Our Simple Bathroom

Is it just me or do others find that bathroom 'stuff' seems to breed and multiply? I have been decluttering the bathroom for what seems like years, but I blink and it clutters up again! We are now blessed in our small-ish (1200 sq ft) home to have 2 bathrooms ... both very small but a luxury nonetheless. And yet, without constant vililance they both end up cluttered.

I know how it happens. Case in point - when I was pregnant I got an infected mozzie bite on my back. My attempts to fix it went on for days before I ended up at the dctors getting antibiotics ... to cut a long story short. 1 mozzie bite = 7 'pottles' of stuff.

Then there is the lure of the makeup counter. Before children I used to work near a very upmarket department store. Walking through all the cosmetics counters was a constant temptation. Usually I resisted, but it only took the odd splurge to add more lotions and potions to the bathroom cabinets. A trip to the hairdresser was another hazard ... the miracle creams to thicken and tame my flyaway locks.

Being a 'natural' sort of girl I tend to accumulate naturopathic stuff too ... homeopathic remedies, weleda creams, vitamins and supplements.

So constant vigilance is the only answer, and a tight rein on my credit card!


I've been applying my 'if I lived in an RV' test to the bathroom cabinets and streamlining my bathroom as a result. I plan to tape a list to the inside of the cabinets as a way to keep myself honest!

I have tried wherever possible to get rid of 'uni-taskers' - i.e. potions that only fill one purpose. So I don't need cleanser for my skin, eye make up remover, and bodywash. I can just use goatsmilk soap. I don't need eye cream, face cream, body lotion, hand cream and dry skin cream. I can just use shea butter. I don't need nappy cream, burn cream, zit cream, and bite cream ... I use pot of gold.

I haven't quite got the cupboards down to the list just yet. There are a few nearly finished bottles that I will finish up rather than send them to landfill.


I did send a few old half used lipsticks and eyeshadows to landfill though. Now that I am back at work part time, I need to wear make up again. But seriously - how much does one woman need? I have decided I only need one eyeliner, one mascara and one lipstick. Do you know how liberating this is?

I have put my list up, partly because I am so self absorbed I like to share the minute details of my life, and partly to keep my honest.



So, tell me, what do you need in your bathroom cupboard.


Gypsy's personal stuff

- eyeliner
- mascara
- lipstick
- moisturiser
- deoderant (not made in NZ but totally natural and it really works!)
- contact lenses stuff
- glasses


Combined stuff

- shampoo
- conditioner
- goats milk soap
- bodywash (hubby loves it)
- shea butter (miracle all purpose cream)
- pot of gold (the other miracle all purpose cream)
- toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss (no, we don't share toothbrushes)
- sunscreen
- insect repellent


First Aid


- a fully stocked first aid kit of bandages etc
- arnica cream and drops
- weleda levisticum for sore ears
- herbal throat spray
- rescue remedy spray
- weleda plantago chest rub
- braun ear themometer
- paracetamol and iboprofen
- antihistimine
- antiseptic cream