Bathroom clutter

Q: Help! My bathroom is a cluttered mess. Too many products and not enough space for them all. I am especially unhappy with the way the top of the toilet looks with stuff all over it. Can you offer any suggestions?

A: Yes, I can! I have mentioned bathrooms before and how I deal with them as both a private and a public space - as in a one bathroom home (see 12/15/07 post under home living + staging). It is important that you be comfortable in your own bathroom, but equally important that your guests feel comfortable there. So, I'll break this question down and deal with it in separate posts. First let's tackle the top of the toilet.




Personally, I've never been a fan of using the top of the toilet for storage. However, I've come to terms with it in my own bathroom. Depending on the type of lid you have on the toilet, you may or may not be able to use it - some lids are not flat or they have the flushing button in the middle of the them. If you can use your lid, then I highly recommend using an attractive tray or basket to contain all the items and products that must live there.

In addition, I try and use only products with attractive bottles and labels whenever I possibly can. You could also transfer products into attractive bottles, pump or spray containers purchased from Bed, Bath and Beyond or The Container Store. Just be sure to put a label on the bottle so everyone knows what's inside.