How to Create a Minimalist Bathroom with These Simple Steps

For the longest time, I had NO idea how to create a minimalist bathroom.

Curling irons, hair straighteners, unused hair products, multiple lotion bottles, half-empty toothpaste tubes, etc.  Does this represent a possible inventory of your bathroom counter? 

Let’s not even talk about what may be hiding under the bathroom sink!

You can create a not-fancy minimalist bathroom

Achieving a minimalist bathroom that is free of clutter and yet still suits all your needs for getting ready every day is possible. 

It doesn’t mean white walls, white bath towels, and no make-up. 

A minimalist bathroom can simply mean creating yourself a bathroom retreat.  Think of a spa. 

Your minimalist bathroom can be a place where enjoy going every morning to get ready and yet, you don’t have to deal with messy chaos before your day has really even started.

Related Post: Minimalism for Normal People

Declutter your bathroom first

Getting rid of the clutter in your bathroom is probably the easiest decluttering task you can take on. 

Why?

Well, because other than the financial guilt of buying things you didn’t really need, there is little sentimental attachment to bathroom items.  They are quite easy to throw out or give away, as appropriate.

If you want to experiment with minimalism, learning how to create a minimalist bathroom is one of the best places to start.

It is often your own clutter, so chances are you won’t be aggravating others in your household with your big purge efforts.

Related Post: 11 Simple Tasks to Ease Into Decluttering

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Easy steps to create a minimalist bathroom:

Purge and declutter!

The first step to create a minimalist bathroom is to get down under the sink with a trash bag and start throwing away things that are well past their time!

There will be a moment of financial guilt, but ask yourself why you haven’t used an item in so long.

• Is it because it was hidden and you forgot about it?
• Is it because you never really liked it? 
• Do you have some sort of guilt attached to the item?
• Was the item used for a prior style you liked?
• Was the item for a special occasion?
• Will you use the item again?

Learn from decluttering!

Chances are when cleaning out from under the bathroom sink, you are going to throw a lot of stuff away. That’s OK.

You may have guilt attached to some items, or you may be sick over the environmental impact your purging will have on the earth.

Learn from your purchasing habits and try to prevent it from happening in the future.  You can’t change the past.

I still experiment with different products.  However, if I open something and don’t like it, rather than throw it under my bathroom sink, I find it a new home. 

There is almost always a friend or family member that will take an unwanted item and actually use it! If not, I accept its fate.

The more and more I decluttered, the more comfortable I’ve gotten with the items I love, and I stopped buying items that rarely get used or wasted.

Or try a no shopping challenge!

Minimalist bathroom cabinet solutions

One of the keys to achieving a clean, sleek bathroom is to have a minimalist bathroom cabinet solution. No more junk and random things stored there!

This is the messy first step, but it is worth it.

Pull everything out from under the sink.  I know. Painful.

This is the only way you will truly ever know what is in there!

Once it is all out, wipe down the inside of the cabinet.  Then, install some pretty shelf contact paper. 

I don’t know why, but installing pretty contact paper always makes me feel so accomplished.  No one ever sees the shelf paper but for less than $10 you can completely transform an ugly bathroom cabinet!

Minimalist bathroom storage

The ultimate goal when learning how to create a minimalist bathroom is to get everything off the counter and put it out of sight. 

Clearing your bathroom counters will make your bathroom feel cleaner, even if it has been a while since you given the counters a nice wipe down! It also makes the space feel calmer and more open every time you enter the room.

Medicine cabinet

After having kids, I wanted the medicine to be somewhere safer than in the accessible medicine cabinet or under the sink. 

Get yourself a clear storage container and put all your medicines you don’t use every day in there.  You can store them on the top shelf of a closet, where little ones can’t reach. 

Moving your medications to a safer location will also open up a ton of space needed for everyday use in your now minimalist bathroom.

Cleaning supplies

Cleaning supplies are another set of items that do not have to be stored in the bathroom if you want a more minimalist bathroom space. 

Moving the cleaning supplies was another revelation I had after kids.  I didn’t want bathroom cleaning products to be within reach, so I started putting them all together on a higher shelf in the laundry room or linen closet. 

Moving the cleaning supplies to a new location helped create a lot more space under my bathroom sinks. 

If you clean your bathroom daily (I’m impressed), then consider one spray bottle with an all-natural, homemade cleaning solution.  This way it is more multi-purposeful, safe around kids, and takes up a lot less space.

If you don’t clean your bathroom everyday (like me), then try this daily cleaning schedule that actually works!

