Decluttering and organizing your home often begins in the bathroom, where items like hygiene products, makeup, and medication accumulate. However, not everything belongs in this space. Here are seven things you should avoid storing in the bathroom.
1. Medication: Professional organizer Brooke Hawkins suggests avoiding the medicine cabinet due to moisture and heat, which can turn your vitamins into ‘little science experiments.’ Instead, opt for a cool, dry cabinet. If you prefer keeping medication close to the bathroom, consider using an organizer or box in a nearby linen closet.
2. Cosmetics: Despite the convenience of storing cosmetics in the bathroom, the steam can degrade their quality. Hawkins advises keeping beauty essentials in a climate-controlled environment, similar to your skincare routine. If you must store makeup in the bathroom, keep it in a drawer or cabinet within a makeup case.
3. Paper Products: Books, magazines, and collectibles don’t fare well in moist environments. Hawkins recommends keeping such items in a dry, ventilated space to prevent damage like wrinkling or mildew.
4. Jewelry: Costume jewelry often finds its way onto bathroom counters, but Hawkins warns that moisture can tarnish these items. To avoid heartbreak, store your jewelry in a dry spot.
5. Batteries: Kris Hargrove, another professional organizer, cautions against storing batteries in the bathroom. Condensation from hot showers can cause rechargeable batteries to lose charge or become unusable due to corrosion.
6. Sentimental Items: Hargrove emphasizes that mementos and sentimental items should not be kept in the bathroom, as they can be damaged by moisture and other environmental factors.
7. Hygiene Products: While not explicitly mentioned, it’s worth noting that excess hygiene products can clutter the bathroom. Consider organizing them in a way that keeps the space tidy and functional.
Over time, wet conditions can cause pictures to stick together, paper to fade and shrivel, and mold to grow—ruining your most cherished treasures.
Extra Towels: While you obviously need to store some towels in your bathroom, you don’t need to store all of your extra towels there. The moisture can make them musty or even cause mold or mildew, depending on how humid your bathroom gets as well as the local climate.
At the very least, according to Hargrove, they can develop a musty smell, which isn’t exactly a refreshing way to dry off after the shower.
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