Bathroom blues, to a bathroom fresh
Is your bathroom cluttered and irritating you? Do you find yourselves frustrated in the morning and at night, because you know you brought a new packet of soap or toothpaste and for the life of you, you can’t find it! Do you have your toilet in the bathroom, reach for a new roll of toilet paper and remember that its in the linen closet, because you don’t have the room? This is something you hear time and time again. Bathrooms in general (unless you are one of the lucky ones) are not huge space wise. But I have some idea’s for you.
If you have a smallish bathroom and toilet you can make it look more spacious.
Lets start with some simple cleaning, if you have a glass shower or shower door and its covered in soap scum there are a few options. For those of you like me out there that are getting into the healthy and environment friendly way of cleaning a spray bottle filled with straight white Vinegar works a treat, spray it on glass and tiles and leave it for 10Min’s. Come back and wipe it off and you will have a sparkling shower. The other option is using a laundry stain remover (sounds a little odd I know) but it works, spray it on the glass surface and leave it for 15Min’s. Come back and wash it off and bingo, you have a new shower. Some of you will be thinking, why by cleaning my shower am I making space in the bathroom? Its easy and by being able to see through the clean glass, give the impression of more space.
If you have a shower over a bath or have a shower that doesn’t have a door, but does have a shower curtain, try to get a clear curtain and as above, once a month give it a wipe down with Straight White Vinegar. It will keep it looking clear and clean. Now the base of the shower and bath are also easy, you can use your usual bathroom cleaners (which all work fine) or you can use Baking Soda, sprinkle it in the bath or on the shower base and with a warm wet cloth give it a good wipe, it should sparkle when you are done. Cheap and easy!
Right, next thing to attack…….the bathroom cupboard….as with the other cupboards we have done so far, take everything out and put in on the floor or take it out to a table so you can sort through everything. Make sure you have a rubbish bag ready and a small box ready for the things that are in there and don’t belong.
So lets start by separating out the items we all have in our bathroom cupboard
· Towels
· Body Lotion
· Face creams and cleansers
· Medicine (more on this one)
· Soap (spare)
· Toilet paper
· Tooth paste and toothbrushes (spare)
· Nail care items (clippers, scissors, files)
· Make up
· Hair ties/ brushes
I may have left a few things out, we all have our special things.
So now you need to go through what you have taken out of you cupboard and work out what belongs and doesn’t.
Make up wise, if its been in there for more than a year and you haven’t used it, throw it out. This also goes for body washes, lotions and creams. It is also a good idea to go through all Medicine and check the expiry dates.
Now have a think about what you really want and need in your bathroom. What room you have in your cupboard and if you think you may need some extra storage in the bathroom.
To make more room in the cupboard, you can put toilet paper (at least a couple of rolls) in a basket next to the Toilet or at the back or the toilet. These days there are some great basket options, they now make very attractive baskets in resin, that are easy to clean. You may still end up having to store the bulk of your toilet paper in the linen closet, but at least you have some to hand in the bathroom.
If you don’t have a lot of room in the bathroom cupboard, why not keep one or two spare hand towels in the cupboard and the rest can go in the Linen cupboard, as well as the pace cloth’s….This will free up a lot of space!
If you have a cupboard in the bathroom with draws, work out what you use most often and pop those things in the draws ie Makeup, Nail care items, Hair ties, and face creams and cleansers. Then put all the bulk things in the back of the cupboard, but remember not to put them that far back that its a nightmare to get them out. Organize the rest as best suits you and your families needs.
One things I have to suggest, whether you do or do not have children….Keep medicines up high! Even though those of that don’t have kids don’t really have to worry, it’s still a lot easier to put them in a high cupboard. Means if your friends that do have children turn up, you won’t have to worry if they go in the bathroom! You never can be to careful! If you don’t have a high wall cupboard in the bathroom, you could put them in a plastic container and up in the wardrobe or in the Linen cupboard. What ever works well for you.
There are some great plastic containers out there these days, expensive through to cheap and everything in between and they can be great as won’t go moldy or be damaged by the mildew that bathrooms can grow.
Make sure that you open the window every day, even if its just for an hour. It will dry the bathroom out and keep it fresh.
I hope this has helped you all.
More to come soon….
