Look, I’m not gonna lie – my bathroom used to be a disaster zone. I’m talking about every surface covered with stuff, drawers stuffed with expired makeup I’d bought on impulse three years ago, and enough hair products under the sink to stock a salon. After the divorce when we moved to our tiny apartment, I had exactly 900 square feet to work with and honestly? The bathroom was making me lose my mind every single morning.
You know how some people talk about their “zen space” and you roll your eyes a little? Well, turns out they might be onto something. When I finally tackled our bathroom situation out of pure desperation, it changed everything about how we start and end our days. And trust me, when you’re a single mom trying to get two kids ready for school while also getting yourself together for work, every minute counts.
The whole thing started because Emma couldn’t find her toothbrush one morning. Again. I opened the medicine cabinet and about fifteen tubes of various creams fell into the sink, along with Lucas’s retainer case and some random cough drops from who knows when. I just stood there for a second thinking, “This is ridiculous.” We were living in chaos, and I was the only one who could fix it.
So that weekend, I did something I’d never done before – I completely emptied everything. Every drawer, every cabinet, every corner where things had been shoved. The kids thought I’d lost it when they saw me sitting on the bathroom floor surrounded by piles of stuff. “Mom, what are you doing?” Lucas asked, and honestly I wasn’t totally sure myself at that point.
But once I started sorting through everything, it became crystal clear how much we didn’t need. Three half-empty bottles of the same shampoo because I kept forgetting we already had some. Makeup that had probably gone bad before we even moved. Those little hotel toiletries that seem cute but you never actually use. The kids had their own collection of bath toys they’d outgrown and hair accessories that never stayed in anyway.
I made three piles – keep, donate, and trash. The trash pile got really big, really fast. The donate pile was smaller but still substantial. The keep pile? Way smaller than I expected, which was actually exciting instead of depressing. Turns out we really didn’t need that much stuff to function.
The hardest part was letting go of things I felt guilty about. Like this expensive face cream my sister gave me for Christmas that I’d used exactly twice because it smelled weird. Or the curling iron I’d bought thinking I’d suddenly become someone who styles her hair every day (spoiler alert: I am not that person). But keeping stuff out of guilt was taking up space we desperately needed.
Once I had everything pared down, I had to figure out how to organize what was left. Our bathroom is pretty standard – small medicine cabinet, one drawer under the sink, and a tiny linen closet. Not exactly a lot to work with. But I realized that was actually perfect because it forced me to be really intentional about what earned a spot.
I bought some simple drawer dividers from the dollar store – nothing fancy, just basic plastic ones that could be configured different ways. Suddenly everything had its own space. Toothbrushes, hair ties, the kids’ vitamins, my mascara. No more digging around looking for stuff, no more things falling out when you opened a drawer.
The medicine cabinet got the same treatment. I put a small basket on each shelf to contain things, so when Emma needs a Band-Aid she’s not moving six other things to find them. Everything is right there, easy to see, easy to grab. Game changer for busy mornings when we’re already running late.
Under the sink was trickier because of the plumbing, but I found these stackable bins that fit around the pipes perfectly. Cleaning supplies in one, extra toiletries in another, first aid stuff in the third. The kids can actually reach what they need without creating an avalanche of stuff.
What really surprised me was how much this affected our daily routine. Mornings used to be this frantic scramble where someone was always looking for something. Now? Everything flows. The kids know where their stuff is, I know where mine is, and nobody’s stressed about not being able to find what they need.
But the best part is how it feels when I walk in there. It’s… peaceful? I know that sounds dramatic, but there’s something about having clear counters and organized spaces that just makes you breathe easier. It doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore. It feels manageable.
The kids adapted to this way faster than I thought they would. Emma was initially upset about getting rid of some of her bath toys, but once she realized she could actually find the ones she wanted to play with, she was fine. Lucas barely noticed except to comment that it was easier to brush his teeth when he didn’t have to move a bunch of other stuff first.
I also learned you don’t need fancy storage solutions to make this work. Those expensive organizers you see in magazines are nice, but basic bins and dividers do the job just fine. The key is having designated spots for everything, not having Pinterest-perfect containers.
Keeping it minimal means cleaning is actually doable now. I can wipe down the counters in about thirty seconds because there’s nothing on them. The kids can clean their areas too because it’s not overwhelming – just put things back where they belong. Before, “clean the bathroom” felt like this huge task. Now it’s just part of the routine.
The hardest ongoing challenge is keeping new stuff from creeping back in. My ex-mother-in-law loves buying the kids bath bombs and fancy shampoos, which is sweet but we just don’t have room for extras. I’ve had to learn to say “thank you so much, but we’re trying to keep things simple” and actually mean it instead of just accepting everything and dealing with the clutter later.
I’ve also had to resist my own impulses. Like when I see some new skincare product that promises to change my life – I make myself think about where it would actually go and whether I’d really use it regularly. Most of the time, the answer is no, and I walk away. That’s growth, right there.
Three years later, this system still works. The kids are older now and more responsible for their own stuff, but the basic principle remains the same – everything has a place, and we only keep what we actually use. It’s not about having the bare minimum, it’s about being thoughtful about what we choose to live with.
I think the biggest thing I learned from this whole process is that organizing your space is really about organizing your life. When the bathroom works better, mornings are less stressful. When mornings are less stressful, everyone starts the day in a better mood. It’s all connected, and sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.
Now when people ask me about keeping a bathroom organized with kids, I tell them it’s totally possible – you just have to be realistic about what you actually need and ruthless about what you don’t. Your space should work for you, not against you. And honestly, once you experience the calm of having everything in its place, you’ll never want to go back to the chaos.
Theresa’s a single mom in Denver who turned chaos into calm through minimalism. She writes candidly about raising kids with less stuff and more sanity—proof that simple living isn’t just possible, it’s necessary