Today's mission is to declutter your bathroom sink and counter area, and then to try to develop a habit to clear it a bit with each use so it stays clear from now on.
It's your preference whether you want this area to be completely clear, or just to have less stuff than it currently does.
My suggestion is to, at the most, have only the things you use daily on your sink and counter area, and even then those items you may want to corral in containers or baskets just to keep that uncluttered look.
No matter how little or much stuff you choose to have in this area though, reducing the total amount will make you feel better.
Using your sink without the fear and hassle of knocking stuff over all the time is wonderful.
After you get it less cluttered this would be a good opportunity to really wipe down the sink thoroughly as well. Ready, set, go!
Ideas For Clearing Off The Clutter
Ideas of where to put many of the items that used to be sitting on your bathroom sink include placing items in a nearby drawer or in a cabinet in your bathroom.
If you don't have a lot of storage space in the room though you could, in the alternative, have a basket containing many of these items that can be stored in another room, such as your bedroom, and carried into the bathroom with you as you need them.
Yet another idea many readers have implemented is an over the door shoe organizer which allows you to move these items from off the counter and sink area and onto an otherwise unused space on the back of the door.
You can get your whole bathroom organized by following the bathroom organization challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge.
Do you have any ideas of your own? I'd love to hear them. Plus, what kinds of stuff do you keep on your bathroom sink? Toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap, what else?
I've Kept My Sink & Counters Like This For About 8 Weeks Now!
by Jenny
I look at this bathroom and I feel peaceful and relaxed, and do you know why? Because the counter is so uncluttered.
Flat clear surfaces are easy on the eye, and whether we know it or not consciously, unconsciously our brain enjoys the calm such clear surfaces provide.
This is a picture of a reader, Jenny's bathroom counter. Jenny says, "mines looked like this for about 8 weeks now! I got a small basket big enough to hold my make up bag, brush, those every day things. It only takes a few seconds to throw everything back in the basket and put it back inside the closet."
Every Time I Walk By My Counter & Sink I Put Something Away
by Vanessa
Vanessa says:
Here is a picture of my bathroom sink - no clutter!
It takes dedicated effort to keep it this way. Every time I walk by the sink, I put something away.
Taylor says:
Thanks for this picture Vanessa! You make a very good point. This may be a 15 minute declutter mission, but it won't stay this way for long if we aren't diligently, daily, to keep it this way after we get it cleared.
I think mine qualifies as uncluttered. It makes me feel cleaner.
Like Jenny I use baskets to store my cosmetics and hair products and they go out away.
Taylor says:
Thanks for showing us what you do Tiffany.
Alone with removing clutter each day, and putting away stuff that was used and that is sitting on your bathroom counters, you've also got to do some very simple cleaning tasks for your bathroom counters daily.
Jenny's bathroom is much more "pretty" than mine! However, her toothpaste sitting on the counter makes me want to reach in the pic though....I must also have a touch of OCD!
I actually wish it wasn't quite as bad and I could have more stuff conveniently placed, not placed for my sanity! Lol
Renee shared this picture above with me after working on this declutter mission. She did a great job, didn't she?
In addition, here's a picture submitted by another reader, Hawa.
Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!
Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.
The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!
Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.
Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.
In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.
If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!
Get This Bathroom Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering your bathroom, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
what's on my bathroom counter and sink area by: Tanya
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair brushes, hair products, blow dryer, straightening iron, curling iron, hand soap...too much. Worst issue is the curling iron/straighter/blow dryer.
how I keep my counter and sink cleared by: Hadia
I have a toothbrush/toothpaste holder on the mirror and then just hand soap and mouthwash around the sink. Rest under the sink in the basket and my make-up in one of those travel purses for make-up, hanging at door with the bath towels.
baskets for daily items by: Leanne
I leave daily items out in a basket on the counter. Hubby has one too. All other items go in the drawer or underneath.
what I have on mine by: Rachael
All I have is mine husband and kids toothbrush, hand soap and mouth wash.
added cabinet to get rid of sink clutter by: Lisa
We installed a cabinet on the wall over our toilet. Love it and it took care of all the sink clutter. Things are organized now and I can actually find things!
worked on this yesterday! by: Daisy
Worked on bathroom yesterday...brought Sterilite plastic drawers from Walmart and placed in cabinet underneath sink. Only thing on countertop is hand soap, decorated basket to hold daily toiletries. Toothbrush & toothpaste placed in small plastic bin in drawer.
adding wall storage to keep sink uncluttered by: Heather
I haven't done it yet but my plan is to get a spice rack to hang on the wall next to the mirror. We are going to put things like shaving cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, and hand lotion in the spice rack. This way they are easily accessible but not all over a sink that doesn't have a lot of counter space as it is.
Bathroom Counter by: another Heather
My side: Bowl with Hand towels, Tissue Box, Hand Sanitizer, Soap Dish.
If I put his stuff away it just gets put out again. I keep makeup brushes too tall to fit in drawer in a suction cup on the tile wall.
