GOING SIMPLE WEEK 1 :: Bathrooms

This week we are kicking off our Going Simple challenge!!! I’m going to lead you through exactly how I’ve simplified my own home.

We are talking decreasing the quantity of belongings by two thirds! …all while adding two more family members!

I’m a plucker by nature (meaning I’ve taken my fave tips from a lot of heavy hitter minimalists), so if you’ve been down the minimal road before, some things may sound familiar to you!

I so strongly encourage you do what works for you, if something I suggest doesn’t feel right, post about it in our private Facebook group, and you just might find a way that works better! Community is everything for me, so use our group as a sounding board. All of our minds work and process differently and I totally support that! 💚🙌🏻

Before you dive in, have you checked this post? How did we get into this mess? Understanding how we arrived at our homes current state is a really impactful way to get back to where we want to be!

Let’s tackle the bathrooms!

Bathrooms tend to be the easiest in the home to purge because it’s a lot of “old/expired/duplicate/etc” stuff. Also, smallest room, but one of the biggest results. We use our bathrooms EVERY DAY, multiple times a day. So why don’t we clear them out so they are fully functional, and ready to serve us best?!

Why Start in the Bathroom?

Having one of the first spaces you use each day reset and ready to work for you can be a game changer in how your days pan out. Let’s reset these spaces so your life can start to feel a bit more simple, first thing each morning. So let’s get started!

Empty your spaces.

• When purging a bathroom I recommend removing EVERYTHING from storage, and sorting through it all on a flat surface. Lay some towels out on the floor or your bed, and sort like items together (nail care, hair care, make up, medicines, etc.). If I didn’t empty every drawer out and categorize like this my first time through, I never would have realized we owned six nail clippers. 🤦🏻‍♀️
• Once your whole space is emptied, give the storage areas (drawers, cabinets, shelves, bins) a quick wipe down.

Next, sort through each category.

• Toss all expired, broken, items or items you no longer use.
• Choose the items you use every day. Return these items to easy-to-access storage areas (top vanity drawers, bins on easy to access shelving).
• Next choose your “sometimes” (maybe this is your curling iron, nail care + polish, etc.). Organize and store these items in the lesser convenient storage spaces (lower vanity drawers, higher shelves, etc).
• If applicable: Sort through and organize your medications, return to a cool dry location.

What to do with the leftovers.

This pile of leftovers was a HUGE eye opener for me. Make up I had purchased but never used, hair care that cost a fortune but I just couldn’t get to work with my hair type, headbands, barrettes and clips that had the best of intentions but I was just too busy to ever figure out how to wear. A lot of this pile was mistakes and wasted money.

But this pile was also a great lesson for me, while starting out the simplifying process in my home. It was like a pile of dollar bills sitting on the floor staring back at me.

And while it was a hard pill to swallow, it was a necessary one. Intentional spending clearly hadn’t been a skill set I had mastered yet. But it needed to become my new best friend.

In this moment, right here, is when we can realize our mistakes, own them, and choose to do better from here on out. We can choose to be intentional about our purchases, instead of impulsive.

Most, if not all of these items can be let go. Donate. Recycle. Toss.

Bathroom Tips

Here are some simple tips to keep your bathroom simple and clean.

Cleared Counters

One of the best things about minimizing my bathroom was that I no longer needed to store items on our countertop! By removing the excess from our bathroom storage spaces, I actually had PLENTY of space to store and organize the items I intentionally chose to keep.

Convenient Cleaning

We keep a small microfiber cleaning mitt hanging on a command hook in our bathroom vanity door. Each morning after we are all ready for the day, I splash a tiny bit of water on the vanity top, grab the cleaning mitt, and wipe the counter and faucet down.

Because there’s nothing to move around on my cleared countertop, this takes less than a minute to do, keeping our bathroom simple and clean!

I never could understand how people kept such clean bathrooms before. Now I know! THIS IS THE SECRET PEOPLE. Clear your countertops. It’s life changing.

Say good bye to fancy toothbrush holders.

We used to have the fancy bathroom toothbrush holders. One day I realized they were major germ catchers, and NOT convenient to clean. I tossed all our fancy holders and swapped them for mason jars. I can easily see through to the bottom of the jar now, so I know exactly when they need to be cleaned (fun fact, at LEAST once a week).

All I do is toss the old jar in the dishwasher and grab a fresh one from our kitchen cabinet. BOOM. Clean toothbrush holder!

Do you bath mat?

After the morning showers are done, I prefer to drape our bath mat (or a foot towel if you use one) over the side of the tub. Why? It dries faster, it makes for a quicker vacuum when needed and the bathroom appears larger.

Create a spot for back stock.

Lastly, group back stock items together. QTips that won’t fit in the jar, bonus bottles of conditioner or toothpaste, opened package of disposable razors. Take all those bulk bathroom back stock items and place them in one bin for easy reference and retrieval.

When you grab the last of that item, add it to your grocery list for the next week! This tip helps corral the extra “stuff” that gets in the way, and also curbs unnecessary spending.

Once you start functioning in your new and improved bathroom space, I truly hope you also realize the perks of being an intentional gatekeeper in your home!

xo

Amy