*affiliate links used
I’m kicking off our organization challenge this week with all things bathroom! Yea! I can hear the Rocky music playing in the background. :) Did you download your printable and make your lists? Before we jump into bathroom cupboards and drawers I wanted to share one more important tip for this challenge that I forgot to mention in my last post. Look ahead at your schedule this week and calendar your organizing time. Will it be easiest to work on your bathrooms for 20 minutes each night this week? Or do you have a two hour window on Wednesday evening? Calendar that time and let your family know so that it actually happens. Once you’ve done that, be realistic about how much you can get done. If time is short just focus on really organizing one bathroom. OR just go through each bathroom and purge items you don’t need. Remember that SOMETHING is always better than NOTHING! Other general tips for this challenge are here if you missed them.
Bathrooms can get so out of control! Start by taking everything out of your cupboards and drawers.
I always set items on a towel or rug. Pick up each item and decide if it goes in the keep/donate/trash/re-locate pile. Anything you are trashing goes straight in a garbage bag! If products are old, expired, mostly empty.. trash them. Also recycle all boxes and packages. If it’s a newish product but you haven’t used it in the last three months give it to someone who will. I gave a lot of unused items to my girls when I cleaned out my bathroom.
I didn’t photograph my piles when I initially cleaned this cupboard but I did have piles going for keep/relocate/donate behind me when I took this picture. You’ll find that a lot of bathroom clutter can go straight to the trash! Be ruthless with purging and only keep items you really use and love!
Done with my piles and easily filled a bag of garbage!
I started working on Kenny’s bathroom drawers tonight and snapped a pic of the items I always have on hand when I clean out bathrooms. Garbage bags, paper towels, hot soapy water, a washcloth, and a hand held vac (I bought this one about six months ago to keep in my bathroom/closet and it’s great for quickly cleaning out drawers!).
When cupboards/drawers are REALLY bad and especially if they have a lot of hair (common in bathrooms!) I just use a damp paper towel to wipe out the majority of the mess. If it’s not too bad, I use my handheld vacuum to pick up the dirt/hair. Then I always wipe out and clean the cupboard/drawer with hot soapy water. You can just start with the hot soapy water first if that’s easier. Whatever works for you! I’m just sharing my method. :)
Next categorize your “keep pile” by grouping like items together. All the make-up in one pile, all of your skin care, dental, etc.
Then my favorite part. Putting everything back nice and organized into a clean space! :)
I placed all of my items back into this cupboard and THEN thought about what organizer might work best. I really didn’t need much! Eventually I ordered this lazy susan to hold items I reach for the most often.
When I pulled things out of my drawers my bathroom took a major turn for the worse.. ha. Things always get really bad before they get really good when you’re organizing!
I was starting to categories the “keep” items in this pic (see all the toothpaste, chapstick, contacts together, etc.). We buy a lot of items we use in bulk at Costco so there are always extras to store.
Once I put my “keep” items back in the drawers I could tell I needed some dividers. These sketches came after all of the purging and cleaning was done! I always recommend that you purge and clean BEFORE you order organizers. I think we often get ahead on this because ordering the organizers is fun and it makes us feel like we’re doing something to improve our situation. The thing that actually improves our situation is getting rid of items we don’t need.
{linus shallow drawer organizer}
Let the organizers be the icing on the cake that you get when you reach your goal. :)
A few fun “afters”..
{linus shallow drawer organizer}
{linus shallow drawer organizer}
{linus deep drawer organizers}
Feels amazing when everything is clean, doesn’t it!? These pics are from last April and because this system is so organized and perfect for the way I get ready each day it has been a breeze to keep clean! Tomorrow I’m going to vacuum out my organizers and I think I’ll go through this bottom drawer and give my girls some of these samples because I haven’t used a lot of them. If I haven’t used them in almost a year I know I won’t! Time to say good-bye.
Also take some time to go through towels. Pull everything out of linen closets/cabinets. Donate old towels and treat yourself to some new, clean towels if it’s time. (Animal shelters are a great place to donate old towels!) I’ve replaced a lot of the towels in this picture that were wearing out with these grey/white towels. They are inexpensive and we’ve loved them! They absorb water well and are stylish. My two must haves for towels. :)
Wipe out your cupboards and fold everything nicely and put it back. My bottom baskets hold washcloths I use when I clean.
I hope this post gives you some ideas and motivation to hit the ground running this week and whip your bathrooms into shape! It’s the best feeling to get ready each day in an organized bathroom. I’ll share more of my progress soon. Below are 12 of my favorite bathroom organizers! Just promise me you’ll order what works best in your bathroomafter you toss all of the junk. ;)
*sidenote – Numbers 2, 4, 7, 11 and 12 are in my bathroom pics above. I also have #10 in my vanity drawers. They are great but really shallow! Perfect for shallow drawers. I’m obsessed with #9 (wish list!) and #6 looks like a similar/less expensive option for the main drawer dividers I use.
1- woven tank tray 2 –large deep drawer bin 3 – 2-tier organizer basket
4 –linus shallow drawer organizer5 – hanging shower caddy 6 – 16-piece organizer set
7 – adjustable drawer dividers 8 – clear plastic jar set9 –woven rattan nesting baskets
10 – expandable drawer organizers 11 –lazy susan 12 –linus deep drawer organizer
xoxo, Erin
