Readers Digest claims that you save up to 60 hours a year by organising your bathroom to be more effective. Think about it – that’s 10 minutes every day you could be wasting hunting for make-up or toiletries that aren’t in the right place.  And that 60 hours you can put towards your weight loss goals.

Here are some tips to help you maximise your bathroom effectiveness:

Time Saving Tips

Make sure there’s a towel rail for everyone’s towels. Installing a heated towel rail is not only a wonderful indulgence that can help inspire you to get ready, it can also dry towels more quickly reducing damp, musty smells.

All medicines should be stored in a medicine cabinet or lockable first aid box to ensure small hands don’t get access. And check for expired medicines, including those ones lurking up the back, and make sure you throw out any that have exceeded their expiry date.

Keep all your cosmetics and hairstyling preparations together in the location that you do your hair and make-up. If it’s in the bedroom then keep them in wardrobe or on your dressing table. And if it’s in the bathroom then keep them there.

Keep frequently used items toward the front of shelving or storage, and less frequently used items behind them.

Got a myriad of old toiletries, fragrances, talcs, lotions, potions and bubble baths? Unopened products only have a shelf life of about two years and if they’ve been opened or exposed to light then the formula inside will oxidise and break down quicker, so throw them out.

The same applies to moisturisers, sunscreen, toothpaste and shampoo so look for evidence of decay like a rancid or unusual odour, oil separation, flaking and discolouration and if you see any signs then trash them immediately.

Cosmetics containing less water generally have a longer shelf-life. So products like eye, brow and lip pencils, eye shadows and lipsticks are an exception and can last several years. Still if you have dozens of three quarter used lippies then perhaps it’s time to rationalise and stick to fewer shades.

Over time we tend to accumulate products, but many that we buy we use only once or twice and then return to our favourite brands. So regularly clearing away the cosmetic clutter by reducing the number of each type of item you have is fairly key to keeping you space neat and today, and saving you valuable time.

Finally, have rules to keep the bathroom clean. Spending a few minutes each day to keep things tidy will prevent that awful marathon weekly cleaning session. And having the rule that if something’s finished (like a toilet roll) then that person replaces it will prevent frustrating moments.

Great Gadgets

There are a few nifty gadgets that can help you to get organised.

• Use walls to hang extra shelves, or buy wicker or mesh stack-able baskets or trays for hand towels, tissues, soap and bath essences to keep the space neater. Under-sink wheeled trolleys are a good option for tiny bathrooms. IKEA has a great range of boxes and other space saving ideas at good prices.
• Put up some tiered shelves in different levels and widths so that you can see the bottle or aerosol can behind the ones in front without having to rummage – fantastic for a dark or poky bathroom cupboard.
• A spice rack installed at eye-level inside your mirrored bathroom cupboard can be handy for storing little bottles, tubes and pump spray packs. They’re particularly good for storing nail polish jars.
• Drawer organisers or cutlery trays in your bathroom drawers or top dresser drawer can help you to make sense of the mess and provide order for all the small jars, tubes, boxes and awkwardly shaped bits and pieces, such as eyelash curlers, nail files and hair clips. And many of them are dishwasher safe making for an easy annual clean up.
• Shower caddies may seem a little old fashioned but there are some really nifty ones now (even with suction cups) that will help to organise shampoos, conditioners, loofahs, nail brushes, soaps, shower gels and razors, which otherwise clutter up the floor of the shower or can topple over and leak out.
• A magnifying shaving mirror on a retractable arm in the bathroom can be a boon for both shaving and applying makeup to perfection. And for men installing one in the best lit side of the shower recess can make shaving in the shower a time-saving bonus.
• It’s amazing how useful a simple hook on the inside of the bedroom door or back of the bathroom door can be. And with Command hooks you don’t need to worry about door damage either. Once there you’ll be amazed how often you use it for your dressing gown, shower cap or undergarments.
• Using other hooks like shower curtain rings to organise your scrunchies and hair ties is a good way to keep them contained and all together.
• If you’ve got a cupboard where everything tends to hide up the back then a lazy-Susan-style turntable can assist in rotating stock and getting those bottles up the back to be more accessible.
• Use a hanging planter or pot (or two) for your hairbrushes, combs and make-up brushes.
• A metallic knife strip or elasticised strip hidden inside a cupboard door can be great for holding onto all those hair pins.
• Head to a hardware store and look for the right sized chest of small translucent drawers for holding nuts and bolts – they’re just a perfect to label and hold all your mini bathroom goodies.
• If you are the Imelda Marcos of make-up then you may want to try an over the door organiser (like those old shoe racks) to store all your goodies in separate compartments.
• Need make-up on the go? The how about putting your travel requirements in a jewellery roll – wrapping them tight will not only prevent them from but also protect them from damage.
• If you’re a make-up aficionado and need to touch up a few times each day then instead of carrying multiple tubes you can try this trick. Cutting a quarter of an inch off the top of each lipstick bullet with a butter knife and press the colours into separate spaces in a pill case. And save a slot for each of the removable pads of cream blush, concealer and cream eye shadow too.