Oh goody.  Valentine’s Day weekend is here, and nothing screams romantic like de-cluttering – especially when that decluttering happens to be in the bathroom.  I doubt I’ve got you rubbing your hands together with eager anticipation, right?  Yeah.  Right.

Not to worry.  There is actually something really sweet about de-cluttering your bathroom.  That lovely seduction is simple: the time involved.  Bathrooms are quicker to de-clutter than any other space in the house.  It’s not as hard to say goodbye to that shampoo that made your scalp itch as it is to part with your childhood teddybear collection.

So take 45 minutes this weekend to attack the bathroom and feel really good about it.

Here’s how:

1.  Plan your order of attack. I like to start with the easier places (like the vanity) and work my way toward the harder things.  It’s easy to decide what to keep/not keep in the vanity, so you start getting in the habit of pulling out items quickly.  By the time you get to the hard places (like the back of the closet), you’re already in de-cluttering mode.  Here’s how we do it in a typical American bathroom:  Start from the top of the bathroom and work your way down.  So if you have storage in your vanity, start there.  Plan on moving to open shelves next.  Then head under the sink, and finally into the closet.

2.  Pull out all of the items that you are not using. Don’t think about why you aren’t using them.  Just yank them from the shelves.  You’ll start seeing emptier shelves and drawers, which our eyes always seem more attracted to.  If you already know something is destined for the garbage can, toss it in.  Otherwise, just pile everything you aren’t using on the sink.  You can pull out everything from the entire room or do it a piece at a time.  I prefer a piece at a time – it keeps me from feeling overwhelmed by the growing pile on the sink.

3.  Pull out the items that are clearly ready to be thrown away.  Old products.  Expired products.  Half-used-never-plan-on-touching-again products.

4.  Set old medicines and medications aside. Take them to your pharmacy for proper disposal.

5.  Donate old glasses and unused contact lenses.

6.  Set out a basket or bag for unopened items that you’re not using. You have to be really strict about this one.  There’s no reason we need a dozen different hand lotions.  We don’t need ten travel toothpastes or toothbrushes.  Tip:  Get rid of every toiletry you will not use in the next month.

7.  Give away those unopened products to people who need them. I’ll share a secret with you.  It’s so much easier to get rid of items when you have a plan for where they can go.  I pick a local organization – the battered women’s shelter is my favorite choice. If I have a fancy soap that I’m hanging onto, I think of how happy it might make someone else.  Or I think of how much the woman could actually use the item.  I’ve almost pulled every item from our bathroom with them in mind.  Try it.

8.  Downsize the number of towels and sheets you have. When was the last time you actually used all the towels and sheets in your house?  Chances are, you have far more than you need.  We shared our tricks for surviving with a few towels and only two sheets.  Yes – two is plenty, and we have frequent overnight guests and no dryer.  (yes – we always supply clean sheets to visitors, too!)

9.  Check the shower. It seems crazy, but the shower seems to collect half-used items we’re no longer interested in using.  Check your shower’s collection, and don’t be afraid to ask everyone in your home exactly what they’re using so you can get rid of the unnecessary.

10.  Empty your makeup bag and de-clutter. What?  You thought I’d let this point pass since your makeup bag never made it onto the “to be considered” pile?  Ha!  I mean… sorry.  Get rid of old stuff.  Toss what you hate.  Donate what you’ve never used.  Keep what you love.

11.  Happily put things back on the shelf that you are certain you’ll use in the next month or next season. Go ahead and keep what you’ll use.  Just be sure it’s something you’ll actually use.  Don’t keep 4 old bottles of sunscreen if you buy new ones every year.

After you do a major de-cluttering session in your bathroom, it only takes 5-10 minutes to follow up every few months.

Do you have any tips for keeping clutter monsters out of your bathroom?  A scrub session?  Baskets?  Other tricks to share?  Our sleeves are rolled up.  We’re leaning in to hear you whisper your secrets.

If you keep cleaners in your bathroom, we’ve got you covered there, too.  Here’s a whole post on decluttering, donating, and disposing cleaners.  You’d be surprised by what you don’t need!

(Images courtesy of bhg)