As you scroll through Pinterest, staring in envy at beautiful, spa-like bathrooms, you might find yourself wondering: why can’t my bathroom look like that?
Often, the reason our bathrooms fail to live up to the social media dream is that they can be a magnet for clutter. From bottles of shampoo, shaving equipment, to rubber ducks, there’s plenty that can pile up in this pretty small space. So, how do you make your bathroom a clutter-free haven?
Here are some top tips from our expert designers…
Assign personal spaces
If you share a bathroom, either with your spouse or with the whole family, it helps to carve out personal spaces. Not only will this make it easier to stop clutter from bunching up in one corner, it can be an efficient way to pinpoint who in your household is the clutter monster (who can then be kindly shamed into better behaviour).
There are a couple of ways you might find space for personal storage. Giving each person their own shelf is a great option, however, you could also give each person a decorative tray or box to store their bits inside.
Keep bath toys within easy reach
If there’s one thing children don’t respect, it's organisation. Therefore, you want to do everything you can to keep them from undoing all your hard work.
One of the easiest ways to limit the damage of frantic little hands is to make sure the things they hunt for are within easy reach. Make sure you store bath toys at their level and ensure they don’t have to pull out and put back any heavy boxes. Not only will this stop them from interacting with bathroom items you’d rather they didn’t meddle with, but it also means you can make putting away toys part of their routine and instil good tidying habits.
Separate out everyday essentials
There’s a big difference between toothpaste and the fancy bath oil you treat yourself to every month. One needs to be used day in and day out, while the other one doesn’t. Therefore, it can be helpful to identify which items you need on a daily basis and which can be tidied away.
Everyday essentials should be kept front and centre, while you might assign a cupboard, shelf, or container for those less useful items.
Decant your liquids
Some items might be essential but that doesn’t mean they look nice. Whether it’s hand soap, shower gel, or hair care products, it can look unsightly to have so many different bottles lying around. But rather than locking them away in the cupboard, an easier solution would be to make them look a lot nicer.
Try transferring some of these liquids into stylish new bottles and you’ll be surprised at what a difference this can make.
Keep cleaning products close (but hidden)
Cleaning products are another one of those essential but ugly items. As we noted above, one solution for this would be to transfer them into nicer vessels. However, if you don’t want to fuss with moving bleach around, the next best thing is to find close-at-hand storage solutions.
Keep toilet cleaner in a basket by the loo; invest in a window cleaner which can be stuck onto the shower screen; store countertop wipes in a cupboard you keep nighttime essentials in, so you remember to do an end of day wipe down. Make a note of what you use and where and then get creative with keeping it out of sight.
Get creative with your shelving
Think outside the box when it comes to your shelving. After all, this a fairly inexpensive way to create storage and can be tailored to bathrooms both big and small. Here’s a couple of ideas to explore…
- Add shelves above the doorway for infrequently used items
- Repurpose a small bookcase or ladder if you want to avoid damaging the walls
- Use floating shelves above the toilet or other dead spaces
Make storage a design priority
If a couple of storage hacks aren’t going to cut it, then you might be considering a renovation. If this is the case, don’t miss out on a fantastic opportunity to have your bathroom work hard for you.
Either with an architect or bathroom designer, make sure your designs are incorporating storage into the space. This could be handy recesses inside the wall, cupboards tucked away out of sight, or large storage cabinets.
Not sure what bathroom design feels right for you? Take a look at our portfolio - not a bit of clutter in sight!
