I use a zone plan when organizing my home. This month I concentrate on the bathrooms and linen closet.
Most bathrooms are small but are also heavily used with many items stored there. Bathrooms can get disorganized and cluttered easily if there is not a shared vision and plan for using the space. To keep clutter at a minimum, only store here what you use daily.
Take a good look at the storage space you have available. What areas are overcrowded? Some of what you are currently storing in the bathrooms may actually be stored somewhere else. In small bathrooms, only store what you need daily or each week, and then if there is room, add other items.
The medicine cabined in a bathroom is not a good place to store medicines. Moisture and heat can ruin some medicines. Medicines can go in bins or on a shelf in the linen closet or kitchen. Use the medicine cabinet, drawers, or space under your sink to store items that you use regularly like daily grooming supplies. Small baskets or bins are great for makeup and hair supplies. The medicine cabinet may hold toothpaste, dental needs, deodorant, some q tips and cotton balls. Hair dryers, curling irons, gels, sprays, and other hair items can be stored in a container under your sink or in an over the door hanging bag. An extra roll of toilet paper and personal hygiene items can store under the sink.
If you have drawers, designate each drawer as a container for like items. One drawer can hold everyday makeup, one hair products, etc.
As you are sorting through your beauty products, consolidate partial bottles and get rid of any items you no longer are using or items past their expiration date.
Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, and a wash cloth can be stored in a shower caddie inside your shower or tub. Extra back up supplies do not need to be stored in your bathroom.
If you are lucky enough to have a linen closet, keep your extra towels, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, and medicines here. Consider storing your medicines by type and placing them in separate bins. One bin might hold outdoor items like sunscreen, bug spray, or Benadryl. Another might hold pain medicine and cold/allergy medicine. Still another could have first aid supplies. As you sort through your medicines, get rid of the expired ones. Dispose of them responsibly. (http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm101653.htm)
As you organize your linen closet, get rid of excess items. Do you really need 5 partial bottles of body oil, 6 sample soaps, and those free samples that came in the mail? How many towels, sheets, and extra blankets do you really need?
If you don’t have a linen closet, use towel hooks, over the toilet shelving, or baskets to store extra bath towels, wash cloths, and toilet paper.
When you have your bathroom organized, then work out a maintenance schedule to keep it under control. Next year, when you revisit this zone, it will be an easier process.
To learn more about my Zone Plan click on http://timespaceorg.com/services/.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer