Beebe Cline, White Rock Realtor

One of my favorite pastimes is looking through photos and tagging ones that resemble my dream bathroom. A bathroom is a place to refresh and relax, so my ideal bath would look and feel like a spa.

Of course, these photos don’t display the cleaning supplies and big-box-store-size toilet paper packs that are the unglamorous but realistic parts of daily living. But even with these necessities, it’s possible to create a space that is both efficient for your morning routine and rejuvenating after you’ve had a long, tiring day. The first step is decluttering your bathroom to remove excess items. Here’s how to do it.

Bathrooms are usually multipurpose storage centers of toiletries, linens, cleaning supplies and medicines. To declutter, I recommend separating everything into categories (also sub-categories if necessary) and purging items in each category before moving on to the next.

1. Cosmetics and Toiletries

This is one category I find myself editing all the time. My toiletries multiply quickly, whether I’m purchasing new products to try or receiving gifts from thoughtful friends. If you are like me and can’t seem to use these items as fast as you accrue them, you may need to take a realistic look at what you’re not using.

If you find it hard to discard perfectly good, unused toiletries, take heart — most shelters need and welcome unopened toiletries. Some shelters will even accept gently used dry beauty products, such as eye shadows, though not wet ones such as liquid eyeliners. Research online to find local drop-off or mail-in donation locations.

However, do consider how long you’ve had the product before donating, as makeup and lotions expire. The effectiveness of the active ingredient will diminish over time, as will the fragrance. There are no U.S. laws requiring cosmetics to have expiration dates, so the responsibility for clear labeling falls upon manufacturers. The exceptions include sunscreen and acne treatments, which are regulated as drug products. Visit the FDA site for more information on cosmetics’ shelf life. Otherwise, you will have to trust your eyes, nose and instinct as you decide which items must be tossed.

I used to love free beauty gifts and samples, as they seemed like an easy solution for traveling light. However, the small sizes were rarely enough to last through an entire trip, even a weekend one. Plus, mixing and matching different samples seemed like a recipe for breakouts. So I would leave the samples at home and by the time I got around to trying them, they often smelled stale. I now either say no to samples or use them right away.

If you travel often, it may be worthwhile investing in a second set of toiletries and keeping those items in your travel kit. You can save some packing time and avoid forgetting anything. Unpacking may be easier as well since you can put the entire bag away rather than unpacking each item within the bag.

2. Hair Products and Tools

Styling tools take up a lot of room yet may be challenging to pare down because each tool seems to have a slightly different purpose, such as the curling iron, curling wand, flat iron and hot rollers. So consider which tools you use often, which tools may be redundant and which tools can multitask.

For example, my curling iron seemed like a good idea until I realized it took me an hour to curl all of my hair. My hot rollers heat up in one minute, and I can roll my entire head in 10 minutes and let it set while I am doing something else. The result was close enough, and definitely worth the time savings. So I parted with my curling iron.

I’m not really sure how my hairbrush and comb collection grows, but somehow it does. I kept two that I use daily, and put a third in my travel kit. Getting rid of the remaining brushes felt pretty risk-free. Also fair game for tossing: hair elastics that have lost their elasticity, broken clips, rusted pins and worn fabric headbands.

3. Medicines and First Aid

Medications have expiration dates, so disposing of expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs is relatively straightforward (check with your pharmacy or the FDA website to find safe disposal sites). But how about adhesive bandages? If yours are old, they may be no longer sticky, or they may be too sticky from degraded adhesive. The same is true for wraps designed for sprains.

Note: When you sort these items, be sure to gather them all from throughout your house before reviewing. One of the general keys to organization is to keep like items together in one spot. This is a good time to assess where the best medicine center is in your home. It should be a cool, dry spot away from sunlight.

4. Cleaning Supplies

In my house, I make an exception to the “one spot” rule when it comes to cleaning supplies. To encourage my family to keep their bathrooms clean, and to make it as easy as possible for them to do so, I have a full set of supplies (including brushes) under each sink. It isn’t the most efficient use of space to have duplicate sets, but in this case I am sacrificing space for action. Your organization system has to work with your lifestyle and priorities.

To save space, I limit the supplies to the basics — toilet cleaner, multipurpose bathroom cleaner, magic eraser (excellent for tub grime), grout brush and toilet brush — and I don’t buy extras to store. Instead, I replenish when necessary.

When editing your cleaning supplies, work toward keeping just the basics — one product may be able to do many jobs, minimizing the products you have to store. A multipurpose cleaner may be able to take the place of several specialty cleaners, such as glass cleaner and soap scum remover. Specific cleaners may work a little more effectively at its one given job, but I am satisfied with the balance between cleanliness and space savings.

Once you’ve condensed your items, you can organize them in your drawers and cabinets. The most frequently used items should be easily accessible and convenient for you. There are so many categories of bathroom items that it’s best to keep like items together in smaller categories to stay organized. For example, rather than having a general makeup drawer, use compartmentalized containers to separate categories such as eye makeup, lip products, foundations and blushes. Make a conscious effort to put items where they belong right away to maintain your organized space.