My DIY Solution by: Anne Marie
Well I was trying to post a picture, but I hung a jar on the wall for each person and labeled it for their toothbrush, and since I am the only female in a house of six, their razors to keep the counter top clear.
bathroom counter by: Tamra
I have a scented candle and the usual clutter, plus my reading glasses and a book. I have a very small bathroom and need something to make it appear more spacious.
organization idea: baskets for morning and night by: Lydia Smith
I have products I use in the morning and others I use at night, so I bought 2 small baskets. I put my morning products in one basket and my night time products in the other basket. Then I bought a narrow metal shelf at an outlet store, placed it in the corner, and placed a basket on each shelf. In the morning, I bring the morning basket to the sink and when I'm finished, I put the basket back on the shelf. I do the same thing at night. Now my counters are clutter free and my products are organized by when I use/need them! I love it!
added a shelf over the towel rack by: Penelope
We installed an attractive wall shelf over the towel rack to hold the more decorative bottles and containers that are used daily that were hanging around the sink counter.
show me the stuff by: Angela
Was hoping to see both the clear counter tops AND the actual storage solutions themselves with all the "stuff", to get an idea of how to actually organize the "stuff"... (some of us need actual this-is-how-you-do-it examples, not just end-result inspiration).
My suggestions of places to put stuff by: Anonymous
1. Keep toothbrushes in the kitchen. 2. Give each person a small tote (canvas grocery bag) for their own towel, washcloth, makeup, etc. to bring into the bathroom and remove when they leave. 3. Dirty laundry goes to the 'laundry room', clean comes out in sorted baskets. The one who washes doesn't have to sack everyone's dirty -or clean- laundry around the house.
my rule for bathroom clutter by: Holly S.
Go by the rule no products on the counter, soap only.
use a small breadbox by: Zoe Hoover Tyler
I have a small breadbox on my bathroom vanity to keep my cosmetics handy and hidden. It's tall enough for bottles and tubes to stand upright.
Small basket by: Anonymous
We use a small long basket for each person to keep their daily counter top items. That helps keep it organized, quick to use, and quick to clean. We can quickly tuck them away under the sink if we entertain.
What is on my vanities by: Anonymous
His: bar soap and holder, jade tiny covered box that his mother used as a ring box, glass, picture of our daughters as babies.
Her: tooth brush, charger, glass, Kleenex, picture of daughters as flower girls, liquid soap.
Putting away things not used daily. by: Audrey
I started with putting in the cupboard the good sized hand mirror that was my Grandmother's. I use it only possibly once every two weeks, and it takes quite a bit of flat space. Also, I will try making one day a week to look over what I have on the counter, to move things like vitamin bottles that I no longer use, or anything that is no longer needed.
Things I keep on the bathroom counter by: Chris
Things I keep on the bathroom counter: contact stuff, moisturizer for body and face, hair curler, q-tips in container, shaving stuff, a box containing makeup currently being used, spare change, soap dish, deodorant. That's the stuff we use every day!
Bathroom decluttered by: Anonymous
I used to store everything I used daily on the counter and recently changed to store only Kleenex, and a small tray with liquid soap and a glass and I do this in every bathroom. I use clear trays in draws to organize makeup, dental products, hair brushes and scrunchies. I moved items that were taking up limited bathroom space like shoe polish in a basket to the linen closet. I also rolled all towels in the linen closet to save space.
Pequenas regras (small rules) by: Direne Rios
Aqui pensei em regras simples para deixar quais objetos a mostra. Uso com que frequência? Se a resposta for menos que três vezes na semana não deve ficar. Aqui eu optei por suporte na parede com nicho.
Nele há desodorante,cremes para o corpo e cabelos.
Um pote de vidro simples com cotonete e algodão. Poucas make (kit sombrancelha e batom).
Na parte de baixo tenho uma nécessaire com produtos de higiene íntima e outra com make esmaltes.
Translated (through Google translate):
Here I thought of simple rules to let which objects show it. How often do I use it? If the answer is less than three times a week, you should not stay.
Here I chose a niche wall support.
It contains deodorant, body creams and hair.
A simple glass jar with cotton swab and cotton. Few make-up (eyebrow and lipstick kit).
At the bottom I have a makeup bag with intimate hygiene products and another one with nail polish.
Baskets for the win! by: Rcj
I have a 6-8 inch tall basket about the size of a piece of paper for me and for my husband’s sink. We put things we use every day in them. The counter stays clean, we move them to quickly wipe down the counter, they are tall enough to hide most of the bottles, hair spray, skin cleanser, toner, moisturizer, etc. I could put the basket under the sink but I usually don’t bother, it is organized and easy to clean. They are the small sea grass baskets from pottery barn and it looks nice.
Bathroom counter de-clutter solution by: Robin Wagner
I hung an over-the-door shoe organizer on the back side of bathroom entry door. It has a mesh front, so items are visible, and deep pockets to hold large bottles. It even holds my hair dryer and straightening iron. You could even roll washcloths and hand towels up and store them there. It has 7 rows of 4 pockets, so I have each row designated for different toiletries. Hair care, body care, and cleaning supplies on the top. If you have a large family, each member has their own personal row. It’s a great storage solution.
Hand drying towels. by: Rosie
I keep two baskets on the counter. One has 12 hand towels and the other 24 wash cloths for single use. These are for guests to use. The laundry basket is under the sink.