We recently worked with a client to whip her master bathroom closet from semi-organized chaos into a functional, fully organized space. Your bathroom is one of the first places you spend time in the morning, so it should be one of the most restful, calming spaces you own. Waking up to disorganized chaos is not a good way to start the day! Imagine the peace you would feel walking into an organized bathroom each morning.

Here are the before & after of the space we organized (we also touched on the vanity and another related area or two):

Pull Everything Out

The first thing we did was pull everything out of the closet. We took it to the dining room table, so we would have room to sort the items. As we pulled items out of the closet, we tried to pre-sort them onto the table as much as possible – placing like items with like. For example, as we saw first aid items, we placed them in the same general vicinity on the table.

Gather All Items

Next, we gathered items from other areas of the master bedroom and closet that belonged in the master bathroom closet. These included items like extra sheets, extra bottles of hand soap, first aid kits and more. It is important that you get a good idea of how many items you have and what they are before you start making decisions.

Completely (almost!) emptying the closet gave us a blank slate to work with. It’s easier to envision an organized space when it’s empty than when it’s cluttered.

Start Sorting

We started sorting and making decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of! The first thing to go was expired medicine – Yikes! The client had no idea she had so many different expired medications. Set aside a few minutes every couple of months to go through your over the counter and prescription medicines. Make sure you dispose of them properly – crush pills and mix into coffee grounds or cat litter. This discourages thieves and meth manufacturers from recycling your medicine for you.

Make Decisions

We continued sorting and making decisions about where to place items. After emptying the closet, the client realized that the toilet paper had been in a terrible place. Often, her kids would need extra rolls for their bathroom and it required an adult’s help to get it down from the top shelf. The organizing principle of keeping lightweight items on the top shelf was trumped by the need to have the TP accessible to all members of the family. There was plenty of room on the floor behind the hamper, so we moved the toilet paper to the floor.

We also made the decision to move a few items out of the master bathroom closet. There are drawers in the bedroom that can hold the extra master sheets. The client decided to get rid of several old sets of sheets that were worn out and will be donating those to the animal shelter. There were also some sheets for the guest bed and guest towels stored in the closet that we decided to put into a container and store in a different closet.

Rearrange

We decided to do a little rearranging of the vanity drawers at the same time. There were some items that did not get used very often taking up space in the conveniently located drawers. And, the hairdryer/straightener/curling iron that got used daily were stashed in the closet. This meant a few extra steps and hassle every single morning. So, we took the hardly used vanity items and moved them into the closet, making room for hair care in the bottom drawer.

Purge, Purge, Purge

We purged some broken and hardly used items from the middle vanity drawer, throwing out the broken items. We sorted the hardly used items with the rest of the closet storage, freeing up space in the drawer for the essential everyday items.

Prioritize Items

We placed hardly used, large medical equipment on the top shelf, along with a cache of extra Kleenex boxes. As we sorted the remaining items, we utilized open top containers for tall bottles and items that would spill if tipped over. This specific container can be purchased from Dollar General.

Categorize Into Clear Containers

We sorted small items into specific categories and placed them into clear shoebox containers from the Container Store. They are most economical when you purchase an entire case. We used approximately 16 shoe boxes for this project and I know the other 4 will be utilized elsewhere in her home.

Label and  Put Back

When we finished, we stacked the shoe boxes in the closet with the most frequently used items at the top of each stack. We separated the husband’s belongings from the rest, so he could easily find them. Categories created included: Extra Deodorant, Tooth Care, Hair Care, Medicine, Extra Makeup, Travel Sized, First Aid, Soap, Sunscreen, Bug Spray, Nail Care, etc. Labels are extremely important, because they define the items within a space. The label should be specific enough to help you decide what container something belongs in, but not so specific that it creates homeless items.

We ended up with a beautiful, functional space where every family member can quickly find the supplies they need! Plus, our client has everything she needs within arm’s reach to get ready in the morning.

Do you have other ideas about how to organize a bathroom closet? We’d love to hear them!