5 essential bathroom decluttering rules minimalists wish everybody knew – turn your chaotic space into a permanently tidy sanctuary

Filled with our favorite lotions and potions, a bathroom can quickly go from organized sanctuary to chaos. But minimalists have five essential decluttering rules that make bathroom mess a thing of the past.

As our professional organizers explain, keeping a bathroom tidy takes time and effort, but it doesn't have to be all-consuming. With a little consideration of the bathroom decluttering rules minimalists rely on, you'll enjoy the same results.

5 essential bathroom decluttering rules minimalists wish everybody knew

1. Declutter expired and unused products regularly

It's more than easy to hoard bottles, tubs and tubes, but you have to be honest with yourself – if you never reach for it, are you ever going to use it? Expired products are also one of the things minimalists always throw out daily, and for good reason.

As Orna Fathers, home organization expert and founder of Grace This Space Interiors, warns, 'Expired beauty and hygiene products can lose their effectiveness and even harbor bacteria, which can cause skin irritation or infections.

'Holding onto half-used bottles of products you no longer use creates unnecessary clutter and makes it harder to maintain bathroom organization ideas.'

To combat this, Cara Palmer, professional home organizer and founder of Organize Every Room, recommends setting a quarterly calendar reminder for what she dubs an "expiration sweep."

'Take everything out of your cabinets and check expiration dates,' she advises.

If you're not sure whether a product has expired, Orna also recommends looking for altered textures or bad smells.

'Most bathroom products will have a little symbol of an open pot and a number next to it,' she adds. That is to show how quickly it should be used before being discarded. A great habit is to mark new products with the date you opened them to track their lifespan.'

Additionally, Cara adds that she teaches her clients to place new items at the back and bring older ones forward to use first, which is a key step for anyone embracing the underconsumption trend to help to declutter a home.

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2. Ditch 'just in case' items

We're all guilty of it, but those 'just in case' items which never seem to actually see the light of day should be among the first to be decluttered as part of your bathroom decluttering checklist, says professional organizer Orna.

'Holding onto items 'just in case' often leads to a cluttered and overwhelming bathroom' she explains. 'Half-used hotel toiletries, old skincare samples, and barely-used beauty products take up valuable space but rarely get used.

'The fact is that if something hasn’t been touched in months it’s likely not needed.'

Orna shares that she encourages her clients to be realistic about what they actually use in their daily routine. 'If a product didn’t work for you, keeping it won’t magically make it better. Instead of letting these items pile up create a habit of decluttering regularly.'

Any unopened items can be donated, but expired or nearly empty products should be tossed into a trash bag, such as the Hefty Strong Large Trash Bags available at Amazon, or recycled.

'A simple rule is if you wouldn’t buy it again, you probably don’t need to keep it,' adds Orna. 'Letting go of ‘just in case’ items not only frees up space but also makes your bathroom feel more intentional and calming. When everything you own serves a purpose, maintaining an organized space becomes effortless,' which is why these so-called 'just in case' items are among the things minimalists never have in a bathroom.

3. Implement a 'one-in, one-out' rule

Bathrooms notoriously have limited storage, and it's all too easy to collect products that end up sitting unused. In fact, as professional organizer Cara quantifies, 'The average American bathroom contains more than 300 items, yet we typically use fewer than 40 regularly.'

To stop things building up and avoid decluttering your home when you feel overwhelmed, Tracy McCubbin, founder and CEO of dClutterfly, recommends stopping buying things you don't need in the first place. Sounds simple, right?

'You do not need five versions of the same shampoo in different scents – they all clean your hair equally well, so just pick one to buy,' she advises. 'Those products that promise they’ll take 20 years off your face? All of those creams do the same thing – moisturize your skin. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet that is going to de-age us. If there were, we would all know about it by now! Stick to the products you love and use and stop buying the ones you know you won’t, just because they are trendy or promise a miracle solution.'

Similarly, professional organizer Cara recommends implementing a 'one-in, one-out' rule, recommending that, for any new product brought into your bathroom, you commit to removing something similar.

'Just bought a new face moisturizer? The old one needs to go – not pushed to the back of the cabinet "just in case,"' she says.' 'I have my clients physically hold the new product in one hand and the item they're replacing in the other, then immediately place the old item in a donation bag or trash.'

You can also use storage baskets for this step, to make carrying items for donation to your car easy, such as the Mainstays Medium Plastic Storage Bin available at Walmart, which is BPA-free and phthalate-free, with a wipe clean finish.

'This physical action reinforces the commitment to maintaining balance,' adds Cara.

4. Streamline essentials by category

One of the best and easiest ways to avoid any bathroom organizing mistakes is to organize items by category, says professional organizer Orna, such as skincare, haircare, first aid, etc. 'This makes it easier to find what you need, and prevents overbuying duplicates,' she says.

'Use clear bins or drawer dividers,' such as the SpaceAid Bamboo Organizer Drawer Dividers available at Walmart, 'to group similar items. Label them with the category, then, when you can visually see one category is running low, it is the cue to buy more.'

And, as Barbara Brock, founder & CEO of Barbara Brock Inc., a professional organizing and staging company, adds, 'By grouping things together, you can see what kind of storage you need, and it's easier to see what product to buy to house your items.

'The bonus is, it's easier to keep a bathroom clean,' applying the quick things people with clean bathrooms always do, 'and everyone in the household knows where to put an item,' she adds.

5. Use the "Does It Spark Joy and Function?" test

Finally, professional organizer Cara says, and we agree, 'The bathroom is often overlooked in the joy department, with function taking priority.

'However, minimalists understand that when items are both functional and bring you joy, you're less likely to accumulate unnecessary products. This dual-purpose filtering keeps your bathroom streamlined.'

We're all familiar with Marie Kondo's decluttering method that preaches asking yourself if an item sparks joy, but how do you know if an item sparks joy?

'Hold each bathroom item and ask, "Does this genuinely work well for me?" and "Do I enjoy using it?" If the answer to either is no, it doesn't belong in your daily life,' advises Cara, who encourages her clients to select products with beautiful packaging, scents they truly love, and formulations that actually work for them.

'The result? Fewer products that deliver better experiences,' she concludes.

Meet our experts

Orna Fathers

Orna is an interior designer and home organizer specializing in creating beautiful and functional spaces and helping clients achieve aesthetic and organized homes with practical and thoughtful solutions.

Cara Palmer

Cara a professional home organizer and founder of Organize Every Room, specializing in practical organization systems for busy families, with advice has been featured in Southern Living, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and more.

Tracy McCubbin

Tracy has over 20 years of experience in providing hands-on experience to clients, and began professional decluttering and organizing in 2006.

Barbara Brock

With a background in interior design, Barbara began professionally organizing in 2001, and now impressively holds two patents for award-winning makeup organizing products. Her motto? 'Be organized. Be beautiful.'

FAQs

What is the 'rule of 5' decluttering?

The rule of five is the basis for the brutal yet effective 5 second decluttering rule. Pick up an item, and decide within five seconds whether to keep or decluttering it, helping to overcome decision fatigue.

There are plenty of other methods loved by minimalists which we rely on regularly to transform our homes. For example, Chiana Dickson, Solved content editor here at Homes & Gardens recently tried the extreme Minimalists' 'Packing Party' decluttering method, and credits it with 'curing the mess' in her kitchen.