As we approach spring, I’m looking forward to giving my home a good clean and declutter.
This year, instead of trying to do it all in one day, I’ve decided to break up the tasks. I’m starting with the smallest room in the flat, the bathroom. I think it’ll give me a boost of motivation to tackle the rest of the house.
Another reason to start in the bathroom is that we start our day there. Having a tidy space can help set the tone of your day. The bathroom is also one of the places where we practice self-care. In just 20-30 minutes, you can turn your bathroom into a calming oasis.
Let’s get started!
Tip #1: Commit to purging any items that do not serve our wellbeing
I haven’t even started this section and I already hear the resistance.
But Grace, I spent a lot of money on that moisturizer that I only used once. It made me break out but it smells so nice and the bottle is so pretty.
Grab a bag, go one shelf at a time, and commit to letting go of items that no longer serve you. Try to do this as a quick fire round as if you are on a game show.
Your main guiding question is simple: Do I use it?
Yes, keep. No, adios!
Here is the list of items I purged from my bathroom this weekend:
- Expired products. Eww
- Skincare products that didn’t work for me
- Skincare products that I haven’t used in 6 months
- Samples/freebies that I never used
- Old discolored washcloths
- Packaging (to improve storage options)
- Feminine products that were been replaced by a mooncup.
If you are having trouble deciding if you will use an item, ask yourself, “Would I repurchase this today?” If the answer is no, let it go!
Speed is your friend here. Anytime, you find yourself saying “No, but..” you are wasting time. I repeat no means let it go:-)
We’ve all made purchases we end up regretting. Forgive yourself and move on.
Now you know what not to buy.
As you are purging also set aside any items that do not need to be stored in the bathroom. I freed up some cabinet space by removing some reusable travel bottles and putting them inside a small bag in my suitcase. Ah, remember packing and travelling.
After you have gone through all of your shelves/cabinets and removed all items that had to go, give yourself a pat on the back, the hardest part is over.
Tip #2 Decide which items will live on the countertop and in/around the shower/tub.
Now’s your chance to reduce visual clutter. I’ve found that the more items I have on the countertop, the messier the bathroom gets throughout the week. If I grab something from the cabinet, I’m less likely to put it back in its place if other items are allowed to live on the countertop. Whereas if I say everything goes in the cabinet, then I know I’ll use something and put it back in its little home:-)
In the bathtub, we currently have face wash, a bar of soap, and shampoo. On the counter we have hand soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and sometimes my husband’s moisturizer will make an appearance.
And that’s it. Everything else is out of site.
Tip #3 Organize with containers you already have
Before spending money on items you may not need, try to use any boxes or containers you already have in the house to group items together (face, hair, first aid, etc). You’d be surprised at what you can find.
Just this past week, my husband was about to get rid of three small storage boxes that he no longer had use for and they ended up being perfect to hold my hair accessories, razors, and nail care. I also re-purposed a small Ikea container to hold our first aid items and I used the black box that my headphones came in, to store my facial products.
I ended up mostly using containers for smaller items. Larger items,like my hair products, were just grouped together.
And voila my organised cabinets!
Reflections on my declutter:
This week marks one year of working from home due to the pandemic. At the start of the first lockdown, I bought duplicates of my frequently used items. I’m happy to say I did use most of them but it’s not something I’ll continue to do. Going forward, I’ll buy replacement items when I’m running low.
I also learned that I need to chill with the hair and facial products. I have a hair mask but then I also purchased a hair treatment. Why tho?
I have two categories that I’ll need to revisit: makeup and nail care. I don’t use them much now as I’m still in lockdown so I may decide to do a further purge at the end of the summer.
I ended up keeping a few femine products in a pouch for guests. Oh how I look forward to having houseguests again!
Please let me know how you get on with these three tips. I can already see you standing in front of your bathroom cabinet with a huge smile on your face.
Peace,
Grace
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