BETTER LIVING: 10 Steps to De-Cluttering Your Bathroom
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Soon our houses will be filling up with returning college kids, or holiday guests, so let's take charge of the territory sooner rather than later. Stop number one: the bathroom.
Conquering clutter in the bathroom is not as easy as it sounds, especially if you’re a ‘product junkie’ like me - but it can be done. Here's my method for getting your WC neat as can be.
Start with the medicine cabinet.
• Old medications may not only be causing clutter, they can pose a health risk. Toss anything that’s expired. If you have a prescription you never finished – for example, that super-duper strength pain medication you got when you had your wisdom teeth extracted – don’t keep it past its expiration ‘just in case’. Same goes for prescription creams, lotions, and other topical preparations.
• Make sure all current medications are clearly labeled, and out of reach of children.
• Never keep face creams, liquid makeup, cleansers or toners for more than one year from the date you opened them. The chances of bacterial contamination increase dramatically if these products are stored too long. Powder makeup, like eye shadows, may last a little longer, but mascara should always be replaced after 3-4 months.
Now, tackle the cupboards.
• I know some women who have bottles of shampoo stashed under their sink that have been there, untouched, for months or even years. Most of the time, it’s because they didn’t care for the product, but keep hanging on because to toss it feels like wasting money. Well, the money's already spent, and these lonely bottles are wasting valuable space. If you know someone who might like the product, give it to them: they’ll be thrilled. If not, dump the product, and rinse and recycle the bottles. The bottom line? You should have no more than three kinds of shampoo and conditioner in your bathroom at any one time.
• Styling products often accumulate even faster than shampoos. If you’ve recently changed your style, or if your hair texture has changed (for example, if you’ve started coloring), don’t hang on to your old products. Again, swapping products with friends is a great idea.
• If they’re of the non-toxic green variety (and for your health, they should be!), your bathroom cleaners can be stored pretty much anywhere. If they’re of the conventional variety, cleaners must be properly stored so they don’t contaminate other items under your sink. Powdered abrasives like Comet or Ajax should be stored in plastic bags to avoid spills. Liquids must be tightly capped. Better yet, don’t store cleaners in your bathroom at all.
• Once you’ve purged your cupboards, it’s time to put everything back inside. Separate items by using plastic or wicker baskets. Small storage drawers keep small items like hair notions, nail clippers and tweezers neat. Risers (they look almost like steps) make items at the back of cupboards visible and easy to reach.
And as for the rest of the loo…
• If you’re storing spare towels in the bathroom, make sure that they’re protected from the damp created by baths and showers. A space saver or corner cabinet with doors is a good option.
• Keep excess décor out of the bathroom. With so much moisture in the air, bathrooms are prone to mildew and molds, and superfluous items make cleaning even more difficult.
• Keep a separate stash of products for each bathroom. A spare roll of toilet paper, an extra box of tissues, a clean hand towel, a spare bottle or bar of hand soap, and other necessities should be stored in every bathroom, so you or your guests don’t run out of them at an inopportune moment.
Once you’ve discovered what you need in your bathroom – and what you don’t – endeavor to keep on keeping organized. Return items to their designated space once you’re done using them, and schedule time to ‘deep clean’ your cupboards, medicine cabinets, and shelves at least twice a year. When you know what you have on hand, you’re less likely to buy duplicates, and that saves you money. Above all, stick to the system you’ve created.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCandita Clayton is the founder of Your Life Organized and author of Clean Your Home Healthy. Visit her online, here.
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