Company’s coming!The idea is to get unwanted stuff out of your space as quickly as possible. Successful purging is all about having the undesirable objects out of sight, out of mind, and fast!
—CHRISTOPHER LOWELL
Someone once counted all the things a man and a woman hold in their bathroom. It was estimated that a man has 11 items to a woman’s 367, most of which a man cannot identify! Based on those statistics, I bet you can guess who should take charge of clearing and simplifying this room of your home.
Today, you will start simplifying your bathroom by sorting through the contents. If you have more than one bathroom, sort only one bathroom at a time. The more often you do this, the less time it will take . . . and the smoother your mornings and evenings will go.
Create a Plan
You might think a bathroom would be the easiest room to organize because it’s the smallest, right? Wrong. Its contents move quickly from a prized new skin-care regime to outdated clutter sitting on the counter. The toothbrush holder holds toothbrushes that should have been replaced long ago. And who knows exactly what is in the back corner of the under-the-sink cabinet!
It’s time to get this small space into shipshape order. We can do this easily by working in sections. Here’s the order for our sorting:
1. Countertops
2. Shelves and drawers
3. Cabinet under the sink
4. Linen closet
The problem to overcome in a bathroom is how to make the best use of the space you have. You need to create room for towels, toiletries (anything in bottles, tubes, or jars), and appliances such as your hair dryer and curling iron.
Simplify Your Bathroom
Motivation:
Company’s coming!
It’s time for a good bathroom cleanup.
I’m ready to sort through everything.
Supplies:
Wastebasket and recycle bin for items to be discarded
Donations box for items to be given away
Labels and marker (or label maker)
Time Estimate:
2 hours
Reward:
A beautiful bathroom to use every morning and evening.
Approach It by Sections
The good news about simplifying your bathroom space is that your bathroom is smaller than the other rooms in your home. And at the end of the sorting time, you can treat yourself to a reward by getting new towels, adding drawer dividers, or updating your containers. Plan your reward as you work.
Countertops
First, clear off the counter around your sink. Your counter space may be three inches or three feet, but this area must be organized and clutter free to create a spacious feeling.
Put back only the items you like and currently use. Then ask yourself these questions:
• Do the toothbrushes and toothpaste have a home that is easy to reach and attractive? They can go in a toothbrush holder, the medicine cabinet, or drawer.
• Does the bar of soap or soap pump work for you, or do you want another kind?
• Are the towels getting hung up? If not, would another towel bar or hooks make it easier for hanging?
Become a problem solver as you look at each item you return to your counter area. Stand at the doorway and view your counter surfaces. Are the front two-thirds of your counters clean and empty while the back one-third contains useful and attractive items?
SPACE-SAVING TIP #19
Less is more in a bathroom. Use up sample bottles, tubes, and creams to keep clutter down to the essentials you like and use.
Be ruthless as you simplify your counter space, knowing that the fewer items you have on your counters, the easier your counters will be to clean. Place bottles (such as makeup and lotions) on a tray so you can lift the tray when you clean instead of lifting each item.
A basket works wonders for neatly holding items like hand towels and guest lotions. Try to minimize the cords by placing your hair dryer and curling iron in a corner or putting them away in a drawer or cabinet after each use.
If the room looks too sterile, add something decorative like silk flowers or a candle. If it still has too much “cute” clutter, put some away and rotate these items for a new look each season. (But then you have complicated your life by having to do that regularly. Simplify instead!)
Shelves and Drawers
Next, organize your bathroom shelves and drawers one at a time. Begin with the worst one so you can see progress immediately. Or start top down in the medicine cabinet. Shelves are easy to sort if you stick to one at a time.
Whether sorting a shelf or a drawer, follow this three-step process:
1. Empty everything from one shelf onto the counter.
2. Wipe off the shelf or clean out the drawer.
3. Put back by category only what is currently useful.
For example, line up medications and skin-care products from left to right in the order you use them. Put toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash on another shelf. Hair-brushes, combs, and barrettes deserve their own shelf so you won’t end up with hair in your toothbrush!
As you empty a drawer or shelf, group items into three distinct locations: Place “keep” items to your right on the counter, “maybe keep” items in the middle, and “get rid of” items into a trash bag or donation box on the left.
SPACE-SAVING TIP #20
Organize a large cabinet with containers, baskets, or rollout shelving to keep items easy to retrieve and use.
As you sort your drawers, you can maintain order longer between cleanings by placing drawer dividers inside. That way, every item has a home and you can easily spot something out of place.
Before you buy dividers, choose the most accessible drawers (closest to waist height and easy reach) for the most often used items. Don’t put the hairbrush you use every day too low while the cotton swabs you use once a month are in a prime location. Organize items based on frequency of use.
Spend fifteen minutes per drawer or shelf, and you will quickly be finished. Either stop at that point and deliver excess items to your donation boxes or keep going into the cabinets.
Cabinets
Next, sort the cabinet under the bathroom sink and any other cabinets in your bathroom. The cabinet under the sink should be emptied and sorted often (as unpleasant as it may seem) because this is considered the “garage of the bathroom,” where things you may not use anymore are put temporarily. As you probably already realize, temporary items become permanent clutter when you neglect regularly sorting an active space.
Empty everything out of the cabinet and group items into one of three areas: “keep” items to your right on the counter, “maybe keep” items in the middle and “get rid of” items on the left into a trash bag or donation box.
Then follow this simple process:
1. Wash out the cabinet shelves.
2. Plan containers or portable shelves to expand the space.
3. Return “keep” items into their new containers and label them.
SPACE-SAVING TIP #21
Find space you never thought you had in your linen closet by storing bedsheets and towels in your bedroom closet and bathroom.
