Next to godliness

New weekly cleaning column is here to make your bathroom sparkle!

By Sophie Isbister, Senior Columnist

Hello and welcome to my new, regular cleaning column. Are you ready to glove up and get sudsy? Each week I, a self-professed Mostly-Clean Student, will share my tried and true methods for cleaning and organizing different parts of your life and home. Whether you’re a seasoned independent just starting out on your own, or are still camping with mom and dad, there will be something in this column for you!

For my inaugural episode, I will be tackling the dirtiest room in your home: The bathroom. However, I’m not here to make it spotless. My simple tutorial this week only has but one goal, and that is to help you de-clutter.

We all know the saying, “tidy house, tidy mind.” Decluttering is crucial to keeping both your home and your brain running smoothly. It feels good to be able to find things; to know exactly where you’ve put your hair ties or concealer brush, and to not have to fight through a drawer full of unused moisturizers to get a Band-Aid! Keeping a tidy home, including the bathroom, means that there’s one less thing for you to think about.

So that’s why you should tidy. Now let’s move on to how!

I usually begin de-cluttering my bathroom with the medicine cabinet, because it’s super easy, I promise—just look at the expiry date!! The first time I used this method, I was surprised at how much old stuff I got rid of. Simply check each of your medicines or medical products for a tiny date on the package. Checking expiry dates is not something that people do regularly, so this will likely result in an impressive pile that can go right in the trash.

Next, I move on to makeup and body products. While these don’t usually have expiry dates, there are definitely some guidelines for how long you should keep makeup. If you’re anything like me, you’ve moved onto a new mascara or eyeliner and left the old one to flounder, neglected, in your makeup case. If makeup is something you use every day, then you should definitely consider tossing some of your older collection. And oh yeah, that sample of skin cream you got a year ago at Shoppers Drug Mart or in your Ipsy bag? Chuck it! Samples are kept in such small quantities, their quality degrades quick and should really be used up shortly after you acquire them.

Makeup can carry bacteria, depending on how well you handle it and how often you clean your brushes (which is a whole other column). A good guideline is to throw out your blushes, eyeshadows, and other hard powders after a year or so. Liquid or cream concealers, foundations, blushes, and highlighters can hit the road in six months to a year, and you can kiss your lipstick goodbye after a year! As for mascara, because it is often water-based and applied close to your eye, it has the shortest shelf life; three to six months! Really makes you think twice about spending $30 on a tube from Sephora.

By the time I’ve thrown away the last of the makeup and said a prayer for my fallen soldiers, my bathroom is almost completely tidy! The last thing I do is clear everything off the counter that I don’t use every day. Another important thing to do is to make sure you rinse and recycle all those old containers, and dispose of any prescription medicine responsibly. Do not flush meds down the toilet! Instead, place them in a plastic bag and pour some water in the bag to destroy the medicine, and then place the bag in the garbage—or take them to the nearest pharmacy. The pharmacists there will be more than happy to dispose of your unused medications for you.

I follow this decluttering routine a couple times a year, and each time I am shocked at how much extra, random product I allow to accumulate. Clearing out old products regularly helps contribute to a tidier bathroom and in turn, a more peaceful state of mind.

E-mail lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca if you tried my tips and liked them, or if there’s anything you want me to cover in a future column!