It’s here. The beginning of a brand spanking New Year. The time when so many of us turn our thoughts to getting organized, because let’s face it, January and organizing go together like Lucy and Ethel.
This month is a busy one in blogland, full of fabulous organizing tips that kinda made me wonder if I have anything new to add to the conversation. Then I realized that yup, I do, simply because I’m NOT a professional organizer, but just a regular person like you who has gone through two moves in as many years and most recently combined two households into one. Oh, and the one we are in now is more than 700 sq. ft. smaller than our previous home, so I’ve learned a few things along the way.
Whatever areas of your home that have been driving you nuts, chances are you’re giving some thought to doing something about it right about now. Maybe it isn’t the first time you’ve tried to get organized. I’m willing to bet it isn’t. But for some reason, things never work out. You pick up a book or a magazine that promises to get you organized in ‘ten easy steps’. Sounds like a plan, right? Wrong. Yeah, it’s a good plan as long as it meets YOUR needs.
Let me tell you a little story. There was once a British soldier by the name of Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore (1761-1809). He happened to be well known for his innovative approach to training. He was stationed at a camp where new buildings were being constructed and the architect asked him where the paths should go. The General replied ‘wait a few months and see where the men walked, then put the paths there’.
So what does this have to do with organizing? A lot. I’ve set up way too many organizing systems that failed because they didn’t work with my lifestyle, and I’m confident you have too. If you take one thing away from this post, take this:
Your path is unique to you and only you. If you have a ton of hair products that you use every day, find a place to store them that’s easy to get to. Putting them somewhere ‘out of the way’ just for the sake of making everything look pretty won’t work. Now, that’s not to say you can’t find a functional and attractive way to store everything, but always consider HOW YOU LIVE when developing organizing systems. If you have a tendency to take off your shoes right by the door, then don’t go putting a shoe cubby for your shoes in another room simply because you won’t like the way it might look by the front door. Maybe you won’t, but I guarantee you’ll like a bunch of shoes piled up even less, and that’s exactly what will end up happening. FOLLOW YOUR PATH, and you’ll be much more successful in your attempts at organizing.
Up until less than three years ago, we lived in the same house for 26 years. That’s 26 years of accumulation. Stuff in our large attic, our shed and our garage. For several of those 26 years, we had a weekend home, so we basically had two of everything. During the last two years, we’ve moved twice. Once to a rental, and once to our weekend home, which is now our only home. So I’m no stranger to decluttering, purging and organizing.
Let’s get to it.
When you stand at the door of our bathroom, this is what you see. This is what it looks like ALL THE TIME and not because I’m a neat freak (even though I kinda am) but to show you that when you have the right kind of organizing systems in place, it’s super easy to keep things tidy. I spend almost zero time organizing on a day to day basis. I simply put things back where they belong after I use them! Seriously, how hard is that??!
I’m not a huge fan of items on the counter, unless YOUR PATH demands it. On the left is our double vanity (you can only see my sink in this picture) with three drawers in the center and a cabinet for each of us. On the right side are two cabinets, which provide fantastic storage and take up very little space.
This wood cabinet I purchased at HomeGoods shortly after we purchased the cabin 9 years ago and it’s a work horse.
Except for the top drawer, the drawers are pretty deep so I keep my taller bottles stored in here. Stuff like bubble bath, shampoo, hairspray, etc. Mostly things that are extra that I don’t use every day.
This other cabinet, one of my favorite thrifted finds, houses lots of smaller items. Extra skin care, soaps, medicine, etc.
Again, most days I never have to open this cabinet. It’s typically used for storing extras. Now I understand that your bathroom might be the size of a broom closet and you might not think you have the space for one extra cabinet, much less two, but I bet you’re wrong. I bet you’re only utilizing half the available space you have, if that.
Don’t believe me? Send me a picture of your bathroom and I’ll prove it to you. Double dare ya’.
So…here’s ‘our path’. The area where we keep the items we use every day, or almost every day.The medicine cabinet houses the items we use often like toothbrushes, deodorant, powder, cologne, etc.
The top drawer is mine. This is where I keep my makeup and toothpaste. I’ve divided up the products by type, i.e., lipstick items in one tray, brushes in another, powders in another, mascara and concealers in another and so on. If you share your bathroom with someone else, it’s great if you can have separate drawers and/or cabinets. If not, I recommend having designated areas that perhaps can be divided with the use of baskets or trays.
The middle drawer, which is deeper than the top drawer, is Fisherman’s. Except for the shared hair dryer, everything in here is his.
The bottom drawer is where I keep extra cotton balls, makeup sponges, and some nail care supplies. I don’t need these items on a day to day basis which is why they’re in the bottom drawer.
Cotton balls are an item I use everyday so I keep them easily accessible, and as a bubble bath gal, I just couldn’t resist this storage solution!
Under my sink is where I keep cleaning supplies, a garbage pail, extra tissue boxes and toilet paper.
