New for Fall 2025: Consignment Support included with every 🍂 Fall Closet Refresh Session 🍂 4h minimum

Toiletries 101: Best Tips for Organizing Skincare and Make-Up

Our tips for de-cluttering, checking expiration dates, and smart storage of your toiletries.

Updated September 26, 2025

New product launches, travel sizes, and seasonal gift sets, oh my! If you feel like you’re accumulating skincare, hair care, and cosmetic products faster than you can use them, it may be time to do a toiletry organization audit.

A clutter-free bathroom not only makes your morning routine faster, it also helps you avoid using expired products and overspending on duplicates.

Step 1: Gather It All (Don’t Miss Anything!)

When you think of hair, face, and body products, you may picture bathroom counters, cupboards, and vanities. But toiletries hide in more places than you think! Be thorough and check:

Travel bags and luggage
Gym and sport bags
Purses, backpacks, baby bags
Bedside tables, dressers
Powder rooms
Kitchen sink area
Linen closet
Showers and bathtubs

Bringing everything together in one spot gives you a clear picture of how much you own—and what you can realistically use.

Step 2: Be Aware of Expiration Dates

One of the most important parts of toiletry decluttering is checking expiration dates. Skincare and cosmetics can lose their effectiveness—or worse, cause irritation—if kept too long.

There are two main types of expiry to watch for:

1. Products with a Written Expiry Date

These contain active ingredients that degrade over time. Look especially at:

Products with SPF (face lotion, body lotion, tanning sprays, foundations, lip balms)
Products with essential oils, vitamins, or “fresh” ingredients
Handmade products (like those from Lush or local makers)
Prescriptions and medicated products (anti-dandruff shampoo, acne treatments, antiperspirant, toothpaste)

2. Products with a Shelf-Life After Opening

Most skincare and cosmetic items include a tiny jar symbol with a number, indicating the number of months you have to use the product after opening.

👉 Tip: Write the date you first opened a product with a permanent marker near that symbol. This helps you track lesser-used treatments, seasonal items, or eye-area products that can expire quickly.

Always discard products that are:

Separated
Dried out
Discolored
Smelling “off”

Your skin is an organ—treat it with the same care you would your health.

Break out your reading glasses for these tiny shelf-life guidelines on the packages of most skincare and cosmetic items.

The number inside the jar symbol indicates the amount of months you have to use the product up once it has been exposed to the air and hands.

It is advisable to discard any items that are past the recommended lifespan (after all, our skin is an organ of the body and is worthy of being treated caringly). Any items, regardless of date, that have separated, dried up, discoloured, or no longer smell appealing should also be discarded.

Tip: Note the date you first opened a product using a label or permanent marker directly on the container near the date guideline image. This is especially important for lesser-used treatments, seasonal products, products for around the eyes, and anything else you are not likely to use within the given time frame!

Step 3: Resist the Temptation to Keep Everything

Just because a product isn’t expired (or is still unopened) doesn’t mean it deserves space in your home. Ask yourself:

Have I used this in the past 6 months?
Does it suit my skin type, complexion, or hair type?
Am I realistically going to use this up?

If the answer is “no,” it may be time to let it go.

💡 Try placing one under-used item with your “everyday products” as a reminder to use it before buying something new.

Step 4: Give Yourself Permission to Let Go

You have full permission to release products that aren’t right for you. While medicinal items should be disposed of with pharmacist guidance, many unopened or sealed products can be donated.

At the time of writing, The Mustard Seed in Edmonton accepts:

Shaving cream & razors
Deodorant
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Feminine hygiene items
Soap
Travel-sized shampoo & conditioner

If donation isn’t possible, remember: that product taught you something about your preferences. Regular toiletry audits help you avoid buying products you won’t use again—saving both money and bathroom storage space.

Step 5: Find Some Helping Hands

For many people, organizing toiletries is one of the most dreaded home projects. Bathroom cupboards and makeup drawers can feel overwhelming fast.

This is exactly where a professional organizer can help. A trained organizer will:

Streamline your toiletries into what you actually use
Create sustainable storage systems in your bathroom or vanity
Maximize space in small bathrooms or shared households
Help you build a rotation system so products don’t go to waste

For every person who cringes at the thought of tackling this project, there’s an organizer who loves making order out of toiletry chaos.

If you’re in Edmonton, Alberta, our mother-daughter organizing team would be delighted to help you create a clutter-free bathroom you’ll love.

✅ A regular toiletry audit helps you save money, protect your skin, and reclaim your bathroom space. With a plan in place—and maybe a little help—you’ll enjoy fresher products, smarter storage, and calmer mornings.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse