Why Organizing Toiletries Is A Challenge & What To Do About It

Do you struggle with organizing your toiletries? You are not alone. This is an extremely common pain point for people, so we’re going to dive into it on this week’s edition of Organizing Tricky Items!

Common Pain Points with Organizing Toiletries

Back-Ups

Toiletries require back-ups. It’s no fun when you don’t realize that the deodorant is out until the last minute, so then you’re stuck without it and feel the need to run an urgent errand to replenish ASAP! A common way to avoid this is to stock up on your essential toiletries so that you always have a back-up. The problem with this approach is that these take up a lot of room, so then it’s difficult to store everything. And when you have so much stuff that it can’t be organized well, you will likely lose track of what you have and you don’t have, which leads to over-buying or missing out on the fact that you’re out of back-ups… And then you’ll end up right back where you started: urgently out of deodorant.

The key to finding the right balance between having back-up toiletries on hand while not over-buying is to have a clear SYSTEM. This is the system I use for organizing toiletries, and it’s been working for me for years:

My Basic System for Organizing Toiletries

1. Don’t store your back-up toiletries with the ones in current use. You don’t need to see the back-ups on the daily. Use your primary real estate (ex. top drawers) for the toiletries you use every day, and then store back-ups separately.
2. Use more space to store the primary items for daily use. Spread them out to make them easy to see and access. (If I were investing in beautiful containers, this is where I would spend my money. I’ve recently had my eye on these!)
3. Use less space to store the back-up items. They can go in the harder-to-reach location, and you can just pile them up in one or a few large containers. It matters less that these are beautiful or easy to work with because you don’t need to access them very often.
4. Only keep ONE back-up item for each primary item. If you keep a lot, the back-up category becomes way too unmanageable.
5. When you run out of your primary item, replace it with your back-up item, and immediately add the item to your cart or shopping list. This will ensure that you replenish the back-stock and have a back-up item the next time you run out.

You can really only get away with this system if you execute #4 and #5 well. But if you’re able to make this system a habit, it’s way easier to maintain your toiletries over time. And it won’t really matter what containers you use… Your organization will be maintained more by your system than by the products that you buy.

Buying in Bulk

But what if you love Costo and want to buy in bulk? That breaks the rule from step #4 of my system above. I would first say: consider the trade-off. How much money are you really saving by buying this item in bulk? And how much does it cost you to store the item? If you pay rent or a mortgage for your living space, then YES, you pay to store your stuff. Also, as I mentioned above, if having so much stuff causes you to forget what you have, you’re likely to buy more of something you don’t need, which ultimately costs you more money. So buying in bulk does not always save you money if it costs you organization in the end.

That being said, if you have enough space to create a big and beautiful closet full of your back-up toiletries, where each category of item can be organized in its own container, you might be able to buy in bulk and still stay organized. But even then, you have to plan it just right, and only buy more when your space is nearly empty.

Also, consider the expiration dates! Toiletries expire. If you’re not going to get through all of that product in a timely manner, then you might not want to buy it in bulk.

Different Sizes

Okay, now what about variation in sizes? For example: I prefer to keep a large bottle of lotion by my bed, but then a travel-size bottle of that same lotion in my purse. It’s actually a somewhat simple solution: do not consider the these as the same thing. Yes, you can keep a back-up of each. And then I recommend that you categorize travel-size items in a separate container than your other back-up toiletries. Instead of keeping all of your back-up lotion together, keep your large daily-use lotion with your other daily-use back-up items, and then keep your travel-size items in a different place. This usually makes items a little bit easier to sort through. Plus, those different sizes truly serve two different functions, so it makes sense to categorize them by function rather than by product type.

If you have different sizes within your “daily-use” category, because you sometimes use one type of thing, and you think you might one day try this other type of thing, you’re really starting to get into another gray area of “Different Variations”…

Different Variations

It’s my opinion that this is where toiletries get really tricky, especially for women. There are so many products to try out there, and it’s so easy to buy different variations of items, especially with make-up and face care. The main thing I want you to remember here is: if you don’t use it, lose it. Are you actually going to use this product? Be realistic and honest with yourself. Are you just waiting to try it? If so, try it as soon as possible and make a decision to either get rid of it or add it into your rotation (and kick something else out, if need be!). If this item is meant to replace your current variation, then treat it as its one back-up.

Free Samples & Gifts

Just say no. (Unless you’re really going to use it.) Yes, it’s free, but don’t forget that there is a cost to storing stuff and a cost to be disorganized. Are you really willing to pay that price for this item? Revisit the thought process for Different Variations.

If you don’t use it, lose it.

---

As with everything, there can be flexibility within your system for organizing toiletries. I keep the occasional free sample. I sometimes buy in bulk. But these are EXCEPTIONS to the rule, not the rule itself. I try to stick to the basics of this system with about 80% of my toiletries, and I currently feel like they are organized… or, as I love to say, organized enough.

What’s the current state of your toiletries? What do you need to declutter?

---

For more like this, check out my “Organizing Tricky Items” series of posts here! What should I do next?