Organizing Your Bathroom - Bottles, Bottles, and More Bottles

Before we know it, something we bought yesterday has been sitting there for years. To keep products from overtaking our space, weed out things you do not use, group similar items together, find appropriate storage for them, and define a place for them.

One of the first steps in managing your bathroom is to break it down into sections. Think of a section, by the kind of tasks you do in each area.

Ask yourself...
What do I use, where, and how often?
Am I likely to use it again? Is it just adding to the clutter?
Could someone else use it that is less fortunate?

Move through the bathroom one section at a time. Start with the one that annoys you the most. Study the tips below.

1) Large bottles out on the counter (creams, hair products, soaps, etc)

• Eliminate bottles that you bought, used briefly, but haven't touched in a long time.
• If your counter is full of products, consider using a caddy like the one pictured to create a shelf on the counter for the taller items. It is great for pump dispensers and hair products.
• If the large bottles are to handle, consider buying smaller quantities. The advantage is they are easier to lift, store, and you can try new products more often without wasting much.

2) Shower

• Remove any items you aren't using.
• There are many caddy's available for storing items in the shower. Some hang from the shower head, some suction to the walls or door.
• If you use liquid soap and a spongy thing on a string, buy a plastic suction cup and hook and hang it on the wall or shower door.

3) Medicine

• Throw away all expired products.
• Remove anything you are likely to not use again.
• Write on them what they were prescribed for.
• Group the medications by category: creams (then by hand, foot, lip, etc), cold, allergy, prescriptions, pain relievers
• If you do not have a medicine cabinet or drawer, use containers or plastic drawers as a way to group your medicines.
• Keep frequently used items nearby.

4) Organizing your hair accessories (barrettes, pony tail holders, scrunchies, etc)

• Group the items that are similar and then store them in Ziplocs, plastic drawers, or plastic trays.
• Thin out your collection to the ones you really use. If you used to have long hair and think you may again some day, pick your favorites and get rid of the rest.
• You may be able to donate some accessories to your hair stylist.

5) Makeup, Makeup, Makeup

• Use trays or plastic drawers to manage your makeup.
• Group the similar items (i.e. eye, lip, foundations)
• Makeup has a relatively short shelf life, so check with the brand you use to see if you should replace the items you have.
• If you like those freebies, donate the unused items.

6) Hotel Travel Size Freebies

• Keep only the items you really like and will use.
• There are many shelters that would be happy to use donated toiletries. Collect them in a bag and periodically donate them. This is also a good fundraiser for events.
• Next time you are traveling, don't bring the freebies home unless you will really use them.
• If you keep some around for guests, be realistic about the amount you need.

7) Storage

• As you bring in new towels, remove the old ones. Keep some in the laundry room or garage for projects, but don't most of them.
• When designing bathroom sink areas, put the sink closer to the toilet and the drawers on the other side. This allows you to store toilet paper within reach under the sink.
• If you by in bulk, store the back stock in extra cabinet space in the bathroom, linen closet, or garage. Do not buy too much as your taste may change or the items may lose their potency.

Tip - Friends can make cleaning out your closet much easier

If you need to pick up your room or clean out your closet, have a friend come over to chat with you while you do it. They help the time pass and can also help you decide which clothes to keep or donate.

Have you heard of a clothing swap? It's a party with your friends to trade clothing. Each person brings a few items from their closet that they no longer want and the items either go home with the other people or get donated.

Tip - The Miracle of Music

Does music motivate you? Next time you need to clean the kitchen, try putting on some fun music.

Tip - Small realistic doable goals!

Are you overwhelmed by the clutter in your home?
Does it feel impossible to manage? No matter how hard you try, the papers keep piling.

Here are two tips that will help you succeed.
1) Think... baby steps or small realistic steps
2) Create a threshold, check in, or time frame in which to focus and take care of the clutter.


Challenge: Keeping Your Desk Clean
Most of us when we have a task looming in the back of our minds day in and day out are thinking too big. So big in fact, it deters us from making strides to complete the task. How many times have you looked at your desk and said, "I still need to do that", "my desk is driving me crazy", "I can never keep it clean, even when I try, it gets dirty again."

Solution:
SET ASIDE A TIME of day or a regular interval in which you check in with the status of your desk and make small improvements. For some people, it might work to set aside time Sunday night. You might decide that the first sunday of the month at 9pm you will work on your desk a little bit.

SMALL REALISTIC GOALS
For most people, the goal of clearing entirely will not work. If your desk has 4 drawers, trackle one drawer each Sunday. Since you will be revisiting it regularly, it will keep in check and take less and less time to do.

If we wait months or years, we get overwhelmed and our fear builds. Keeping after it, we only have to manage the "surface layer" which can be done quickly.

Imagine you are having guests over at the last minute and it only takes you 10 minutes to straighten up your desk or the kitchen counters. Remember SET TIME ASIDE and SMALL REALISTIC GOALS and you will be amazed at the result.

Summer Tip: Container for outdoor toys

As the weather get warmer and the outdoor toys begin to find their way outside, consider buying some type of container to store them in.

Here are some choices:
1) plastic/resin chests
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_fe_l_2_126927011_6/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&node=304850011
(Target : Patio + Garden : Patio Furniture : Storage Benches + Boxes )
2) large plastic containers
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AV5MFM
(Target : Storage + Organization : Plastic Totes : Ultra Latch Storage Boxes - 4 Piece Set (116-qt.) )

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Mom's don't always want monetary gifts, think about what you can do that will make her happy.

Has she asked you to pick up your room or another part of the house?
Are there projects she has been waiting for you to do?
Has it been years since you lived in the house and yet you still have stuff there taking up space that your mom could use for other things (i.e. a hobby, office, new clothes, guest room, exercise room)? Does your bedroom look exactly as it did when you left?

Surprise her by tackling some of the projects she has been asking for.

For those of you who haven't taken the time to clean out your bedroom at your parent's house...
Consider what real estate costs today. Is it fair to leave your room as a shrine and not help your parents by cleaning it out and allowing them to use it? Next time you are home, take a look at what you have in the room.

Most likely there are some things that remind you of experiences you had. Decide whether they are items you have kept for the memory or if the item itself is really important to you. If you have kept things for the memory, consider taking a picture and then getting rid of the items. It is the memory that is important, not the object. If the object is really important to you, take it with you to where you are living now. You can't honor it and enjoy it if you can't see it.

If you want to buy a gift, consider what she has been needing or wanting. Does she need more storage? Does she want a place to sort the mail? Does she have adequate file space? Is she having trouble reaching things in the kitchen? Research some solutions for her or give her a gift certificate for a place she will enjoy.

Moving - Change of Address Checklist

If you move pretty often, it is useful to maintain a list of all the institutions you need to contact to change your address.