Make a “Get-Ready” basket

I have what my kids have named “the get-ready basket”.  It is a medium-sized plastic y-weave basket that stores my essential items for getting ready every day.

It’s more practical than pretty, but I love it. If it gets dirty, a quick wipe down takes care of it.

My “Get Ready Basket” includes:

• Daily makeup
• My comb
• Hair product
• A handful of daily contacts
• A few ponytail holders. 

I like to keep my flat iron next to my basket. I keep it stored in a special flat iron case that can tolerate a hot flat iron. It is my favorite for travel too!

Your system may look different, but create a system that works for you.

Minimalist bathroom organization ideas

If you don’t have drawers in your minimalist bathroom, then you can use other storage solutions for all those “extras”. 

Think outside of the bathroom

We have a clear plastic shoebox that fits nicely on a closet shelf.  It holds all the extra toiletries we find on a good deal that we used to store in the bathroom.

I store extra floss, toothpaste, razor blades, etc in this box.  All these loose items can create chaos in your minimalist bathroom, so it keeps everything tidy and bundled together in one small box.

Minimalist bathroom toilet paper storage

For toilet paper, I prefer storage methods that make it easy to grab an extra roll without having to go under the sink. 

I always feel like when I’m a guest somewhere that I’m violating someone’s privacy when I have to look for toilet paper in their bathroom cabinets. Make it easy!   

My favorite toilet paper solution is a decorative basket that holds a couple of extra rolls or a back of the toilet basket that can hold a single roll, so one is always ready. 

The trick is to pick a storage solution that fits your bathroom size and doesn’t create more clutter.

Clear the countertops for a minimalist bathroom vanity

A minimalist bathroom vanity should be nearly empty on the countertop.  That is the ultimate goal!

This means getting rid of all your hair products, make-up, and toothbrush. You want to keep only the essentials on the bathroom counter.

Essential items to keep on the bathroom counter may be:

• Soap
• A hand towel
• Lotion
• One or two decorative items (depending on the size of your bathroom vanity)

You can put your toothbrush and toothbrush holder in a spot under the sink. If your toothbrush stands on its own, you can simply stand it up under the sink.  This helps keep nasty germs from spreading to your toothbrush too!

I also stopped storing my flat iron and other common items on the bathroom counters. 

Some of my favorite under sink storage solutions are:

• A flat iron case
• A style station for a hairdryer, curling iron, and flat iron
• Clear, cosmetic storage organizer

Even when I’m in a hurry, I try really hard to clear the countertops in the bathroom.  Coming home from a long day to a clean bathroom helps with that overwhelming feeling you get when the house needs cleaning!

Minimalist bathroom decor

In order to achieve a minimalist bathroom, keep your decorative items limited.  Maybe one or two wall hangings and one or two decorative items on the counter or shelf. 

Minimalist bathroom decor all depends on your bathroom size and decor tastes.  Less is more in a bathroom!

Use decorative items to store things that can’t be hidden completely.  For example, invest in a nice soap dispenser and refill it with bulk soap. 

You can also purchase decorative baskets or containers for other random items that need a home. The trick is to keep the small bathroom essentials hidden and appealing.

Small minimalist bathrooms

If you have a small or even tiny bathroom, you can still have a minimalist bathroom space. 

In fact, this is probably an example where embracing minimalist principles is the most important for your sanity! 

Purge, purge, purge. 

If something can be stored outside of the bathroom, then find a new home for it. 

You can also use your wall space for storage.  You can buy a cabinet or shelf that hangs on the wall and use decorative baskets and containers for holding certain items that fit nowhere else.

Create your minimalist bathroom

A minimalist bathroom is within reach and fairly easy to achieve in a day or a weekend. 

Be honest with yourself about what you use on a regular basis and get rid of anything that adds to the clutter. 

A bathroom should not cause clutter-overwhelm, and in a few easy steps, you can get the minimalist bathroom retreat you have always dreamed about having in your home.

Related post: How to Manage Bathroom Counter Clutter

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Day 3: Happy Clutter-Free Home Series

This post is part of the Happy Clutter-Free Home series.  You can achieve a decluttered home once and for all. 

You don’t have to settle for cleaning all day, stress, and general clutter overwhelm.  Don’t let clutter make it feel impossible. 

If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out the previous post in the series, The Flat Surface Clutter Rule – How to Clear Clutter from Flat Surfaces in Your Home.

In the next post, we tackle the bedroom with How to Create a Minimalist Bedroom (That’s Not Boring) in 10 Easy Steps.

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