Bathroom Tidy

Hello Friends,

Today we are focusing on what is for most people, the smallest room in the house.  Bathrooms can attract clutter like no other room because we humans love our personal care products.  We love trying out what's new and different often before we've used up what's old and not working.  This list includes:  shampoo, conditioner, soap, skin care products, make up, nail polish, manicure items, bath items, first aid supplies, and cleaning supplies (for the bathroom).  Add in a heap of bath towels, beach towels, hand towels and washcloths and times everything by the number of family members and there is a lot of storage happening here.

There are some rules to follow when organizing a bathroom.  

Rule #1 Everything off the floor.

So much easier to clean!

A laundry hamper would be handy here as well as hooks for towels to be hung up.  Follow your natural inclination. If you are continually dumping towels on the floor in a particular place, install a hook and see what happens!

This rule includes all the miscellaneous storage and items that are stored on the floor too!  

The wastebasket can stay.

The challenge was to create space in the existing cabinet for these items previously stored in the plastic storage drawers.

Drawer 1: Hair care items & make up 

Drawer 2:  Travel make up bags and assorted items 

Drawer 3:  Flat irons/curling irons

Here's what this bathroom had for existing storage.

A long cubby filled with items used everyday and these two cabinets that are stuffed full.

Rule #2  Decide what to keep.

 This means discarding old, stained towels, holey washcloths, expired skin care products, old make-up, hair care products that didn't work as expected and on and on.  

We all have this bathroom clutter.  Get out a trash bag and get to work!

Rule #3  Storage.  Everything kept has a home.

The long cubby was easy.  Toothcare on the top shelf, make up in the middle shelf and hair styling aids on the bottom shelf.  These are items that are used each day and need to be kept handy.

We used existing storage containers and decided to label the containers by category and also by name of the family member that the contents belong to.  

Some containers still look cluttered...why you might ask?  It's because...

Rule #4  Never organize someone else's stuff.  

Unless permission is granted.

T

owels on one shelf, pillowcases/sheets  along with tissue and toilet paper on another with cleaning supplies on the bottom.  Simple and easy for everyone in the family to find.

The after pictures look so clean and bright.  It's amazing how decluttering can make a space feel more open.  

We did throw out an entire black garbage bag and another box of items to donate too!

Everything off the floor and that's a plunger in that cute basket we found.

There is this full length mirror to contend with.  It needs to be hung up properly on the wall.

But when I went over to investigate, lo and behold there was a FIRE EXTINGUISHER hung up behind it!

So I wonder....do you think there are a lot of candles around that bathtub some nights?  Ooh la la.  You never know what you'll find when you organize!

What is the strangest item you keep in your bathroom?

Want to guess how long it took to declutter this room?

Got Powercords?

Hello Friends,

Recently we were looking for a powercord to a techy device in a client's home.  After a cursory search of a kitchen drawer or two, she yelled, "Be right back!" and disappeared into the black hole most of us commonly refer to as...the basement.

In a few minutes, she reappeared with this armful.

Luckily, the powercord we needed WAS IN THERE!  

Ah-mazing.  I love when things work out.

But, the real question is not "where is the powercord?"  It is how to keep powercords organized.

Get ready, it's really simple.  

Whenever a new techy device comes into your home such as a phone, a laptop, a camera, an ipod, a TV etc., simply label the powercords with the name of the device before you use it.  Make this a habit.

IT'S THAT EASY!

Now if you have a pile of cords and you're not sure what they go to, schedule a date night with your spouse and do your best to match them all up to the existing devices in your home.  What if you can't identify them all, you ask?  Then throw them all out and free up your brain and your space.

If you find in the future that you're missing a cord, it's 

Amazon

 to the rescue!  

Seriously everything you need can be found on the internet.

But back to labeling....

You can use masking tape or  

white address labels

, but my favorite way is by using a 

label maker

 such as this one.  

Be sure to buy the extra tape cartridges too!

There are many label makers on the market today, and clients often ask me to recommend one.  I say, simple is better, read the reviews, price out the tape cartridges and be sure to buy the label cartridges that have the split back.  

It can be quite frustrating not to mention time consuming to peel off the label backing from the end of the tape.  

Must have long fingernails!

 With split back label tape, you simply fold the label horizontally and the tape peels off from the center.  Easy peasy.

  Labeling can become addictive, so buy a few cartridges.

Labeling ideas for you:  

Labels come in different colored tape and print too!

  Yes, I know I'm a geek, but I have to label my cords with my name or a family member may abscond with one.

If you're frustrated by which side of your itty bitty metal phone charger goes into your phone, label it with

IN

so you'll easily always put it in right side up.  

Because who can see the little symbol when it's black on black?

After you're done labeling the cord, then wrap it in a coil and use a

binder clip

 to secure it.  These come in different colors and different sizes too!  Use the extra large size for the largest cords in your home.

Next on my list is to label this mess of stereo cords.  I want to be able to unhook my stereo and hook it back up without any help from my techy oldest.

 I'm thinking of using the alphabet so I can match up the corresponding letters on the cord and the back of the stereo components.  Hmmmm...

Where do you keep your powercords?

Have you ever thrown one out by mistake and regretted it?

I didn't think so.