*Tip* Use laminated placemats on the bottom of under sink cabinets in your bathrooms and kitchen. They also are great in the fridge.
Fisherman keeps some of the same things but also liquid soap and some personal products have found their way under here. Huummmmmm…maybe that’s because I have both storage cabinets and two drawers?
Tucked away in the far left corner is where we store our sheets and towels. I made this curtain to cover it up because I’m kind of anal that way, but there would be nothing wrong with keeping this area exposed, especially if you can keep things reasonably neat.
The towels, since they’re changed out fairly often, are stored in baskets, but the sheets are stored in covered containers and labeled ‘summer sheets’ or ‘winter sheets’. We don’t have a lot of sheet sets. I’m a firm believer you really don’t need more than two, but I do like flannel sheets in the winter so that brings our sheet sets to a grand total of four (two for each season).
Now here’s my number 1 tip for bathroom organizing:
BE RUTHLESS ABOUT WHAT YOU KEEP!
The only reason I have so much ‘stuff’ is because I have the space. Some of the things you see in my drawers and cabinets were my daughter’s, but when she moved to Singapore a lot of things stayed behind. I could easily scale down at least 30-50% of what I have and not miss it.
Oh, and here’s a bonus tip: If you absolutely, positively must keep items on your counter, place them on a tray for easy removal when it’s time for cleaning.
In other news…
Next time I will show you how I organized one of the most important rooms in our home and probably yours too, the kitchen! I’ll also be sharing some organizing products I love and my all time favorite organizing tips.
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Luanne says
Doreen I love this post. I am an organizer and must confess sometimes it was not practical for our path. I can’t wait to see your ideas for the kitchen.
Carrie@northwoods scrapbook says
I love this Doreen! This is the kick in the butt inspiration I needed!! I have been meaning to organize my bathroom drawers like this for ages. I love all of your tips and how you set everything up. 2015 – the year of the bathroom I say! I have no idea what that really means. Lol However, I’m fully intentioned to finally get that project crossed off of my list, so thanks for the inspiration my Friend. xo
PS: Your bathroom is so cute! I love all of the wood…and I saw stained glass ((swoon))
SharonFromMichigan says
You are so right! I can’t tell you how much time and money I have spent on “organizing solutions” that looked pretty in the store, but did not fit in with my “path” and didn’t work out at all. I also love the path story – it makes so much sense!!! You almost make me want to open that closet door in my bathroom and start organizing! (Maybe if I get stuck at home because of the snow, I shall tackle that monster project)
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
WOW ! 🙂
This was very interesting ! Then again, I was chuckling a bit because my bathroom has gone back to the days when I had kids every day. As I do now in the mornings…back to dealing with goopy blue kids toothpaste in the sink and all of that other cleanup that they leave elsewhere…..
What goes around comes around, lol…deja vu here
cathy@my1929 Charmer says
I envy the size of your bathroom, ours is ever so small. Inside there are no cabinets, anywhere! So organizing is impossible since there’s nothing to organize with. There’s not even room to have a hamper in there, so we plan on doing a remodel, but then everything else gets in the way. You do have some great ideas and only wish i could use them, maybe one day soon!
kelly says
Your bathroom is very organized! I like all the dividers you use in your drawers. I’m guilty of just throwing things in drawers and then digging through them to find something later. I do have things out on my counter but they are corralled into a bin that I can pick up. The thing that helped me the most was to just throw away all of the extra things I had accumulated over the the years that I wasn’t using anymore. You know how we hate to throw out lotions and shampoos that we only used half the bottle before moving on to a different brand? Anyway, just by doing that has helped me out the most.
Vickie says
I could probably cut my makeup time in half if I wasn’t hunting for items in my makeup bag every morning! I need to put my things in a drawer like you’ve done!
Feral Turtle says
WOW! That looks amazing. You are living my dream! I can hardly wait to see the kitchen post!
Danni@SiloHillFarm says
When I renovated my house, I didn’t even put a counter in my bathroom because I can’t stand “stuff” on a vanity top! I do wish I were as organized as you and I love your tips. Maybe now I’ll get started on that!
Jane says
This is very helpful, Doreen, because our main bathroom is teensy weensy and only has a small vanity and medicine chest. The other bath is rarely used but has tons of storage space so I’m trying to figure out a way to store everything by convenience. I also have a linen closet that I seem to be cleaning out every six months. It’s one of those deals where you pull something out from the bottom of a stack and everything goes to hell. I literally have to lean on the door to close it tight.
I love your tips…the placemats on the floors of the vanities. Bingo! And you are so right…the cabinet you bought really is a workhorse, I just wish I had the room for one. I posted a picture of our main bath in my Year In Review Part 1. If you have time to take a look, you can see the dilemma I have. I think a good start would be to throw out my husband’s old cologne that he never wears!
Hope you are loving the sunshine! 🙂
Jane x
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
Your bathroom is adorable and really organised!
