A Minimalist’s Guide to Bathroom Backstock

I get asked a lot about how to keep all of the bathroom clutter at bay. You’ve looked into minimalism and you’re interested, but yet the toiletries seem to multiply! I want to share 2 simple tips to simply your life and keep your bathroom tidy.

1. Minimize your toiletry items. Many times we see a new product that promises great things. We buy it, bring it home, start using it, all while forgetting about the half used bottle we were using before.
   
   I remember cleaning my bathroom cabinets out so many times years ago and it seemed that each time I would find so many half used bottles of product that I no longer really wanted to use. So your first step will be to decide if you want to use up these things or just discard them. Remember that many products in our bathroom do have a shelf life and will go bad after a long time, especially face creams and serums.
   
   Decide which items you use on a regular basis and let the rest go. Also look at your routine. Is it too complicated? I recently read an article that said eye creams really are no better than just using your regular moisturizer around your eye area. (I am no beautician or scientist, but I do know we do not need all of the products that advertisers put in our face each day.)
   
   Extra tip: I share a bathroom with my husband and we share shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. This makes it so simple! So if you share a bathroom with your spouse or kids, try to find a product that works for all of you.
   
   Now that you have decided what you actually need for your daily routine, let the rest go. Give those half bottles to someone who might be in need or enjoy them and toss the rest.

2. The next step is to make a list of these products to be sure you never run out. I’m not talking about stock piling 10 tubes of toothpaste. That is the opposite of what will declutter our bathrooms.
   
   I have a bin that is in the back part of my bathroom cabinet and I try to have at least 1 (2-3 at the most) of each product I regularly use as a back-stock item. I never want to run our of deodorant and not have one to grab.
   
   A store I often shop at for toliletries is Target. They often have sales on all their beauty products and I will check my list and be sure I’ve restocked this basket.

Having a minimal amount of toiletries makes it so easy to clean up my bathroom. My cabinet and drawers are not full at all. So each morning when I am finished getting ready I can easily put everything back and have a clear countertop. Keeping to this list also helps me to not make impulse purchases when I see those end cap advertisements.

Just in case you are wondering, here is the list of what I keep in my back stock basket:

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Body wash

• Deodorant

• Toothpaste

• Hairspray

• Hair gel

• Face cream

• Q-tips

• Razors

• Body lotion

• Hand soap

Your list might be different than mine, but it’s super important to make a list!

I hope these simple tips help you to declutter and minimize your bathroom and find more margin in your life.