Professional Organizer Lists the Bathroom Items to Get Rid of as Soon as Possible Before They Cause Problems

Jane Clark

2 hours ago

Open your bathroom cabinet right now and you may find a graveyard: lipsticks from three years ago, a drawer of tiny hotel lotions, a nail polish in a color you wore back when you were twenty-two. If it feels like your bathroom is bursting at the seams, a professional organizer has a short, doable list to help.

A professional organizer who posts on TikTok as @lauren.spruced, walked through the bathroom as part of a room-by-room series and named six easy things to get rid of right away. Fewer items, she points out, make the room far easier to organize. Here is her list, with a few extra tips to make each one simple.

@lauren.spruced

1. Makeup opened more than a year ago

Her rule is plain: if a beauty or makeup product has been open for more than a year, it has bacteria and has seen better days. Out it goes. Mascara and liquid eyeliner are widely advised to be replaced much sooner, often within about three months, because they are used near the eyes. Write the date you opened a product on the bottom with a permanent marker, and you will never have to guess again.

2. The travel toiletry stockpile

Everybody has a basket of mini shampoos, little lotions and sample sizes. She says to keep one per category. You do not need six travel-size bottles of lotion. Keep a single small travel kit packed and ready, and let the extras go. Hotel toiletries you have not touched in years can be donated to a shelter, many of which gladly take unopened ones.

3. Makeup in the wrong shade

We have all been there. You buy a new concealer, take it home and realize it is not your color. You try it in winter, spring and summer, and it never looks right. She gives you permission to get rid of it. Hanging on to it will not make it match. If it is unopened and you have your receipt, check the store’s return policy. Otherwise, pass it to a friend whose coloring suits it.

4. Nail polish colors you have outgrown

The shades she wore at 22 are not the ones she wears almost twenty years later, and she says to let those go. Nail polish also thickens and separates over time. If it is gooey, clumpy or stringy, it is done. Keep the colors you actually reach for, and toss the rest. Because polish counts as hazardous household waste in many places, check your local trash and recycling guidelines instead of pouring it in the garbage.

5. Hair tool accessories you will never use

Nearly every blow dryer comes with a diffuser. If your hair is pin straight and you have never used yours, she says it can go. The same goes for the extra curling iron barrels, clips and attachments that came in the box. If the attachment fits the tool and you do not use it, it is just taking up room in the drawer.

6. Half-used products you have not touched in three months

You tried a new shampoo and conditioner, they left your hair greasy, and you tucked them under the sink thinking maybe they would work later. She says they will not change. If you have not used it in three months, it is time to say goodbye. If it is still mostly full, offer it to a friend or family member who might like it before you toss it.

How to get it done in 20 minutes

You do not need a free weekend for this. Here is a quick way to tackle the whole bathroom.

Grab a trash bag and a small box. The bag is for expired and unusable things, and the box is for items to give away.
Work one drawer or shelf at a time. Empty it completely onto the counter so you can see everything.
Check the dates. Look for expiration dates on sunscreen, medicine and cosmetics. Sunscreen and over-the-counter medicines have dates printed on the package, and expired ones should be disposed of properly. Many pharmacies have take-back programs for old medicine.
Wipe down the empty space before you put anything back.
Return only what you use. Put the daily items in front and the occasional ones in the back.
Take the donation box out the same day.

Organize after you purge

This is the order that works. Declutter first, then organize. Buy bins and trays only after you know how much you are keeping, because you may find you need far fewer than you thought. A small tray for daily skincare, a drawer divider for makeup and a basket for hair tools are often all it takes.

Her six categories are a good reminder that most bathroom clutter is not precious. It is leftover, outgrown or never used. A bathroom with only the things you use is easier to clean, quicker to get ready in, and a lot more pleasant to walk into in the morning.