Under a sink, keep the first three to four inches empty to create the impression of an organized cabinet. Rethink how you store things under the sink and see if you can put towels closer to the shower and toilet paper in a container next to the toilet. A small bathroom stores it under the sink cabinet while a medium or larger bathroom can house it elsewhere. Adjust your storage needs to the space you have.
For a quick cleanup each week, keep cleaning supplies to dry the surfaces under the sink. A towel bar or hook inside the cabinet door can hold a towel so you can wipe off daily water spots too.
Linen Closet
Since the bathroom is often small, supplies can extend into a linen closet nearby. The linen closet can hold bath towels and bed linens, or you could reclaim the space.
Count the shelves in your linen closet and decide which ones are working for you. Empty the most used shelf, wipe it off, and replace with useful items.
Regain storage space in the linen closet by:
• Putting sheets in each bedroom closet shelf where they are used.
• Storing towels on shelves above the toilet or storing under the sink.
• Giving away mismatched towels, rags, and blankets you never use, or relegating them to the garage as rags.
Now use the linen closet as a hall closet and store things you’ve never had room for—bulk purchases of items, craft or photo supplies, vacuum cleaner, suitcases, sleeping bags, or a memory for each child.
The linen closet has great potential to house your new projects once you ruthlessly go through and get rid of items that are no longer a part of your life. Take them to charity and create new purposes for the space.
For example, my client Kathy loved making Creative Memory scrapbooks, but the photos and products were in clear plastic boxes cluttering the floor in her home office. She solved the problem by emptying her linen closet and reorganizing her Creative Memories box containers to fit. Now her home office is clean, the clutter in the linen closet is gone, and her scrapbooking supplies are readily available whenever she needs them.
Lighten Up and Let Go
Bathrooms are notorious for collecting unused shampoos, soaps, hair, and makeup products. Remember, less is more in a bathroom. Be sure to discard old items when you replace them with a newer or better product. Don’t let unused toiletries create long-term clutter problems in the shower, bathtub, or medicine cabinet.
Medications should be sorted regularly to be sure they haven’t passed their expiration dates. If they have, flush them down the toilet or take them back to your pharmacist for disposal. When you need to renew a prescription, call immediately so you have a day or two to pick it up.
Bathroom Checklist
____ 1. Are countertops clear except for the back one-third of useful items?
____ 2. Are cabinet shelves uncluttered and streamlined?
____ 3. Do the drawers have dividers, and does everything have a place?
____ 4. Are cleaning supplies and other items in containers and easy to use?
____ 5. Do I have minimum cleaning supplies for maximum cleanup?
____ 6. Are linen closet shelves holding useful items and decorative edges facing forward?
____ 7. Are excess towels and sheets gone?
____ 8. Are all medications current and useful?
____ 9. Are old items tossed when replaced with new ones?
____ 10. Is the bathroom functional and inviting?
Tips from “The Decorating Coach,” Susan Wells
For amazing impact, mount a 24” x 30” picture on a blank wall. A small print by itself will float aimlessly. Give it profile by combining with a grouping of complementary hangings.
The softness and shape of towels will offset the coldness of the tub, tile, and sink. Indulge in a set of fluffy new ones. Layer them, folds to the front, over the toilet tank or on a shelf. Install an extra towel bar and wrap guest towels with raffia or ribbon.
For that “spa effect,” display a collection of soaps, creams, and oils in an attractive bowl or basket. At least one color should flow through all these elements.
Manage It Simply
Here are some tips to help you keep your newly organized bathroom in great shape:
• Anything you purchase as a liquid, such as makeup, nail polish, or shampoo, is yours. You can’t give it away to a charity or anyone else. So make sure all those toiletries you spend good money on are your favorites and ones you love to use.
• Dentists recommend that you purchase a new toothbrush every six months. To remember to do this, give yourself a new toothbrush as a birthday gift and six months later on your half birthday. Also, replace your toothbrush anytime you’ve had a virus, such as strep throat, to avoid recontamination.
• There are more bathroom cleaners available than people can try. Line up all your cleaning supplies for the bathroom and put them in priority order of what you use most. Then streamline the group by testing to see which ones can accomplish cleaning several surfaces at once. Can your countertop and sink cleaner also be used to wipe down fixtures? Which one cleaner works for your shower walls or toilet bowl? It’s best to keep a window cleaner and dry towel in each bathroom in case you have unexpected company and need to do a quick cleanup. If you keep the bathroom counter and floor clean, your guests will say, “My, your house is so clean!” And it actually is!
Review: The CALM Bathroom Approach
Create a Plan
Countertops first
Cabinets and drawers second
Linen closet third
Approach It by Sections
Get your supplies for sorting: trash, donate, or put away.
Spend only fifteen minutes per drawer or shelf.
Speed sort by deciding aloud about each item, “Keep or go?”
Lighten Up and Let Go
Toss opened and expired items.
Recycle unfinished bottles, jars, rags, or towels.
Give away knickknacks, mismatched towel sets, and unused appliances.
Manage It Simply
Daily—Do a two-minute pickup of bathroom items each morning.
Weekly—Clean the sink, tub/shower, toilet, and floor.
Yearly—Reorganize the bathroom and linen closet, paint and decorate as needed.
The bathroom can be a place of order and tranquility without much work. Keep asking yourself, “What can I get rid of so I will always have a clean bathroom?” The goal is to eliminate clutter and have lots of clear space.
Apply the “One-In, One-Out Rule,” meaning if you bring anything new into your collection, something old has to be removed at the same time. This is a great way to warm up for a full-scale clutter cleanout—and learn basic control.
—DON ASLETT