Day 5 - the bathroom
Today’s challenge is decluttering the bathroom, starting with tossing expired products. I have been known to collect shampoo, conditioner, nail polish, and lipstick (once I counted 30 tubes). I have managed to pare down my products and am pleased to say I have fewer than ten lip glosses and lipsticks, although it’s still more than I can use.
As a pimply teenager and into my twenties, I was always looking for the perfect solution to my problem skin (hint: start with your gut). That meant my bathroom cabinets were full of potions, lotions, and oil-stripping solutions that would probably strip paint from furniture. In the mid-1990s, I worked part-time at The Body Shop when Anita Roddick ran it. Being surrounded by skin care products made with ingredients that wouldn’t hurt a fly and smelled great was heaven to me. With my discount, I amassed quite a collection of cleansers made with pineapple enzymes, masks with rice exfoliants, dewberry shower gel, lotions scented with essential oils, body butters, and more. I moved these from Austin to New Mexico and then to Utah. That’s three states over four years. I was unaware they had expired not long after my first move.
Years ago, when I was helping clean out my mother’s bathroom before her last move, I came across makeup and lipstick she’d had since I was a child playing dress-up in her bathroom—over forty years. Like my skincare collection, she had moved them countless times.
However, skincare and cosmetics are not meant to last forever. The same goes for the bottle of Lauren perfume you’ve had since high school. Or that CK One you bought on the airplane to Amsterdam. According to this InStyle article, opened perfume can last up to two years, depending on how it’s stored. That means the 16+-year-old bottle I have in my bathroom should go.
I was surprised to learn that makeup doesn’t last as long as I thought it did. The Mayo Clinic Health System lists guidelines on how long makeup lasts. Mascara and eyeliner have the shortest shelf life, with three months (you can smell your mascara and tell if it’s not good anymore, or if it has dried up, you definitely know). Eyeshadow can build up bacteria, which can transfer to your eyes. Most everything else can last up to one year, sometimes more. Inspect your cosmetics - see if they have separated, and give them a smell test. If you can’t remember when you bought something, it’s probably a good idea to toss it. If you no longer use it, toss it. The next time you buy cosmetics, if they don’t have an expiration date, write the date you purchased it on a sticker. And make sure you wash your makeup brushes frequently. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends washing them every 7-10 days.
If you have a collection of mini-sized toiletries from traveling, it’s time to address them. Ask yourself when you used them last and why you are saving them. Check the expiration date and feel good about tossing the expired bottles. If you have a shelf full and decide to donate them to a local charity, call before to make sure they can use travel-sized hygiene items. I worked in homeless services, and nine times out of ten, places wanted full-sized bottles to hand out. I know from experience that it’s tempting to take them with you - especially the high-end ones. If you know you will use them within the next week, go ahead, but if you will stockpile them, it is best to leave them behind.
For inspiration on organizing your bathroom, here are some swoon-worthy spaces.
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