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Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t bathrooms seem to be one of the spaces we spend the least amount of time in but accumulate the most amount of clutter? It makes sense though…we don’t spend a lot of time in the bathroom but we do use most of our self-care products in there. And if you live in a home with a small bathroom and multiple people sharing it can get disorganized quickly!

For these reasons I have spent a ton of time working on organizing our bathrooms (one of which is quite small). And I’m pumped to share with you what I think are the most effective tips to organize a small bathroom:

1-) Forego excess big items

Calling all towel hoarders! If you have an excess of large items such as towels and bath mats, the best way to organize your bathroom is to discard, repurpose, or donate that excess. If you have a linen closet, all your extra towels should be able to fit on one shelf in it. However, if you don’t have a linen closet, use a rule of two towels per person: one for the bathroom  and one extra. Then let each person hold on to their extra towel in their personal space (i.e. bedroom). You’ll be amazed at how much space you create just by getting big items that aren’t used daily out of the bathroom!

2-) Discard expired goods

When is the last time you went through your medicine cabinet and drawers and discarded old medications/makeup/toiletries? If you can’t remember, then you need to do it now!

When you do go through your medicine cabinet, take expired or unused medications  to your local police station. Most offer no-questions-asked drop off boxes and will discarded the medications properly. Please don’t throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet!

On a similar note, if you have extra toiletries then make a pact with yourself to use up what you have before you buy anymore. Whatever you do, don’t hold onto products that didn’t work for you because you feel bad about chucking it! Holding onto it isn’t going to help the problem if it didn’t work for you and you’re not going to use it! Instead, try to find a friend or family member who may use it.

3-) Narrow down toys

If you have young kids that play with toys in the bathtub, only hold onto the ones they use regularly. For some reason, our Little Grasshopper actually prefers just one toy in the bathtub at a time. However, he LOVES playing with all his bath toys in his play area in the living room. So in our case we decided to move most of his bath toys into his living room play area!

However, if your kids obsess over their bath toys just make sure you find a bath toy organizing system that keeps them contained but also lets them dry out (so you don’t end up with a mold problem).

4-) Hide visual clutter

I’m not sure why people insist on leaving hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons, and hairbrushes on their bathroom counters, but these are huge sources of visual clutter! If you use these items daily, placing them neatly in an easily accessible drawer or basket is a much better way to keep the bathroom organized. Plus guests won’t have to worry about working around hair (or makeup!) products when they need to wash their hands.

5-) Optimize drawer and cabinet storage

I could go to Pinterest right now and find fifty different ways people have improved their under-the-sink storage space. Many have discovered that maximizing that space makes your bathroom feel less cluttered and more organized!

But don’t stop there! Make sure you use your drawers and cabinets in a way that works for you. For example, I don’t use much makeup (I mean, this face is just so beautiful as it is 😉 ), so a makeup drawer isn’t necessary for me. However, I do buy a year supply of daily contacts at a time, and I also have all the supplies that come with them…

So you know what I have? An eye care drawer! Because that’s what makes sense for my needs.

However you decide to organize your drawers and cabinets in the bathroom, make good use of drawer and cabinet organizers! In one of our bathroom drawers we even used a stationary organizer and it works like a charm!

Alright, now you know the most effective tips to organize a small bathroom! Go forth and turn your bathroom into the luxurious space you deserve!

And for more organizing tips, check out How to Organize a Small Pantry and How to Get Organized: 9 Attitudes You Have to Change!