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Stop Spring Cleaning!
Sit down. Breathe. Put down the mop, bucket, dust cloths, window cleaner and every other cleaning product known to mankind. Take a couple of deep breaths and count to ten. Feel better? Now, put away the Spring Cleaning List you’ve been reading and relax. Just breathe. Its okay, we promise. Yes, we know that spring has sprung, but that doesn’t mean we have to work ourselves into a frenzy cleaning and organizing everything from the attic to the basement and every single space in between within the next week – all because someone, somewhere, told us we were supposed to. There are hundreds of lists telling us the top 100 things to do for spring cleaning, 50 ways to clean our houses from top to bottom in one weekend; and lists telling us hundreds of things to get done ‘right now’. Overwhelmed? Heart palpitations? Feeling of panic? It’s simply too much to process all at once. Bedroom, living room, family room, dining room, basement, and attic……enough already! It’s easy to feel so overwhelmed by the magnitude of tasks to be done, that you give up before even trying. That’s exactly why we broke down that daunting list into small, manageable tasks. Nothing that requires hours upon hours of hard labour and nothing that is unobtainable. Since the bathroom is the most popular space in the house and one that is often seen by guests, we decided to tackle that room first. Let’s face it - between tooth paste, tooth brushes, make-up, hair products, towels, and shampoo bottles, our bathrooms have a tendency to become cluttered and disorganized all too easily. Music has a way of relaxing us and putting us in a good mood so, first things first. Put on your favourite tunes and turn up the volume! Before you know it, time has flown by and your task has been completed. Win-win! We suggest you start by completely emptying the drawers, cupboards, and cabinets. Put all of the contents on the floor (if that works best for you) and start sorting through the ‘stuff’. Purge as you go. How many bottles of shampoo do you have tucked away? Hand cream? Moisturizer? Outdated prescriptions? Cleansing products? Nail polish you haven’t used in years? Old hair brushes? Random Q-tips? Old make-up bags? The list is almost endless, but you get the picture. Get rid of everything you don’t need. Be brutal. You will be amazed at how much space you have been wasting storing old ‘stuff’. Put all of the unwanted items in a garbage bag but don’t tie it up quite yet – you still have to do the counter top. Now, start sorting the ‘keep’ pile by putting like items in separate piles. Hair products in one pile, hair dryers and curling irons/straighteners in another pile, nail clippers and files in another, make-up in another, and so on. Don’t forget a pile for first-aid supplies!
Since we are talking about spring-cleaning, now would be a good time to grab a cloth and dust around the door frames, mirrors, heaters, and baseboards. A quick wipe of the counter tops with a disinfectant disposable cloth and you’re ready to start organizing. Of course, you could also give a spritz of window cleaner to your mirrors and windows if you’re so inclined. (Hint, hint!) Time to organize the bathroom drawers! You can use individual ‘bins’ to store like items, or you can use a plastic cutlery tray that is normally used in kitchens. Decide what works best for you – plastic, wood, baskets? The advantage of using individual bins is that you can purchase the size required to fit perfectly in the drawers.
Were you surprised at all the space in the cabinets underneath the sink? Amazing, right? The trick to organizing that space and keeping it organized is bins. Good, old fashioned plastic bins that you can pick up at your local dollar store for next to nothing. We strongly suggest using plastic bins as there will be fluids stored in them. You can always add a little touch of colour by using shelf lining on the floor of the cabinet. There are numerous colours and styles to choose from, but again, plastic coated is best. Make sure you wipe the cabinet floor before putting down the lining or it won’t stick. Store all cleansers in one bin, and use another bin for hair products, lotions, etc. If you’re lucky enough to be able to fit more bins in the cabinets, you could have a bin for hair appliances, and one for personal grooming items, or, you could use the space to store neatly folded towels and facecloths. Using dividers on either side of the piles will prevent them from falling over and keep things organized.
And now the countertops! Try to keep the countertops as uncluttered as possible. If you need to store your toothbrush on the counter, use a pretty vase or a mason jar decorated with washi tape or a colourful ribbon. Think outside the box. If space is limited, you could use a cake stand, or even a two- tiered tray to store your items on. Try tucking an artificial flower between the items to add a little pop of colour.
Speaking of flowers, nothing beats gorgeous, fresh flowers sitting on the countertops. You could always group the flowers, your toothbrush in its decorative container, and a small candle holder on a tray or picture frame to add a touch of WOW to your bathroom.
You did it! Now it’s time to really crank up your music and dance the dance of joy!
If you still feel uncertain about decluttering and organizing your bathroom, give us a call, send us an email, text, or tweet. We love organizing! If you need us to give you a hand, don't hesitate to contact us. We are professional organizers and organizing is what we love to do. We can help develop a plan that best suits your needs, or we can do the organizing for you. We offer a free 30 minute consultation so give us a call, send us a tweet, or drop us an email and see how we can help Organize Your Chaos!If you want to explore thousands of fun and exciting ways to help organize your life and curb your clutter, check out our Pinterest site and have fun exploring!