The Best Room In Your House To Declutter When You Don't Know Where To Start

For many people, it's all too easy for decluttering to get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list indefinitely. So when you get bit by the decluttering bug, sometimes it's best to just get started right away before you lose the motivation. Which begs the question: Where do you begin? If you don't know where to start, consider the room where you start and end every single day: your bathroom.

The bathroom is the perfect room to start with because there are plenty of items to declutter in a bathroom, yet it's less overwhelming than larger rooms that may contain sentimental, expensive, or just overall more items. It's easy to decide what to throw away in a bathroom since you can go by expiration dates and the condition of the item. Many bathroom items are also inexpensive, so it's not as big of a deal if you change your mind later and need to re-purchase something. It's also an important place in your home to keep organized. Clutter can contribute to stress and affect your mental health, and that especially matters when it's a room that you spend time in every day.

The first step to declutter your bathroom is to take everything out so you can see it all at once. That means emptying medicine cabinets, under-sink storage, towel racks, and any other storage areas in your bathroom. Then sort everything into categories. For example, you can sort by frequency of use or by item type.

The next step is to purge things that you have duplicates of, rarely use, or just don't enjoy. Get rid of items that are expired or damaged, like broken eyeshadows or old medication. To find the expiration date on a cosmetic item, look for a drawing of an open jar with a number and the letter M inside of it. For example, 6M means it lasts for six months after opening. Some items can be repurposed, like turning old towels into cleaning rags, but others need to go to the trash.

Lastly, it's time to find a home for each category of item. Place your most frequently used staples in the easiest-to-access spots, such as shelves at eye level. Consider moving rarely-used items like extra towels or medicines out of the bathroom altogether and into a closet or cabinet elsewhere. Get creative and add storage solutions to free up bathroom countertop space and help you stay organized long-term, such as shelf organizers, drawer dividers, hooks, and baskets. If you truly have no place to store something, think twice about keeping it.