Vicky Hunt says
Love this Doreen! I’m a naturally neat and tidy person too and love to organize! I think it’s fun. And since I am a teacher too, I get to use mu organizing skills at school too where I have so much to keep up with. I love your cotton balls in the little tub…too cute! I keep cotton balls, q-tips, and flossers is apothecary jars on a tray on the counter. I love the look. It’s the simple things…:) Have a blessed weekend!
Hugs, Vicky
Julie says
I love how neat and organized your bathroom is Doreen. I think it is great organizing the house for the new year. Hope you are having fun.
Julie
Linda Chapman says
I LOVE it!!!! I just love the rustic look!!! I need to do some of these things!!!!
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
You have always been such a great organizer…I love using drawer dividers in my bathroom drawers for makeup and such,but you take it a level above and beyond!….
Pinky at Designs by Pinky says
This was very helpful. I am in organizing mode too! We have very little storage (exceot in the basement), our closets are VERY small. I just might send you a pic of our bathroom, there really is NO space for a cabinet. I do have a cabinet over the toilet for extra shampoo, conditioner etc. TP, and tissue boxes are in a cabinet in the landry room. Luckily I have a make up table so can do that there. Thanks and I look forward to the kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carol says
Thanks for the tips- I like the tray idea for easy removal when cleaning.
We alloted the entire month of January to the kitchen and what we have done so far makes us happy. Today we are working on a couple of drawers.
Vashti Quiroz-Vega says
Hi Doreen! Great advice in the beginning about letting your path appear. That makes so much sense. Like you, I too moved from a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house to a 2/2 house. I’m loving my new cottage style house but I have so much stuff! This post is a huge help to me. Looking forward to your kitchen organizing post. 😀
Sue says
You bet you have something to offer. Love all the bathroom organization photos you shared and enjoyed seeing your unique cabinets.
Amy @ StowandTellU says
You may not be a professional organizer, but you should be!! Don’t know how many times I have organized waaaayy off my beaten path, lol.
Pinky at Designs by Pinky says
I just started following you!
Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes says
Very inspiring, Doreen! I am in awe of your ability to keep things clutter-free on a day-to-day basis. When I left my job, I organized like a mad woman, but I have a tendency to pile things up, and then put everything away. I like the idea of all of the baskets, etc., you used. I’m going to give your method a try!
Poppy says
How adorable is that mini bathtub filled with cotton balls?! Makes me feel like jumping right into that fluffiness, floating away on that porcelain vessel to foamy luxury! Your savvy organizational skills have added to this already pretty and spacious bathroom, Doreen, and the rustic loveliness must be a little haven to escape to on cold, grey days!
Thanks for sharing all your know-how; now all I have to do is implement it into my own not so neatly tucked away niches!
xoxo
Poppy
Jemma says
Doreen,
This is an amazing and well organized bathroom! I just know it feels so good to have everything in it’s place and so accessible. Love the little tub with the faux bubbles.
Thank you for your visit last evening. It is my sincere pleasure to know Dewena and to be inspired by a woman of such character and beauty inside and out.
Thank you too for your gracious compliment-I do have a true passion and respect for the good life that God has given me.
Warmest Wishes for a beautiful weekend,
Jemma
Dewena says
I just had to come back to this post when I began reading your kitchen post. So glad I did. First, I got a little sidetracked simply by how unique your pretty cabin bathroom is! And by thinking about what path mine is and whether I’m following it, I’m sure never as much as I can. What a great story that idea originates from!
Seeing your storage solutions does make the whole thing more doable. You really have it all worked out there. I’ll look at mine today and see what ideas it triggers. I have to admit it does help that R.H. doesn’t share my bathroom now as his path is keep it out where he can instantly see and pick it up. I’m not sure he would put away his stuff in the designated storage place!
But less excuse now for me not too, right? Off to see what you did in the kitchen now!
Tuula @ The Thrifty Rebel says
Oh my gosh… you are so organized. Your bathroom is lovely. I’ve never thought about my path before when it comes to organizing but it makes sense. Thanks for some great tips!
Far Side of Fifty says
Great post and tips! I really enjoyed it. I haven’t spring cleaned my bathroom yet, I already use many of your ideas. I came over from the Over 40 group:)
Laura says
Thanks so much for sharing all of your great organizing tips. I really need them. xo Laura to40’s
Donna@Living From Happiness says
Popping over From Over Bloggers….wow I love the bathroom and I had to chuckle as we just recently purged after living here 10 years….I have a big deep basket on our counter between our sinks and it looks great. We are counter people and have stuff on our counters but neatly. And we utilize our double vanity and closet. We have a separate linen closet in the hall. I too like it all to be organized….oh and as an aside we actually use flannels all year round…we find them cozy and not hot at all although we do have air conditioning. Great post Doreen.
Doreen says
Hi Donna! So happy you stopped by :). Glad you liked the post!
I know lots of people who use flannels all year round, and yet there are others who dislike them even in the winter! Different strokes I guess. We both enjoy being a little cool when we sleep, which serves us well in the winter (we set the thermostat to maybe 59-60) but come summer we need to have ac on.