You probably don’t have a monster under your bathroom sink, but who can tell?  Storage in the bathroom and linen closet can end up a mishmash of lost items, unfulfilled expectations, mysterious unidentified cleaning supplies and hardware, and expired medicines and cosmetics.  A TV pharmacy ad suggested we prepare for cold and flu season now instead of when we don’t feel well.  Sounds good to me!   And these small areas are great places to get organized!

• They are typically small enough to get organized in a few hours;
• Improvement in these spaces helps every member of your family, and can positively impact your health and wellness;
• Using what you already have in more efficient ways saves time and money immediately; and
• Progress in small spaces is still progress, and seeing organized space all the time will help motivate you to tackle and maintain other organizing projects as well.

      So, organize your bathroom and linen closet in a few easy steps, and rest assured knowing there are no monsters.   The First step is always to figure out What You Have: 

• Grab some garbage bag, and 4-6 shallow boxes or plastic containers.
• Pull everything out of your medicine cabinets, under-sink cabinets, linen closet, etc.
• Now sort what you have found.  Common categories include
  • Medicines – long term, like cholesterol medication, or vitamins and supplements
  • Medicines – for acute conditions like cold and flu, upset stomach, etc.
  • First Aid Item – band-aids, ointments, splints and wraps, heating pads
  • Personal Hygiene Products – Hair Care
  • Personal Hygiene Products – Non-Hair Care, like soaps, lotions
  • Cosmetics
  • Towels, blankets, bedding
  • Paper Products (toilet paper, tissues)
  • Cleaning Supplies and random pieces of hardware

    Once you know what you have, ask Why Am I Keeping This?  And Purge! 

• Expiration dates are a great way to filter out items.  Take your expired medication to your pharmacy for safe disposal.   (and Click here for information on how long to safely keep cosmetics or run a google search).
• Do all the items belong here?  Or could they go elsewhere?  For example, things like tools and hardware go in the work room or basement.
• If the items were elsewhere, would they get used more efficiently?  Store vitamins and supplements in the kitchen, where they are more likely to be regularly consumed.
• Use up small sample sizes of products, or trash them.   Many small samples can be a really big clutter problem! 

     Now that you know what to Keep and what to Toss, determine Where To Keep It and How:

• Pick a home and stick with it.  Our main bathroom has 4 drawers and 3 medicine cabinet sections.  Two drawers, hair appliances and hair accessories (I do have a lot of hair), are mine.  The other two are for the family – toilet paper rolls, odds and ends.  The medicine cabinet sections are similarly assigned, one for my stuff, two for the whole family, with toothbrushes, first aid items, extra soap, etc.
• We all know where the stuff goes and why, so we can all put it away again.
• Grouping similar items into categories or zones is especially useful in the bathroom and linen closet. 
• Our linen closet holds towels, but also wide low baskets. 
• Many personal care and health items last longer stored in dry, cool areas instead of the hot and steamy bathroom.  One basket each holds:
  • Our inventory of shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, sample sized and travel items;   
  • All things medication and first-aid related, like cold medicine and pain relievers and extra first aid kits, and also the medication information sheets that come home with prescriptions;   
  • Weekly cleaning supplies in a handled caddy that moves from room to room with me;
  • Cleaning supplies I use less often, like carpet spot remover, furniture cleaner and floor wax;
  • Small microfiber and wash cloths, so they don’t get lost under bigger items like towels; and  
  • Heating pads and ace bandages.  I am the world’s biggest klutz. 

      You have determined What you Have, Why and What to keep, and Where and How to store it.  You are awesome.  You can see what you have on hand, and know what you need to pick up on your next grocery trip.  You can reach in and grab shampoo or toothpaste the next time you run out.  There are no monsters lurking behind old cleaning supplies and stiff sponges under the sink.  You are no longer embarrassed if someone opens the bathroom cabinets when they visit.

    Take a moment, stand back and admire your space, and pat yourself on the back.  And ask yourself, When do we spend time on maintenance?  Make sure this becomes a bi-annual habit, Fall and Spring, to rid your bathroom and linen closet of monsters:  clear old stuff out, use more stuff up, and tidy your physical space.  Enjoy!