Bathroom Organization

While I admit that there is nothing shocking about the way my bathroom was, it was the consistency of the clutter that frustrated me the most. I often found it difficult to clear the cabinets when company came because there is nowhere to put the random things that would pile up on the cabinet. I have heard many times, “store it where you use it”. Allow me to state the obvious, which was for me the key to organizing my bathroom. “Don’t store it where you don’t use it.” I had a lot of things under here that are now more appropriately in storage. Things like

• ten lotion containers
• sitz bath that I only use right after childbirth
• unopened cleaning agents
• spa bath products that I almost never use
• extra toothpaste
• hotel extras like shampoo, lotion, and soap

We have a bathroom downstairs with a closet we have barely used the whole time we have lived here. Now these items are downstairs where I still have easy access to them when I need them, but they are no longer taking up valuable real estate in our primary bathroom. I have to wonder why I didn’t do this a long time ago.

"Before"

"After"

The cabinet is for items I use all the time. Next to the trash can in the #10 can are cloth wipes. This is a prime example of “store it where you use it.” When I use disposable diapers, I use disposable wipes, but I love cloth wipes for cloth. At first I made my own wet wipe solutions with tea tree oil and water, but I went through them so fast it was a chore I was always getting behind in. Finally I just got them wet when I needed them. I found it took too many steps to go to the changing table, take a wipe, go to the bathroom and wet it, and then go back again to the changing table to change a diaper. Now I simply come to the sink and wet them here, and take the baby and wipe to the changing table. When I put away diapers I bring the can with me. Perhaps my sense of home décor has something to be desired, but this is organizing at its finest! The rubbing alcohol also has a place of prominence because I use it for all of the misses doing elimination communication. Speaking of which, in the before picture you see Helen’s infant potty. She’s six months old and we don’t use it anymore, so it is in storage where we won’t miss it at all until our next baby comes!

The cupboard is a place for the things we use every day. Everything else had to leave. Well, everything but the bubbles that I blow when Peter takes a bath, since we lost the lid to it! Gone is the contact solution since I now prefer glasses. Gone are all of the hair accessories. The things that cluttered the cabinet now have a place here.

Here is my favorite thing I did to felicitate organization in our bathroom. The sliding drawers were in place before we bought the house and I’ve always loved them. Now they are put to even better use. On this side we put our first aid supplies in the back, and in front are two clear tubs from the dollar store, one for Michael, one for me. In mine you will find hair accessories, a hand mirror, contact solution, and make up. Michael has his razor case and re-charging stand, his mouth guard for Kung Fu, Listerine (I can’t stand the stuff!), and other miscellaneous bathroom things. Now when I want to mad-dash* the bathroom, I am actually supposed to just throw everything in a container. I love this.
*a term we used growing up in a family of 11 kids which means “QUICK!! Somebody’s coming, clean it up NOW!!

This side contains bathroom essentials that we use regularly, but not necessarily often. In the back is our travel bag with travel essentials already in it. Here are some other helpful articles for the bathroom;
Organize your Bathroom in Three Steps
iVilliage bathroom organization (chosen for the video).
Unique ways to organize your bathroom