated to the back of a drawer. And I’m guessing I’m not the only woman who does that! ;-)
Go through all your hair and makeup products and get rid of anything that has expired or that you haven’t used in the past few months. Not only is this a good practice in terms of hygiene, it can also free up a lot of valuable storage space in your bathroom drawers and cupboards!
4. Towels
Another thing that tends to grow over time is my collection of bathroom towels. As the older ones wear out, I add new towels to the stack without doing anything about the old ones.
If you have a lot of bathroom towels, go through them and set aside the oldest ones. As long as they are clean, you should be able to donate them to a local animal shelter or humane society.
5. Hair Ties
Whether you keep your hair ties in a jar, a drawer, or a basket, chances are they could use some tidying up! Go through your collection and get rid of any hair ties that are either too stretched out, or have been known to snag your hair.
6. Medicines
If you keep any medicines in your bathroom, it’s a good idea to go through them regularly. Get rid of anything that has passed its expiration date or you don’t need anymore.
Be sure to dispose of old medications safely. Many pharmacies, hospitals, and even police departments have drug disposal boxes available for public use.
7. Nail Polish
Go through your nail polish bottles and examine each one. Look for changes in consistency and texture (like clumps, separation, etc.) and toss out anything that doesn’t look quite right.
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What could you stand to get rid of in your bathroom?
I’ve never been one to store makeup in the bathroom. I’m from a large family and we had to share the bathroom is why l’ve never done it. We store our meds in the kitchen or the kitchen cabinets. Don’t have to worry about the heat from the bathroom ruining things.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You shouldn’t store your perfume in the bathroom if you want them to last longer. They are supposed to be store away from humidity, temperature and light! The fridge is a good place to store them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s what I was told in the wonderfull Fragonard factory, in Grace, FRANCE.
Thanks for sharing this great tip with us, Corinne! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We’ve been working on home improvement projects since the gardening season came to an end. All that freshening up put me in a declutter & organize mode. Pantry, hall linen closet, bedroom closet, dresser, desk…I’ve tackled them all. My nail polish collection is about to disappear. My 3 daughters turned me on to Color Street nail polish strips which come in flat packets. They’re pricey compared to a bottle of polish, but they’re a real bargain if you get your nails done in a salon. Plus I can usually get 2 manicures from 1 package if I reseal the package with a flat iron or packing tape. Another plus is that 1 application easily wears well for 2 weeks with very minimal chipping. I was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon with them, but I’m sold.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where is your awesome lazy Susan (with shelves!) you are storing your make-up in from?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.where can I purchase the lazy susan?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Amazon have a few sizes and colors. I bought one for my bathroom but ended using it in my sewing room. Works great!
Here is the bathroom lazy susan:
https://amzn.to/2HpRXbK
Thats what ive been doing all winter. Being retired and stuck in the house i have more time. Mostly my closet. I just realized i need to do the toietries. I have a drawer in my bedroom full of that stuff. And i volunteer at a church that gives away toiletries. And clothes. Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My problem is not the bathroom but the cabinet with the mugs in it. I swear they multiple like rabbits. I keep telling my family but to place them in the cupboard next to each other if they will multi. Boy they sure have. I took them out the other day and counted 24 mugs. Yikes! I guess it is time to esperare them again.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t use elastic hair ties anymore but I haven’t tossed them as one of our cats loves to play with them. We call them “loops” and she will even bring them to us to play fetch like a dog! If we throw one across the room she will chase it, pick it up and bring it back to one of us (usually me, while I’m busy) to throw again. She even knows what drawer I keep them in and comes running when I open it. Every so often she loses one under the stove, the couch or wherever so if we haven’t seen one for a few days we give her another one, and if we happen to find one of the lost ones it’s a joyful reunion.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh how much fun cats are to watch. They are sooooo smart, contrary to what some people think, It’s the people that are no so smart. We love cats and I have more cat toys… I will have to get our Aubie, named for the Auburn Tigers, some hair ties to play with. And he looks like a little tiger. I know this doesn’t have anything to do with the post, but…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t know that every cat would play with them…ours seem to make a toy of anything on the floor (or desk, or table…) that is small enough to “bap” – rubber bands, twist ties, pens, styrofoam peanuts, and a piece of nylon cording they’ve been dragging from one end of the house to the other. Rather than go out and buy hair ties, I would just find something small and safe around the house that he likes. And ours do like actual cat toys, especially the little fuzzy toy mice. Primal!
Please use caution with elastic ties and cats. If ties are left out and not supervised many cats will chew on these and if kitty swallows a hair tie (or pieces) it could get stuck and get wrapped up in the intestine and that can be a pretty big surgery bill or could cause death. I learned about this from experience many many years ago. This goes for string, yarn, dental floss and elastic hair ties or ribbon. (Yes my kitty survived a $3K surgery and lived to be 18 years old.) :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Well-taken! I haven’t seen them chewing on any and the only wear and tear seems to happen from them being carried around. We’ve been given some foil-ball cat toys as well, which surprises me as I would have thought foil not to be safe given the warnings about Christmas tinsel. Maybe this “foil” is non-metallic(?) But I agree this is off-topic! :)
How do you know expirations of makeup when there are no dates on the products?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Here is a great article that has how long to keep your makeup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/toss-makeup
I write the month and year I purchase them on the bottom with a sharpie. Even if I don’t know an expiration date, I can toss things after 6 months or a year.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have unopened travel toiletries, donate them to Dress for Success. Old/empty perfume bottles that still carry the original/good scent can be put in your dresser drawers to freshen the contents.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wanda, thanks for sharing these great tips! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If anyone lives in Los Angeles, CA a non-profit group called The Power of a Shower will take those toiletries. We provide mobile shower / toilet services to our houseless community neighbors each week at a Venice Beach location. http://www.powerofashower.org Thank you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The moisture in most bathrooms is not good for meds/pills. If you must keep meds there, add a food grade silica gel desiccant to each bottle to keep unwanted moisture away.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was coming to the comments to make the same suggestion regarding medicine and bathrooms. Not only is the humidity bad for them, there’s also the issue of hot showers – can’t have meds in a room that doesn’t stay a consistent temperature, either! I keep mine in my bedroom, away from prying eyes and sticky fingers!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I understand we’re not to keep meds in either the bathroom or the kitchen – but that’s where the water is!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would add lipsticks to the check list
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree – although I’ve only found one bad lipstick, when I started to apply it and smelled it…almost lost my breakfast!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would advise people not to keep perfume in bathrooms. To last, they should be kept in cool dark places. I keep mine in their boxes in my wardrobe and it makes. A huge difference.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When smelling perfumes you should only try a couple at a tine, as otherwise your olfactory sens can become confused
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My bathroom are boring – none of the 7 are undone here ;)
Well.. the medicine part – you never should place medicine there – unless you are sure it¨s okay.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Not all medicine can “survive” the temperature up/down etc.