If you are working on my zone plan, this is the month to work on your bathrooms. If you have a linen closet, also include it in this zone.
Make the medicine cabinet or drawers under your sink the place where you store items you need and use regularly. This would be your daily grooming supplies. I have an electric razor and charger, deodorant, perfume, lotion, q-tips and cotton balls in small containers, comb and brush, band aids, toothpaste, dental floss, and eye drops.
If you have a small bathroom, medicines can go in bins on a shelf in the linen closet or some families store their medicines in the kitchen. Both places are better than the actual bathroom as moisture and heat can ruin some meds. I sort my medicines according to type and place them in bins. One bin is for outdoors and contains items like bug spray, suntan lotion, Benedryl cream, and Neosporin. Another bin holds Tylenol, aspirin, and cold/allergy medicines. Yet another bin holds larger items like hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and mouthwash.
When sorting medicines, get rid of old expired items. Old pills create clutter and can be dangerous. Not only do some medicines lose their effectiveness over time but they can actually become harmful. Their chemical integrity may be affected, as well as the body’s ability to break them down properly. Dispose of these items safely. Do not toss medicines in the trash and never flush them into our water system. The DEA offers a Prescription Drug Take Back Day which occurs around April. Go to http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/. Click on Got Drugs for more information. Some pharmacies will also take back expired drugs.
Hair dryers, curling irons, gels, sprays, and all items to fix your hair can be housed in a container under your sink. If your space is limited, you might also have a hanging bad on the back of your bathroom door for some of these items. As you organize, toss or donate products that you purchased but are not using.
An extra roll of toilet paper and personal hygiene items as well as some cleaning products can also be stored in the under sink area.
Drawers in the bathroom are a good place to store cosmetics. Sort and categorize your makeup so that you have like with like. For example, all eye products are stored in one compartment. As you sort your cosmetics, throw out items that are expired, do not look right, or that you just don’t like anymore. As I don’t have drawers, I use containers in my linen closet for my cosmetics.
I also use my linen closet for my towels, hand-towels, and wash-cloths. If you don’t have a closet you may use towel hooks or shelving in your bathroom. Over the toilet shelving is a great place to store bath towels and wash-cloths.
The bathroom is usually a small, busy room so keep clutter to a minimum. Keep counters as clear as possible. Store any duplicate items elsewhere or in the back of a deep shelf. Be ruthless about throwing out items. You really don’t need 5 partial bottles of shampoo or 6 sample soaps or that free sample in foil of a shampoo/conditioner that came in the mail.
When you have your bathroom organized, work on a maintenance schedule to keep it under control. Then next year when you revisit this zone, it will be an easier process.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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