Are the endless bottles of shampoo, shower gel and creams taking over the bathroom? If you’ve run out of space to store things, here are a few tips to help you get your bathroom back.

• Grab some medium sized boxes for moving and put everything in view inside it. This includes all bottles, beauty supplies, extra toilet paper rolls, magazines and knick-knacks. If your cabinets are also overflowing, take everything out as well.
• Sit on the ground with the box and go through everything in it. Do you really need five different bottles of shampoo, six different face creams and ten pairs of tweezers? Get rid of anything that looks or smells “old,” any container that’s almost empty and any product you haven’t used for longer than a month. If you haven’t seen the need for it until now, what are the chances you magically will tomorrow?
• Separate the items you use on an everyday basis to leave out. Everything else should go inside the cabinets. Consider getting small cardboard boxes, plastic baskets or containers to hold the items you’re putting away.
• Get baskets or caddies to organize everything. A small plastic basket on the sink can hold a number of products and make things look a lot tidier.

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Throw away, donate, recycle. The three commandments of decluttering can save you lots of headaches when trying to get your home organized. If you’re having a hard time parting with things, follow these easy steps.

1. The Rule of 10. Organizers swear by the Rule of 10, which states that every 10 days, you should get rid of 10 items. You can choose anything from knickknacks to old clothes to expired food or old leftovers. Things can be donated or trashed, depending on what they are and their condition.

2. Designate homes for your things. Get large plastic containers, moving boxes, or an extra set of drawers and put everything away. This includes bills, paperwork, seasonal decorations or sport items. Create a rule that whatever gets into the house has to be put in its proper place within five hours (or within a day if you’re on the go).

3. Attack one room at a time. If the room is overflowing with things, attack one box or a drawer at a time. Go through it quickly, keeping only the things that you absolutely love or need. If you can’t decide within 10 seconds, let it go.

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If you thought time management was just for work or your social life, think again. Many of the activities we have to do at home can eat away at your time if you don’t plan them well. Lack of planning can also cost you money, as you might end up buying duplicate items or misplacing a bill and forgetting to pay it, resulting in a late fee. While getting organized is important, these time-management tips will also help you improve your home life:

Have a designated place for everything. If all the bills to pay go into a specific folder and all dirty clothes go into the hamper, you won’t lose time searching for them when you need them.

Plan your meals in advance or cook in batches. Instead of making a single lasagna, make two. It won’t take much more time and you can freeze it to use when you don’t have time to cook. Or spend a few hours on Sunday cooking and freezing meals so you don’t have to cook the rest of the week.

Buy in bulk. Not only will it save you money, but you’ll spend less time driving back and forth to the stores to replace things. Try to find a single store (or maybe a couple) that offer everything you need, so you don’t have to drive all over the city to replenish your pantry.

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