Smart, easy bathroom decor hacks for all those products you have lying around

For a lot of us, the bathroom can be a major source of anxiety — and considering the fact that many of us start our days there every morning, that’s not a good thing. When you’re getting ready for your day, it feels so much better when your counter isn’t cluttered with all the makeup you’ve ever owned and your towels aren’t littering the floor — because it can be so overwhelming to stand at your bathroom door taking in the mess in front of you. However, it’s totally possible to get things under control with a few bathroom decor hacks, straight from the professionals.

HelloGiggles talked to a couple of decor and organizing experts about the best ways to whip your bathroom into shape, and fortunately, you actually can have a clean, organized, pretty bathroom, and it’s way easier than you think.

1. Clean everything out first

“Before you start rearranging, take everything out from under the sink and get rid of the items you no longer use,” Josie Floyd, the founder of Seattle- and Brooklyn-based home and life organizing service Superfine Home, told HelloGiggles. “Oftentimes this space is filled with long-forgotten, half-used toiletries that are taking up valuable space. Starting with a blank slate allows you to evaluate what you really use, and based on how often you use it, store accordingly.”

If you do this as your first step, you’ll probably find it a lot easier to finish cleaning and organizing your bathroom, and then you can get to the fun stuff, like decorating.

2. Stash your stuff in pretty containers

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Organizer and blogger Benita Larsson advised that you may see a boost in your bathroom just by swapping out products with ugly packaging for pretty containers, especially when it comes to the stuff that lives on your vanity and the products you use daily. For your shampoo, soap, and conditioner, she recommended MUJI’s pump bottles. And as for everything on top of your counter?

“Remove the plastic bags and use pretty containers instead,” Larsson told us. “I’ve bought little porcelain [cubes] at a flea market and use them for q-tips and cotton pads. I also use a simple porcelain cup for corralling makeup brushes, mascara, and such.”

3. Organize by category

Floyd mentioned that when you’re organizing, it’s helpful to store like items together — hairspray and dry shampoo go together, and so do all your hot tools. This way, you’ll be able to find exactly what you’re looking for when you’re in a rush in the morning, and everything will have a home, making it easier for your hard work to last.

4. Get rid of visible clutter

“Try to find the space for a cabinet or drawer unit in your bathroom,” Larsson said. “It hides all the visual clutter that tends to happen in a room with lots of products, like the bathroom. Store your extra toilet paper in a basket or stack in neatly on a shelf, having removed the plastic wrapping first. I always stick to plain white TP — actually I go for plain white on all things disposable, to keep visual clutter to a minimum.”

It makes sense: If you’re constantly looking at clutter in your bathroom, it’s going to stress you out — and it’s going to make it way easier to get disorganized all over again.

5. Get creative with how you use the available space

Floyd suggested making use of your vertical space by stacking your stuff in clear containers that are labeled, so you know exactly what’s inside. She also suggested trying to find ways to store things in unexpected spaces that you might not be making use of already.

“Add hooks or a caddy to store hair dryers and other hair tools on the inside of the cabinet door,” Floyd said. “The back of the door provides valuable, easy-to-access storage space, and is often overlooked.”

6. Use the same color and size towels for everything

This is a trick that many hotels use: When all of your towels are white, they’re easy to bleach when they get dirty, and keeping everything the same size makes storage a breeze.

“Pick a solid color for all towels in only a couple of sizes, a hand towel size and a bath towel size,” Larsson said. ‘That way they all fold the same and you’ll have two neat piles instead of the leaning tower of Pisa to deal with. Again, I like white because it’s easy to see when they need washing and they can be bleached if needed.”

7. Don’t be afraid to decorate

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You spend a significant amount of time in your bathroom, so Larsson recommended that you include a few decor touches to make it a space you actually enjoy.

“I love to add art and some greenery to finish things off, and it makes the bathroom feel more part of my home than a space to just wash and get clean,” she said.

Having a gorgeous, organized bathroom doesn’t have to be hard — and think of how rewarding it will be when you get to see the finished product. Happy cleaning, and don’t forget to Instagram your beautiful, organized countertop.