8 Easy, Stylish Ways to Declutter Your Bathroom

Step one of any organizing project starts with getting rid of what you don’t need. Toss old beauty products, expired medications and anything that hasn’t been used in the last six months. Be ruthless: Get rid of that curling iron that no longer consistently works and consider donating the hot rollers you’ve never taken out of the box.

Once you’ve eliminated the items you don’t use or need, group like items — first-aid supplies, hair dryers and flat irons, bathroom cleaning supplies — together in affordable clear acrylic bins. These sturdy clear plastic bins fit under most sinks and in bathroom cabinets, making it easy to see (and grab) whatever you need fast. Add a label to the front of each bin to make it even easier to ID them.

If you have too many bulky towels taking up valuable real estate in your bathroom, your first step would be to filter out any tattered, stained or threadbare linens and move them to the rag pile. Next fold and tightly roll your fluffiest, nicest towels, then tuck them into a lightweight and roomy storage unit to free space on your shelves.

With its farmhouse style, consider water hyacinth baskets. They feature tapered sides to increase storage capacity and built-in handles, which make it easy to move when the floor needs mopping.

To clear up clutter and create vertical storage space, you can’t beat these elegant, inexpensive workhorses. Versions like these chrome towel hooks are made for keeping damp towels and bathrobes off the floor, but they can also be installed inside cabinets, behind doors or on the side of vanities to hang hair dryers and curling irons.

To choose a style that works with the rest of your bathroom, pay attention to the not only the hook’s metal finish but also the style. If you have a modern looking hardware that isn’t overly embellished, your hook should have a similar look too. It helps create continuity throughout the space. 

If the sides of your tub or the floor of your shower is crowded with a half-dozen conditioners or body washes, you’ll benefit from a clutter-busting shower caddy. It helps organize the products in your shower or tub and puts everything at eye level, right where you need it.

If you have a shower-tub combo, choose an over-the-showerhead model, like a hanging shower caddy. They usually have two deep shelves, a soap dish and handy hooks for razors and washcloths. If you have a stall shower, consider a rust-resistant tension pole caddy. They often have a soap dish and adjustable baskets with built-in hooks, plus there’s no installation; it securely locks in place once it’s been adjusted to the height of your ceiling.

If you’re light on storage space replace a regular mirror with a medicine cabinet. After you’ve culled old medications, nearly empty beauty products and dried out bottles of nail polish, group like items. For small or loose items like cotton balls, dental picks, cough drops and hair clips, use individual tempered glass or plastic jars with lids, like the ones used to store spices and snacks in the kitchen. It keeps them organized and easy to find. Glass storage containers work well for organizing bathroom supplies.

Decluttering your makeup stash not only frees up space in your bathroom vanity, it also saves you time in the morning to have everything stored in one place. Use the same criteria for tossing items are you did with your medicine cabinet, toss any spent eyeliners, dried out mascaras, old lipsticks and cracked eyeshadows.

Once you’ve streamlined your cosmetics, arrange everything in a clear cosmetic organizer. They can hold make-up, as well as smaller items like cosmetic pads and tweezers.

Swap out a pedestal sink for a sink with vanity. It allows you to take advantage of the space around and below your sink, making it’s one of the fastest ways to maximize your bathroom’s storage potential and reduce clutter. While adding a bathroom vanity requires installation, the process doesn’t need to be expensive, time-consuming or complicated. Look for an easy-to-install model at a friendly price point, like a single-sink bathroom vanity.

Many of our vanities are available with built-in tops and integrated sinks. Select one with pre-drilled holes for a faucet, making installation even easier. The storage underneath allows you to keep everything from cleaning supplies to your hair dryer and extra towels organized and out of sight — which, after all, is the goal of all good decluttering projects.

Over-the-toilet storage is one of the easiest ways to make a small bathroom feel instantly more organized, since it puts unused vertical space to work without crowding the floor. A wall-mounted cabinet is a great choice for homeowners who want a cleaner, built-in look; the closed doors hide visual clutter and keep everyday essentials neatly contained.

If you rent or prefer not to drill into tile or drywall, a freestanding rack that slides over the toilet offers the same extra storage with zero commitment—plus it can move with you. Open shelves are also perfect for styling items you actually want to see, like rolled towels or baskets that soften the room. Whether you install a cabinet or opt for a simple rack, using vertical space helps clear countertops, creates a feeling of height, and gives even a compact bathroom a more streamlined look.