Tips for Organizing your Bathroom when you have a Partner

When you live with someone, whether your spouse or just a roommate, the lines between personal space and communal space start to blur.

Suddenly, you can’t just leave your toothbrush lying around on the countertop; you have to find a storage spot for it. And what about all of your makeup and hair products? If you’re not careful, your bathroom can quickly become cluttered and chaotic.

But don’t worry – these tips will help you organize your bathroom so that it’s both functional and beautiful.

Designate a cabinet, shelf, or drawer for personal items.

This is where your toothbrush should go. Label it so everyone knows to put their toothbrush in the same place after they’ve used it.

This is where you should keep your hairdryer, curling iron, straightener, and other beauty products. If you have a lot of things to fit in the cabinet, use trays to corral them so they don’t spill over the side.

If you have less, group them into categories (i.e., hair tools here, skincare there) and stack them on top of one another.

This will help you save some space so your cabinet isn’t too cramped.

Group items together.

You don’t want the medicine cabinet looking like a pharmacy, so it’s important to keep similar items together. You can organize your products by category or by room. For example, you might put all the hair products in the cabinet, with face and body wash on top of the toilet tank. Alternatively, you could put the hair products under the sink with skincare in an organizer box on top.

Instead of just leaving your makeup all over the bathroom countertop, group like items together in one place. This helps you save space and makes it much easier to find what you need.

Store extra items elsewhere.

If you have a lot of beauty products or accessories that won’t fit in the cabinet or drawer, consider storing them in another place. For example, you might put your curling iron in a filing organizer on top of the toilet tank. Or, if it’s not practical to keep things there (i.e., someone always needs to use the tank), you could store them under the sink or in an organizer bin on a shelf.

If you have a lot of hair accessories, consider putting them in a small drawer or storage box that will fit discreetly behind the door. Your partner won’t be able to open it unless they need something inside, and it will keep everything stored together so you don’t have to search the whole bathroom for that one hair tie you can never find.

Make it pretty.

If you’re into makeup, chances are your bathroom counter is covered in products and accessories. To make everything look stylish, group items by color or pattern whenever possible. Put them on a tray if they’re small enough to fit together or on a serving platter if they’re larger. You could even use a shallow bowl as a catch-all spot for small items that don’t have their own homes yet.

This is also where you can show off your style by decorating with fun accessories. Put some photos in an old picture frame and hang them on the wall, or put up a corkboard so you can post notes and pictures. Get creative with what you have to make it feel like your personal space.

Make it functional.

In addition to being pretty, your bathroom should be functional. Use trays and holders for items you regularly need so they’re easy to find and put away. Group items by function (i.e., one tray for things you use before you leave the house, another tray with products and tools you need after showering), and stack them within reach so they don’t take up too much space or get lost in a cluttered cabinet or drawer.

Don’t forget about the areas you might not notice every day, like the space between your shower curtain and tub or around the sink. Use small boxes to store cotton swabs, Q-tips, shampoo bottles (or other items that can’t fit in a drawer or cabinet), toothpaste tubes, spare bars of soap, etc. If you don’t want them out in the open, put a lid on the box to keep them contained.

Organize your bathroom items so they’re easy to see and access, and you won’t have a hard time getting ready every day. As long as everything has a place where it can be stored carefully but quickly found when needed, you’ll be able to save time.

If there is enough space, consider adding a shelf or cabinet to store extra towels or toilet paper.

Otherwise, use clear bins to store extra toilet paper, towels, and cleaning supplies (and label them so you know what’s inside). If your bathroom cabinets are old or small, consider replacing them. It can be expensive to redo an entire bathroom just for storage purposes, but it will make a huge difference.

If you want more storage space but can’t afford to renovate, you can choose a storage solution that complements the existing cabinets. For example, if they have glass doors, go with clear shower caddies or wire baskets. If they don’t have doors and are simple wood cabinets, try using open shelves with trays or decorative crates on top.

Get rid of excess products and makeup that you don’t use.

If your bathroom is constantly cluttered, you won’t have space to store anything else in there. It might seem overwhelming at first, but it will be worth it in the end when everything has a designated place.

If you don’t want to get rid of any products, choose multipurpose ones so you can make them work for multiple areas in your bathroom. For example, a facial toner can also be used as an aftershave for men or to remove makeup stains from towels.

Having everything you need at arm’s reach will make getting ready easier, but it won’t work if you don’t have the space to store items. Use these simple suggestions to increase your storage and give your bathroom a fresh, updated look.

Add some lighting.

To make it easier to get ready every morning, add as much light as possible to your bathroom. Installing additional overhead lights can feel like an overwhelming process, but it’s easier than you think.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive project, either. Start by replacing the bulbs in your bathroom with energy-efficient ones that will save you money on your electric bill each month. If they provide enough light, great! If not, move on to other options.

Install motion sensors so lights come on automatically when you enter the room. If your bathroom is on an exterior wall, add skylights so natural light fills the space. Create extra light by adding mirrored surfaces to walls or cabinets.

You can also create a stunning focal point that draws attention upward with cascading square tiles, mosaic tiles, or geometric accents that extend across the ceiling and down the walls.

Come up with a routine for cleaning the bathroom.

It’s not very fun to clean, but it has to be done. Instead of waiting until the bathroom is covered in gunk and grime before you do anything about it, create a cleaning schedule.

Don’t forget the areas that are easy to neglect, like around taps or under cabinet hinges. You might not be able to clean these every time, but make sure they get attention at least once a week.

If you can’t commit to doing full bathroom cleans yourself, consider hiring a professional company to come in every few weeks. If you choose this option, try to find out how often they recommend deep cleans to incorporate them into your schedule.

Hang a mirror so that both of you can get ready simultaneously.

It’s not very manly to admit that shaving or putting on makeup takes time, but it does. Instead of wasting that precious morning time waiting for your significant other to get ready, hang a full-length mirror in the bathroom so you can help each other out.

Trust me; you’ll thank me later when you have more time. It seems simple, but placing a mirror on the other side of the bathroom will save time and energy each morning.

Hang it from a command hook against a wall or above the sink if you have limited storage space. Before doing this, though, make sure your walls are extremely smooth, or else they will ruin the surface of your mirror.

Conclusion.

What do you think? Have we given you some ideas on how to get your bathroom organized and ready for company? The best part is that the solutions are inexpensive, easy, and relatively quick. If this post has helped give you a few new ways of organizing your home, or if it inspired you to try out something new, please share it with us in the comments below! We would love to hear from our readers so we can continue providing helpful information like this for future blog posts.