March 2015

Organize your Bathroom

The bathroom surely gets a workout each day. Get it organized with this easy-to-follow process.

INVENTORY, SORT, and PURGE:
To start your bathroom organizing project, take an inventory of all the items housed there. Sort them into categories, such as medical/first aid, hair care, body cleansers, shaving, tooth care, cosmetics, paper products, and cleaning supplies. Once everything is grouped together, you’ll see where you have duplicates. (And once organized, you’ll avoid over-buying the next time you run out to the store.) Now is also the time to toss expired medications, sunscreens, cosmetics, and anything you no longer use. (Do you really need three curling irons or 15 past-their-prime hand towels? What about the 20 miniature-sized travel shampoos?) Now you have a true vision of your bathroom’s current storage needs.

SET UP STORAGE:
Some things are shared items, while others may belong to a specific person. Take into account the available space in your medicine cabinet, vanity drawers, and under-sink storage, as well as in your linen closet. If you need to add storage, consider installing shelving on a wall or a free-standing cabinet above the toilet. As you place items, group them into their categories, and/or assign a specific place for each member of the household. For example, each person could have one drawer, one basket on the shelf, or one toteable caddy. If you’re grouping by category, you could use baskets, bins, or specific areas on your shelves for easy locating. Be sure to label so that everyone knows how to find necessities.

Add hooks behind the door or on the wall so everyone has a place to hang towels. And while you’re at it, color code the towels and toothbrushes by family member so there’s no “ownership confusion.”

If you purchase paper products in bulk, store the excess in an out-of-the-way area, such as the laundry room or hall closet, keeping only a week’s worth in the bathroom. Replenish as needed.

KEEP IT CLEAN AND SAFE:
Make sure the garbage can is easy to access and large enough for at least a couple day’s worth of trash. Consider an additional small basket to catch recyclables in the bathroom. Many communities recycle plastics (such as shampoo and body wash bottles) and cardboard (such as toilet paper tubes and the boxes that toothpaste, soap, and cosmetics often come in). You’ll be surprised how many recyclables you generate!

Keep the bathroom safe for little ones by storing medications and bathroom cleaning products out of their reach. (Many medications lose effectiveness in the bathroom humidity, so consider placing them in another room.)

Finally, remember that counters are easier to clean and look best when uncluttered by oodles of bottles, tubes, and boxes. Keep only a bottle of hand soap and lotion on the countertop and your toothbrush. This clear and lovely space will give you inspiration to keep the bathroom neat and tidy throughout the day!

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