Go Organize: Conquer Clutter in 3 Simple Steps (17 page)

Under the Sink

Start by clearing everything out from under the sink. Wipe this area clean with a damp cloth. This area is great for storing bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hand cleaner, toilet paper, and assorted personal items. This space is a semi-storage area as you don't use the items here every day, but you want to keep them in the bathroom. If your bathroom is very small, under the sink could be considered a premium space if you use it daily. You may have baskets that hold items you pull out and use every day. Keep like items together in containers. These can be easily removed to reach what you need.

Bins that can be pulled out make it easy to see what is under the sink. Some bins have runners on the bottom that attach with screws to the bottom of the shelf. Or you can have pull-out bins built in. Plastic containers are the best choice for under the sink in case the pipes leak.

If you don't have a cupboard under the sink, a narrow container with or without wheels with pull-out drawers is an option. If you don't want to see what is in the drawers, use containers that are opaque or that are your favorite color.

To make more space under the sink, add wire shelves. They come in stainless steel or covered with white plastic. They can be placed on just one side of the cupboard so taller items can be stored on the other side.

I recommend keeping a little caddy of cleaning supplies under the sink as it is convenient and saves time to have this in every bathroom. Install child locks on the doors if there are children in the home or if you have young children who sometimes use the bathrooms.

Medicine Cabinet

Separate medicines from first-aid supplies and vitamins. A bin, basket, or other adequate container works well to store medicines in. To begin, round up all medicines from every place in the home (bathrooms, kitchen, closets, bedrooms).

Tip:
The bathroom is not the best place to store medicines. They should be stored in a cool, dry place. High humidity can actually affect the potency of certain drugs. Store medicines on a shelf in the linen closet, hall closet, or some other closet. If there are children in the home, take safety precautions to keep them from having access to the medicines. Medications frequently used can be kept on a shelf in the kitchen where they are convenient to take.

Separate medicines into like categories: pain relief, antiseptics, cold and flu, fever reducer, ointments, antacids, and all other over-the-counter medicines you have.

You can have a large container to hold all medicine and then place smaller containers in it to keep like meds together. Or small containers can be labeled and kept next to the larger container. Vitamins can be in a smaller container within the larger one or next to it. First-aid supplies can also be in a bin and kept near the medicine bin.

For prescription medicines, place bottles in separate resealable bags with the person's name and Rx printed on the outside. This is especially helpful in the middle of the night when looking for a specific medicine for a family member.

Always
check the expiration dates. Medicines can become toxic or lose their effectiveness past the expiration date. Check expiration dates twice a year. A good time to remember to do this is when changing to and from daylight savings time. (This is also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors.)

Clear everything out of the medicine cabinet and wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Put items here that are used every day that either don't fit in a drawer or aren't handy to get to, if in a drawer. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, aftershave, perfume, hairspray, face wash, etc., are examples of things to put in a “medicine cabinet.”

If you keep first-aid supplies in your bathroom, I recommend the ointments, sprays, and adhesive bandages be kept in a container with a lid. Keep this container in a drawer in the room. Children may climb to get to the bandages kept in the cabinet and fall and hurt themselves. If you do have children, for safety sake install child locks on cupboards and drawers.

Other Shelves and Storage Spaces

A small set of shelves or a small cupboard are great for storing towels, lotions, toilet paper, facial tissue, or other items you want to keep convenient to use.

If you have a very small bathroom, you can use an over-the-door shoe organizer to hold a variety of items such as toothpaste, face wash, nail products, hair dryer, curling iron, makeup (kept in zipper bags), after-shave, extra soaps (kept in a container), razors, cotton balls (in a bag), and just about anything else that would traditionally be stored in a drawer.

Other storage places for hand towels or washcloths could be in a basket on the back of the toilet. Free-standing shelves designed to fit over the toilet can hold larger towels, toilet paper, and other toiletries.

Countertop

The best way to keep the countertop from being cluttered is to have a specific storage place for everything in the bathroom. Label drawers if you need to help family members learn where things belong. Now that your drawers are organized, it should be easy to put away all of the items you've been leaving on the counter.

Only allow a select few items on the counter — things such as electric toothbrushes, soap in a dispenser (to keep the sink area cleaner), electric razor charger (or it can go in a drawer and be taken out when needed), a holder for toothbrushes and toothpaste, a candle or other attractive items limited to one to three depending on the size of the countertop.

Reading material in the bathroom can be placed in a basket and kept on the counter if there is space, or it can be kept on the floor near where it is read (by the tub or toilet). The same rule applies to this reading material as in the other rooms. Get rid of old issues of magazines and catalogs. Do not let them take root and live here. Rotate them in and out, discarding old issues at least every three months.

If your countertop is long and you have plenty of space, place a tray on it to hold perfumes, hair spray, hair gel, and other personal items you use often.

Tip:
Decorative soaps are pretty, but if they aren't used, they become dust collectors and your decoration will quickly become an eyesore.

Shower and Bathtub

Placing things like shampoos, razors, and bubble bath on the rim of the bathtub gives the room a cluttered look. If it is a large tub with jets, there will be room to hold a few items on the rim, but contain them in an attractive basket or on a flat, small tray.

