You walk into the bathroom. You go to brush your teeth. But you accidentally knock the curling iron onto the floor, which draws your attention to the fact that the entire bathroom counter is covered with different products. In fact, there’s almost no room for you to brush your teeth at all.
It’s a scenario many of us have encountered, as well as the scenario many of us have chosen to indefinitely tolerate, for no reason other than basic complacency.
In its purest form, bathroom clutter isn’t necessarily toxic or harmful. But it can be annoying. And it can certainly intrude on the productive space available in your bathroom.
So how can we fix it? What are the top causes of bathroom clutter and how can we fix this problem once and for all?
The Chaos of Clutter
Nobody especially likes bathroom clutter, but it’s a common feature of American households. It tends to accumulate gradually, especially at first. It starts with a small smattering of items, but eventually becomes unrecognizable, with individual items eventually forming a mass of debris.
Apart from being an eyesore, bathroom clutter is a nightmare through the efficiency and accessibility of your space. Your counter access will immediately be limited, and you will likely have a much harder time finding what you need when you need it.
As if that weren’t enough, some studies suggest that the mere presence of clutter can be damaging to your mental health. Though it’s unlikely that bathroom clutter was ever a proximate cause of someone’s depression, addressing the clutter problem could meaningfully improve your mood and disposition.
Causes of Bathroom Clutter
These are some of the most common causes of excessive bathroom clutter:
- Extensive sharing. Sometimes, the clutter is a natural byproduct of too many people using the same bathroom. If you have a family of five, and you all share the same bathroom, the needs of all those individuals will eventually consume the available space.
- Product pandemonium. Do you have more than a dozen beauty products in your shower alone? If so, you may be a victim of product pandemonium. Many beauty products can live up to their lofty promises, but even so, it’s easy for people to overestimate the number of beauty products they truly need. If you have 100 products when even 10 would suffice, bathroom clutter is inevitable.
- Minimal space. Some bathrooms are too small. If you don’t have much space to work with, your necessary bathroom items will eventually find less convenient homes.
- No storage solutions. Your bathroom might have ample space, but if there aren’t enough storage or organization options, clutter can accumulate.
- Poor commitment to organization. Of course, bathroom clutter could also be exclusively caused by one or more disorganized people in your household. Poor commitment to organization and decluttering can allow even the best bathroom spaces to spiral out of control.
The Best Solutions
So what are you supposed to do about bathroom clutter?
- Improved storage options. The best and easiest solution is to install new storage or organization options. Depending on the size and shape of your bathroom, this could include replacing the vanity, adding new shelves, installing hooks, or getting even more creative with solutions like caddies and drawers. If you have a place for everything, you’ll be able to keep everything in its place.
- A clear system of organization. You should also have a clear system of organization in place. If you aren’t completely sure where your facial cleansing wipes are supposed to go, you’ll probably leave them on the counter, especially if you use them every day. It’s not enough to merely have storage options; you should also make effective use of those storage options.
- Rigid adherence to said organization system. Having a system of organization is a good step, but it’s only going to work if everyone adheres to it. Depending on who you live with and what their attitudes toward clutter are, this may or may not be hard to enforce.
- Minimalism. Minimalistic lifestyles are beneficial in several ways. They help you save money. They help you protect the environment. And they help you prevent the accumulation of meaningless clutter. Consider practicing more minimalism in the bathroom products you bring into your house.
- Weekly cleaning. Finally, commit to a weekly round of cleaning. When generally cleaning and disinfecting your bathroom, you can take the time to declutter anything that’s accumulated and reset your organizational system if necessary.
If you’re willing to apply these fixes, you should be able to mitigate, or even completely eliminate the bathroom clutter problem in your house. Just make sure you stay on top of it so it never gets out of control again.