The Life-Changing Magic of Organization by Marie Kondo- Bathroom Organization

According to Marie Kondo, "There is no need to keep soaps and shampoos out when we are not using them, and the added exposure to heat and moisture when they aren't in use is bound to affect their quality. It is therefore my policy to keep everything out of the bath or shower" (Kondo 158). I thought of this while relaxing in my room, and noticed all the excess or empty conditioner bottles and shower gels I had in my shower. I threw them away, or moved them to different places. Then, I remembered another important tip Kondo used herself. "People often ask me what I recommend... the most common item I use is an empty shoebox" (Kondo 147). In what other simple ways could I both rid myself of unused items, or rearrange the items in my bathroom? I used Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic Of Organization, to be most exact in my method.


I took an old shoebox and filled it with Kleenex packages. I store  Kleenex in a drawer in my bathroom. The Kleenex drawer was filled with wrappers from the packages, as well as packages that had opened on their own. I tidied all of this up- I felt as if my bathroom looked better already. Even though I couldn't see the box of Kleenex packages, I knew that they were organized well. According to Kondo, your home feels more organized with simple tools of organization, even when the items are out of sight. "...if I divided my things into three levels according to frequency of use or according to season- I am sure that many more items would be left to rot in the darkness. Therefore, it makes sense to keep storage as simple as possible" (Kondo 137). This tip was vital in the organization of my bathroom. I have three drawers and 1/2 of the counter space, as does my brother. This somewhat limited area meant I had to maximize space as much as possible.


For the rest of my bathroom, I followed the same steps. However, I added one qualifier- "to take each item in one's hand and ask- "Does this spark joy?" If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it" (Kondo 41). With this method, I reduced my headbands by about 60%, bracelets by about 75%,  hair ties by about 80%, earrings by 66%, and bows by 75%. The space created by the reduction of clutter made the room feel more open, even though the items took up very little space. The one category of items I struggled to part with, interestingly enough, was lip balms/ chapsticks- I had so many different and interesting flavors; it was hard to choose which to keep and which to throw away.


One surprise I encountered was that I unknowingly followed one of her tips for organizing things by size, but in a way that was different than her intention. Kondo says, "Arrange your clothes so that they rise to the right. Take a moment to draw an arrow rising toward the right and another descending to the right... Did you notice that when you draw an arrow rising to the right it makes you feel lighter? Lines that slope up to the right make you feel more comfortable... To do so, hang heavy items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right" (Kondo 79). After organizing the top drawer of my bathroom, I realized I had unconsciously followed this principle- the boxes in the drawer ascended from largest to smallest, as if an arrow rising to the right had been drawn in the drawer. I realized that Kondo probably drew many of her tips from human instinct and what was most aesthetically appealing.

The image is sideways, but as you can tell, items flow from largest to smallest, going from left to right

Another struggle I faced was  in my second drawer, figuring out where to place my hair dryer and curling iron. I spent a good ten minutes trying to rearrange my second drawer in such a way that would fit the two items. The drawer already had a makeup set, extra makeup, makeup brushes, a toiletries case, and perfumes/shower gels inside, all organized to perfection, according to Kondo's tip about vertical organization. "Stacking is very hard on the things on the bottom. When things are piled on top of one another, the things underneath get squished" (Kondo 145). Instead of stacking these items on top of each other, I arranged them so that they appeared like books on a shelf in a library rather than a stack of books on a nightstand. Despite my efforts to fit in the hair dryer and curling iron, I simply couldn't make them fit. However, I remembered that there was plenty of space under the sink. I put the two items under the sink, as well as the toiletries case.


As for the top of my bathroom counter, I simply placed items according to category. I placed all face washes in a box, all makeup brushes in a box, all hair ties in a jar, all bobby pins in a box, and makeup I used daily in a jar. This system of organization took up much less space than having all items randomly arranged on the counter.

Finished bathroom counter! The reduction of clutter makes getting ready much easier

Overall, this was a great first major organizational experience, from which I had two major takeaways. One, that if you must invent a purpose for an item or a time you may use it, it is likely you will never use the items again. With this in mind, I threw away all but three chapsticks of the original ten. Another takeaway was the sense of pride and happiness the clean, open space gave me. I was extremely proud of how much I had gotten rid of, and how much better it looked. I was also really happy with everything I had accomplished- I can be extremely sentimental, even with something as trivial as a chapstick. I had not expected to overcome such personal barriers in something as simple as organizing my bathroom. I knew I would use these takeaways in my next organizational project- my bedroom.