4 min readBathrooms are some of the hardest-working rooms in the home, serving multiple purposes every day. While most people dream of creating a calming, spa-inspired retreat, practicality matters just as much. A well-designed layout, plenty of storage, and easy access to everyday essentials all help the space function smoothly. At the same time, it needs to stay organized despite housing everything from skin care products to spare towels—and still look cohesive with the rest of your home's style.
Balancing all of those demands isn't always easy. Without a thoughtful organization system, bathrooms can quickly become overcrowded and difficult to keep in order.
“The bathroom is where your daily routine begins and ends,” Marissa Hagmeyer, cofounder and COO of NEAT Method, explains. “Because of that, it has a big impact on whether your day starts simple and peaceful or cluttered and chaotic. An organized space should flow effortlessly with your routine by providing enhanced accessibility to support your needs.”
No matter the size or layout of your bathroom, professional organizers agree that decluttering is the first step toward creating a more functional space. “An organized bathroom can set your morning off to a great start,” Jamie Hord, pro organizer and founder of Horderly, says. “By decluttering, streamlining what you have, and setting up a system where you know where to find everything, you can get out the door faster.”
Hagmeyer recommends doing a bathroom refresh every six months, which aligns with the average shelf life of many beauty and skincare products. That said, if your counters and cabinets start feeling overcrowded before then, it's a sign to declutter sooner. “If your bathroom starts to feel cluttered before then, take it as a sign to edit sooner next time,” she suggests.
To help you get started, we've rounded up five bathroom items that professional organizers recommend getting rid of right away—from worn-out towels to excess packaging—so you can create a space that's cleaner, calmer, and easier to use.
Expired Products
All the pros we talked to cited expired toiletries and beauty products as one of the biggest contributors to bathroom clutter, which means they’re some of the most impactful items you can purge. “Start by tossing expired medication, makeup, and skincare products to avoid irritation or ineffectiveness,” says Ryen Toft, an organizing expert and owner of Simply Luxe Organizing.
If there isn’t an expiration date listed on the packaging, there are plenty of guidelines you can follow online to ensure you’re not hanging onto past-due products. “This is also a good time to identify items you’ve recently purchased but didn’t like,” Hagmeyer suggests. “You have our full permission to say goodbye.” If you haven’t opened them and they have a while until they expire, you can even donate them to a local women's shelter.
Aged Linens
Bathroom linen closets and undercabinet storage areas are often pretty small, so hoarding a surplus of towels—especially ones that are musty, frayed, or stained—isn’t a great use of your space. Take the opportunity to toss any linens (including washcloths and hand towels) that are past their prime. Not only do they make your whole space feel dingy, but they also don’t work as well.
“Frayed or stained towels are less absorbent and hygienic,” Toft says. If you need another excuse to go shopping, consider the fact that new, matching towels might make it easier for you to stay organized. “Matching towels not only look cleaner folded together, but they’re often easier to store because they’re consistent in size,” Hagmeyer adds. “As far as your old towels, consider relocating them to a dedicated rag bin near your cleaning supplies.” You can also donate them to local animal shelters, which are always looking for linens.
Moldy Accessories
Bathrooms tend to be wet and humid, so it’s not super surprising to hear that certain items in them—like your bath mat or loofah—can be a breeding ground for mold and mildew.
“Audit items like shower liners, bath mats, loofahs, and cleaning tools like toilet brushes often,” Hord advises. “They can all harbor bacteria if not cleaned or replaced often.” While not all of these items necessarily need to be purged, it’s good to keep track of them during your clean-outs so you know when they’re due for a heavy-duty cleaning or replacement.
Excess Packaging
You may think you’re doing the right thing by keeping medicine and beauty products in their original boxy packaging (rectangles are easy to stack, after all), but doing so can add visual clutter to your vanity or linen closet, especially once they start to get a bit banged up.
Instead, “consider placing these items in a drawer insert or pouch for a more organized look,” Jenna Haefelin, professional organizer and owner of SPIFF, advises. “We prefer bamboo drawer inserts for drawers and a tiered metal drawer system under the sink to optimize vertical space. You can also add a basket nearby to store tall bottles or larger items.”
Samples and Mini Toiletries
We’ve all brought home tiny toiletries we never use. They’re hard to resist (especially when they’re free), but unless you travel frequently for work, chances are good that all they’ll ever do is clutter up your vanity.
“Storing excess travel toiletries is pretty common, but they can take up a lot of space, and your collection probably includes products you don’t even love,” Hagmeyer says. “Make an effort to store only those you can reasonably go through in the next year or so, and get rid of the rest. Even better, donate all of them to a local shelter and commit to refilling reusable travel containers before each trip.”
