Saturday, June 2, 2012

Tackling the list - the bathroom getting organized

When I cleared out my mother's house, I found many towels, enough to cover an entire queen bed 2 feet deep.  I sorted through them and gave them to goodwill and relatives, and kept some.  Towels can always be used, and when do you throw them out?  Most bath towels just get a little shaggy but not really worn.

DSC02289


So on my list of petty annoyances, one of the categories that stood out was bathroom related.... 18 items just related to the bathroom, loosely organized by category and some overlapping, and I don't think I've covered everything.  So far the peach highlighted areas have been tackled. The double stars ** are opportunities for sewing projects and using up stash.

Keeping clean
- running out of toilet paper / storing toilet paper **
- the dirty ring left by my Oral B toothbrush, no matter how much I rinse it **
- cleaning makeup brushes after every use **
- the way using makeup can quickly lead to counter top clutter
- Soap and the way it melts
- dirty bathroom counter top (the clutter just makes it harder to clean and move and tedious)

Lack of useful storage /too much stuff
- how large mouthwash bottles are... and ugly.
- bathroom counter top littered with "stuff" (everything moved off)
- all of the "appliances" I use, which end up on the counter top (electric toothbrush, water pik, exfoliator) (now on the old toothbrush holder)
- so many towels and storing them **

Things that need to be repaired / fixed
- That damage on one wall when my brother put something very heavy on a hook anchors came out and everything.
- Water spilling over to the bathroom floor every time I use the shower (I have installed curtain clips)
- Need more math mats **
- painting the bathroom cabinet

Impact to the environment  / organization
- being green (which limits some options at being organized in the bathroom, unless I plan) no paper towels or clorox wipes **
- measuring out mouthwash (being green - no paper cups)
- not having the proper tools in the shower when I need them - razor, body wash, pumice stone. (shower is now organized)
- Expensive face towels **
- Not having a place to hang things to dry over the tub (when I do laundry things are hanging everywhere)
- Tripping over the scale **

The pretty and or fun factor
- I could use a new shower curtain and little colorful things to make me happy ( a new soap dish and souvenirs).

Now I could just not let these things bother me, but I always feel better when I walk into an uncluttered bathroom, I want it to be my sanctuary, and more importantly easy to clean.

Here are the first changes.
Shower
            So here's the shower with everything I ever need all in it's place. I'm already feeling better.


Here are all of the devices that I use on my teeth 2-3x a day. I've already used this layout for two days and it seems to work, but one day, I'll have to replace the now obsolete toothbrush holder with a flat shelf that it's
sitting on with one just an inch longer or so.


The mouth
 
sink counterAs you can see I don't have a lot of counter space, but I treated myself to a new soap dish, and the q-tips don't fit in the medicine cabinet so they stay out. Below there is less space, but  managed to include some souvenirs from a trip that make me happy. toilet counter

Here's to hoping the bathroom organization spills out into the other rooms....

2 comments:

Mary said...

Ha! I have done the same thing this spring. I installed shelving in the bathroom and put all my various potions up there. I put mouthwash into an olive oil dispenser from kitchenware. Toothbrushes reside in a glass, which is used for mouthwash and rinsing. I need to tackle under the sink now.

ELMO said...

Oh you're so good, isn't it nice to be organized? Under the sink is going to be brutal, I store a lot of things I don't use daily in plastic containers.