Organizing Small Spaces: Bathroom, Laundry, Entry, Linen and Other Closets

Now that the kids are out of school, why not tackle some of those pesky home organizing projects that you were just too busy to tackle amidst school and extra-curricular activities. There are many smaller spaces in your home that, (like bathrooms, linen closets, and entryways), once organized, can add time to your day and make your home run much smoother once things get busy again in the fall. In the next several blog posts, I’ll talk about bathrooms, linen closets, entryways and laundry rooms. Up first is the bathroom:

BEAUTIFUL BATHROOMS

The bathroom surely gets a workout each day. Get it organized with this easy-to-follow process.

INVENTORY, SORT AND PURGE
To start your bathroom organizing project, take an inventory of all the items housed there. What may be a more important question to ask is what you feel SHOULD be housed in the bathroom. Answering this question helps you make decisions about moving items to another space that you deem don’t need to be stored in a bathroom.

Start by removing everything from each space – under sink, drawers, linens, etc. And I do mean EVERYTHING! You will be much more ruthless in your purging decisions when everything has been removed for the space.

Sort them into categories, such as medical, hair care, body cleansers, shaving, tooth care, cosmetics, paper products, cleaning supplies and the goes elsewhere items. Having a trash can close by is a must.

Once everything is grouped together like with like, you’ll see where you have duplicates, (and once organized, you’ll avoid overbuying the next time you run out to the store.) Now is also the time to toss expired medications, sunscreens, cosmetics, and anything you no longer use (do you really need three curling irons or 15 hand towels past-their-prime? What about the 20 miniature-sized travel shampoos?) Now you have a true vision of your bathroom’s current storage needs.

SET UP STORAGE
Some things are shared items, while others may belong to a specific person.  Take into account the available space in your medicine cabinet, vanity drawers, and under-sink storage, as well as in your linen closet. If you need to add storage, consider installing shelving on a wall or a free-standing storage cabinet above the toilet, or under sink. I love using portable shelves to use dead space in cabinets under sinks. As you place items, group them into categories, and/or assign a specific home for each member of the household. For example, each person could have one drawer, one basket on the shelf, or one toteable caddy. If you’re grouping by category, you could use baskets, bins, or specific areas on your shelves for easy locating. I love using portable helper shelves in cabinets under bathroom sinks and other similar places like under kitchen sinks. The image featured is a small size, but these shelves come in Small, Medium and Large and expandable. Be sure to label so that everyone knows where to find necessities.

Add hooks behind the door or on the wall so everyone has a place to hang towels. I like the sets of hooks that you can hang over a door (no nailing into walls or doors and the over the door row of hooks is portable). All of these additional storage options are making use of vertical storage.

And while you’re at it color code the towels and toothbrushes by family member so that there’s no “ownership confusion.”

If you purchase paper products in bulk, store the excess in an out-of-the-way area, such as the laundry room, hall closet, or garage or basement cabinet, keeping only a week’s worth in the bathroom. Replenish as needed.

KEEP IT CLEAN AND SAFE

Make sure that the garbage can is easy to access and large enough for at least a couple of day’s worth of trash. Consider an additional small basket to catch recyclables in the bathroom. Many communities recycle plastics (such as shampoo and body wash bottles) and cardboard (such as toilet paper tubes and the boxes that toothpaste, soap, and cosmetics often come in). You’ll be surprised how many recyclables you generate! Keep the bathroom safe for the little ones by storing medications and bathroom cleaning products out of their reach. (Many medications lose effectiveness in the bathroom humidity, so consider placing them in another room.)

Finally, remember that counters are easier to clean and look best when uncluttered by oodles of bottles, tubes, and boxes. Keep only a bottle of hand soap and lotion on the countertop, plus a decorative element like a plant or small vase of fresh flowers. And if you wish, add a small clock to keep you on time. This clear and lovely space will give you inspiration to keep the bathroom neat and tidy throughout the day!

Originally posted 2010-06-11 15:08:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related posts:

1. Organizing Small Spaces – Lovely Organized Laundry Rooms
2. Organizing Small Spaces – 7 Tips for Engaging and Functional Entryways
3. How to Avoid the Linen Closet Avalanche
4. Quick Garage Organizing Tips
5. Simplified Spaces is the SAVE on EVERSAVE Indianapolis TODAY!