Declutter Your Bathroom: The 15-Minute Purge (Because You Don't Need 8 Half-Empty Shampoo Bottles)

Let’s be honest—your bathroom may be small, but it’s a black hole of clutter. Somehow, this tiny space becomes a chaotic combo of half-used products, expired meds, tangled hair tools, and enough hotel toiletries to open a boutique. Don’t worry, you’re not gross. You’re just human (and maybe a little shampoo-ambitious).

But here’s the kicker: if you give me just 15 minutes, I’ll help you transform that chaos into calm. Ready to ditch the crusty razors and reclaim your sink? Let’s go.

Step 1: The Counter Clear-Off (3 minutes)

Look at your bathroom counter. That toothpaste from 2022? Gone. The perfume you hate but still spritz “just to use it up”? Also gone. You’re not doing anyone favors by keeping clutter in plain sight.

Toss or relocate:

• Old toothbrushes (even your “backup backup” one)
• Expired cosmetics and skincare
• Anything your current self no longer uses daily

You get one “daily essentials” tray or basket. If it doesn’t fit there, it doesn’t belong out.

Step 2: The Shower Situation (4 minutes)

Why do we do this to ourselves? No, you will not suddenly fall in love with that shampoo that made your hair smell like despair. If it’s drying you out, toss it. If you’ve got three nearly empty bottles of body wash “just in case”—consolidate or toss.

Your new rule: One of each:

• 1 shampoo
• 1 conditioner
• 1 body wash or soap
• 1 loofah or sponge (that isn’t fraying into oblivion)

Keep your shower lineup simple. Like your dating life should be.

Step 3: Under-Sink Madness (5 minutes)

Let’s talk about the Bermuda Triangle under your sink. That’s where hair gels go to die, and cotton balls go to reproduce, apparently.

Start by pulling everything out. Yes, everything.

Immediately toss:

• Expired meds (dispose of them properly please—no flushing! Your goldfish shouldn’t suffer)
• Empty beauty containers you’ve been “meaning to refill”
• Random freebies you’ll never use (hotel lotions, mystery samples, crusty bath bombs from 2009)

Then sort what’s left into practical categories like:

• Cleaning supplies
• Hair tools & products
• Toiletries stockpile

Use bins or baskets to keep it all tidy. Preferably labeled—and not with Sharpie on masking tape like you’re in a true crime documentary.

Step 4: Medicine Cabinet Reality Check (3 minutes)

Brace yourself: your nasal spray collection isn’t a pharmacy. No one needs five expired antihistamines and eye drops from that camping trip in 2016.

Out it goes:

• Anything expired
• Duplicates (how many cold meds do you expect to take at once?)
• Products you didn’t even KNOW you had

Restock mindfully. You only need essentials:

• Pain reliever
• Allergy med
• Thermometer
• Bandages
• That one cream you actually use, not its three cousins

Curate it like your own tiny, responsible apothecary.

Bonus Round: Towel Tyranny

How many towels do you actually use? If you’re not running a guesthouse, you don’t need 27 mismatched ones in hues from every decade since 1974.

Keep:

• 2 towels per person (max 3 if you’re fancy)
• 1-2 hand towels per bathroom
• 2 washcloths per person if you use them

The rest? Donate if still usable. If shredded or stained, cut into cleaning rags and say goodbye.

Want more eco-friendly household hacks? Check out Greener Clean: DIY Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products for Every Room.

Secret Stash You Forgot About?

Let’s talk about that ratty makeup bag under the sink and the 17 bobby pins living inside your drain cover. (Don’t lie. They’re there.)

Create a small drawer organizer with:

• Daily makeup
• Hair ties/clips (not 203 of them)
• Nail care basics—no, you can’t justify five crusty topcoats, sorry

Keep it accessible, not overwhelming. Need help trimming down your beauty products to just the essentials? Start with a digital declutter and work your way to your skincare next.

Not Sure About That One Weird Product?

If it smells weird, toss it.
If you forgot you even had it, toss it.
If it requires you to Google “how to use this again” every time… you guessed it.

Your New Bathroom Vibe: Simplicity Meets Sanity

You just shed 40 pounds of clutter (mostly in expired shampoo bottles and shame). But now guess what? You can find your tweezers. You can actually wipe your counters. You may even want to clean, just to show off the space.

Want to keep the tidy going? Try this next: Declutter Like a Pro: The 20-Minute Whole-House Speed Sweep. Warning: it’s addictive.

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Ready for a Challenge?

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Seriously.
Try everything above and come back a new person (or at least one who doesn’t trip over a curling iron every morning).

Then head over to our Instagram and tell us your weirdest bathroom find. I’ll go first: I found a bath bomb shaped like a donut that actually had a bite out of it.

We’re all in this messy, sudsy, slightly crusty boat together.

Now go purge with power. 🧽