Bathroom Organization

I am the last person in the world that should be giving out organization tips.  Anyone that has ever lived with me would attest to that.  I am a messy, messy person.  In my blog travels I've tried to be inspired, tried to get organized once and for all.  Cause I mean, I want to.  I really do.  But UGH, its so hard, and boring.  And there are so many *other* things I'd like to do with my time.

So maybe, I'm actually the best person to give tips. Because if it works for me, It.Will.Work.For.Anyone.I.Promise.

My new favorite thing? (If you couldn't tell from the dead space post with the new book shelf...) is BASKETS!  Freakin' fantastic creations.  Because they give the illusion of organization, but really, you can just throw everything in there if you have to.  And no one is the wiser.  So far it's worked well for the bookcase, as its helped keep clutter to a minimum on the kitchen counter.  But it's also been a godsend in my bathroom.

For whatever reason, after driving 18 hours straight back from Wisconsin and taking a 4 hour power nap, I decided this mess had to go:

Uh yea. Can't believe I just posted that to the Internet for the whole world to see.  I really hope you appreciate it.  Let's play a game.  It'll be FUN!

• How many different moisturizers can you find? (Seven.)
• Contact lens solution bottles? (Three.)
• Writing utensils? (Cause everyone needs at least TWO of those in their bathroom, for goodness sake)
• And let's not even try and count the amount of... TRASH.

Nasty.  Seriously, what is wrong with me? How did I let it get like this?!

(Oh, and if you're really observant you may notice the reflection of our bidet. Yes, it was here when we moved in, no we haven't used it, and no I wouldn't even really know how to use it. Please stop talking about it, it makes me uncomfortable.)

Here's what I told myself in order to turn this awful, frankly disgusting, mess into something more pleasant and manageable that I would not be embarrassed about any more in less than a half hour:

Step 1: THROW AWAY THE TRASH - tags from clothes, concert tickets, receipts, empty bottles of whatever.  Seriously, throw it out.  It's trash.

Step 2:  Take everything off the counter. EVERY.LAST.LITTLE.THING.  Stick it on the floor.

Step 3: Wipe everything down with a damp cloth first, to get rid of things like my hair that never stops falling out and those stupid little plastic things that end up everywhere when you snap a tag off clothes. I know you know what I mean.

Step 4: Use Counter Magic! No, really.  That's the name of the cleaner.  It was suggested by the previous owners and works... like magic.  It's available at our local hardware store, and that's about all I know about that.

Step 5: Make sure to get around the faucets and edge of the sink, gross little grimies get in there.

Step 6: Don't forget the sink.  Even though it has water in it everyday, it gets nasty.  Nasty enough that even the strange color and flower designs can't hide it forever.

Step 7: Find sweet basket left over from our wedding that just happens to have some green in it to match the bathroom.  Put basket in the corner on the counter.

Step 8:  Fill basket with only the things I use on a somewhat regular basis.  Put everything else in drawers, under the counter, or the trash.

Step 9: Allow certain items to be free from the basket.  Such as tooth brush and paste, hair brush, glasses, contact lens stuff, etc.  Stuff I use multiple times a day, you get the idea.

Step 10: Be wicked proud of myself and show B, who is not nearly as impressed as I am, but I'll let myself believe it's because he's just tired from all the driving.

Isn't that better?  There's still alot of *stuff*, but not as much, and its so much more organized (and uh, CLEAN).  And over a month later, I'm proud to say, it still looks relatively the same, give or take some stuff moved around a little, and some earrings all over the place (jewelry organization... maybe that should be my next trick...HA)

And here's a close up of the contents of the basket, just for kicks.

Now, I'll say the contents of this has changed.  I don't need 3 perfumes in there. I haven't used hair spray since that weird stint in dance club our rugby team decided to have (story for another time), and I think that headband may have ended up on my desk at work (because lord knows I can't keep one of those things in for a full day).

So, there you have it.  How a really messy person is able to find some organization in her life.  I plan to tackle different areas of the house over the next few months (I mean jeez, don't want to wear myself out doing too much at once or anything...ha!) and I'm sure there will be more baskets and who knows what else. I've got a linen closet to tackle, a hopeless second bedroom, a third bedroom that I don't even know what to use for, a dining room that needs to stop being a storage area, and um, we won't even talk about the basement...