The Bathroom Counter Top - Feast or Famine?
Morning Glow: How to Keep Your Bathroom Countertop Calm, Clear, and Ready to Shine Every Day
There’s something truly magical about waking up to a space that feels calm, organized, and ready to support your day — especially in your bathroom, where your morning routine sets the tone for everything that follows. But if your countertop looks like a wild jungle of lotions, makeup, hair ties, and who-knows-what, that magic can quickly turn into stress.
The good news? Keeping your bathroom countertop clear and calm doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It’s all about cultivating simple, sustainable habits that honor both your space and your lifestyle — and that feel good to do.
Why a Clear Bathroom Countertop Matters
Before we dive into the how, let’s take a moment to appreciate why this little surface deserves some love. Your bathroom countertop is more than just a place to stash your stuff — it’s a canvas for calm. When it’s clear, your mind feels clearer too. You waste less time searching for that favorite face cream or hairbrush. And it turns your morning routine from a frantic scramble into a gentle, mindful ritual.
The Two-Minute “Clutter Scoop” Ritual
Here’s the heart of the practice: a quick, two-minute “clutter scoop” that you do twice a day — once in the evening and once in the morning. This simple habit can transform your countertop from chaos to calm with almost no effort.
Evening Routine: Before you turn off the lights, set a timer for two minutes. Gather up anything that’s wandered onto your countertop during the day — lip balms, jewelry, hair ties, skincare products — and tuck them into your chosen basket or tray. Think of this as giving your clutter a cozy little home where it belongs.
Morning Routine: When you wake up, take a minute or two before your day officially starts to do a quick sweep of the countertop. Return any items that weren’t put away the night before or pick up anything new that appeared overnight. This pause helps you start your day feeling grounded and organized, even before you’ve brushed your teeth.
Choosing Your Basket or Tray — The Countertop’s Savior
A big part of this system’s success is having a beautiful, functional basket or tray that makes you want to use it every day. Natural materials like wicker, rattan, bamboo, or reclaimed wood bring warmth and texture to your bathroom and are eco-friendly choices. I use a tray that I found from IKEA and it was very inexpensive. I keep all of my daily essentials on it. It helps me to have a landing pad so that my morning and evening routine can run smoothly. A lazy susan is also a wonderful option for your landing pad!
If you want to add a personal touch (and some extra fun), try a DIY upgrade: wrap your basket with twine or colorful yarn, weave in some fabric scraps, or attach a little charm with a word that inspires calm or joy. On my bathroom counter I have a tiny dish that was my grandmothers. I use it for my jewelry when I take off rings and earrings. Every time I look at it it reminds me of her. I love having this beautiful spot because whenever I’m looking for my jewelry, my mind remembers the dish, and typically, I’ve remembered to put them there. This habit helps many of my ADHD clients to memorize where to store their things. If you take a picture in your mind with a positive emotion attached to the image, they are more likely to remember where they’ve stored the item and they are more likely to put it back when they’ve finished using it.
Adding a Little Morning Pep
To make your morning routine feel even more like a self-care ritual, add a small, delightful touch to your basket or tray. This could be a tiny sachet of dried lavender, a smooth crystal you love, or a fresh sprig of eucalyptus. These simple additions bring a sense of calm and mindfulness to the start of your day and remind you that tidying is really about caring for yourself. I keep a bar of soap on my tray because the scent gives me a sense of calm and I feel like I’m at the spa.
Why This Works — And Why It’s Sustainable
The beauty of this two-minute habit is that it’s gentle and doable. It respects your time, your energy, and your desire for a peaceful home without demanding an overhaul or a deep-clean marathon. By breaking tidying into tiny, manageable moments, you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed and more likely to keep it up for the long haul. This is where the rubber meets the road and where success stories are created. You’ll become so in love with caring for your space you won’t remember how it was before nor will you want to go back to your old way of living.
Plus, using a single basket or tray as your clutter’s “home” encourages you to keep your belongings contained, reducing wasteful consumption and the need for endless organizing bins or plastic containers.
Wrapping Up Your Bathroom Zen
When you create a countertop routine that fits your lifestyle — with a little evening and morning love — your bathroom becomes more than just a functional space. It turns into a sanctuary where your day begins and ends with calm and clarity. This is just like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Self care in this area will become automatic the more you do it.
So, grab that basket, set your timers, and give your clutter a cozy place to live. Your countertop — and your mind — will thank you.
I’ve created a pdf you can keep on your phone so that every morning you can checkmark each step until it becomes a memorized habit. (check back - pdf coming soon!)
Happy Tidying!