If your tub is also the shower area, an over-the-shower organizer holds soap, shampoos, conditioners, and washcloths. Another option is a pole organizer that has a spring rod and fits in the corner of the tub. This kind of organizer comes in several different styles and is made out of plastic or stainless steel. These can hold everything you need in the tub or shower so you don't have to use the tub rim for any products.

In a child's bathroom, install sturdy hooks for each child to hang his or her bath towel on after it is used. Give each child a different colored towel, and it will be easy to see who needs a reminder to use his or her hook. Label the hooks with the children's names.

If there is not room for hooks, or you need more space than just one towel rod provides, a free-standing coat rack spray painted to match the bathroom is an option. Or attach a towel rack to the wall.

To keep tub toys out of the tub between baths, place them in a mesh bag that hangs from the faucet or from suction cups on the shower wall. They can also be placed in a plastic container and put under the sink. Check the toys regularly for mold and mildew.

Tip:
Do not save slivers of soap. They just create a mess in your shower or tub. Toss the old sliver as soon as you open a new bar of soap.

WRAP UP

I am proud of you! Your bathroom will stay organized because you have:

 


• Placed everything in containers when you possibly could.
  

 


• Utilized all the space in your bathroom (back of the door, shelves, hooks), finding room for everything that needs to be in here.
  

 


• Assigned places for everything.
  

 


• Donated or gotten rid of items you never use, cosmetics, samples you were given, etc.
  

 


• Installed hooks, or other towel racks, so there is a place for towels to be hung up after being used.
  

 


• Installed safety locks to keep children safe.
  

 


• Moved first-aid supplies and medicines out of the medicine cabinet.
  

 


• Created a clutter-free counter by having containers for the things kept there.
  

 


• Contained tub toys and removed them from the tub.
  

Now tell yourself you did a good job and be proud of all you accomplished!

The family room is an informal, comfortable room where family members gather and entertain friends in a less formal area than the living room. It is an all-purpose room used for relaxing, talking, reading, watching television, and doing other family activities.

Getting this room to work for you is very important as so many activities are done here. Because it's used so often for so many things, this room seems to collect stuff. Keeping the clutter under control will help you get the most out of this area. Not everything has to be out of sight to be free of clutter. Things just need to have a home and be contained and easily accessible for all family members.

SEARCHLIGHT

To organize this room, start with your Searchlight and look for things you like about this room. Does this room light you up when you are in it? Do you feel comfortable, relaxed, and happy? Is this a place you want to be in with your family? Take a picture so you can do a before-and-after comparison. Then ask yourself these questions and record your answers in a notebook:

 


1. What do you like about this room?
   

 


2. What don't you like about this room? Identify needs by asking the following questions:
   

    
   

   1. What does your family use this room for (watching television, playing games, reading, eating meals, doing homework, folding clothes, and doing craft projects)?
      

    
   

   2. Is the room comfortably arranged for family members to do various activities?
      

    
   

   3. Are the flat surfaces, such as the entertainment center, end tables, and coffee table, free of clutter?
      

    
   

   4. Are there assigned places for everything that needs to be in this room (games, remote controls, magazines, books, lap quilts, DVDs, toys, etc.)?
      

    
   

   5. Are things “dumped” in this room because no one knows where else to put them? Is it home to things like school papers, newspapers, magazines, and old toys?
      

    
   

   6. Are there things that you can get rid of?
      

    
   

   7. How did the family room get in this shape? What steps can be taken to improve it?
      

    
   
 


3. Now you have taken a good look at this room and what's in it, how does it make you feel? Are you lit up on the wattage scale at a 7 or above (see page 15)?
   

Here's what Paula found in her family room when she used her Searchlight. There were dirty dishes shoved under the end tables and left out on the coffee table. Magazines were left on the couch and newspapers were scattered on the floor.

The lap quilts she and her family liked to snuggle under to watch television were left in a heaped pile on the floor. Glue and papers were left out from a project her son was working on. There was a game closet, but the games were always falling out, and she found many loose puzzle pieces from different puzzles.

Empty DVD cases were strewn about the room, and next to the couch, the ironing board was set up with the iron cord plugged in, just waiting for an accident to happen as it was in a high-traffic area of the room. She was discouraged with what she saw.

Paula did like that it was a gathering place for the children after school and that it was close to the kitchen. She liked many of the things that were in the room but not the disorganization she found.

After you answer these questions in your notebook, you can move on to the Spotlight to set goals and make changes.

SPOTLIGHT

With the Searchlight, you did a good job finding things that work and don't work in this room. Now you can use the Spotlight to set goals that will make you happy and will create a family room where everyone likes to be and feels comfortable.

You wrote down the things you didn't like; now write down your goals. As you accomplish each one, you can check it off. Here are some examples of goals you could set for this room:

 


1. It will be inviting and comfortable for everyone in the family.
   

 


2. Furniture will be arranged so everyone can enjoy doing activities here.
   

 


3. The game closet will be organized so games are easily accessible. Each game will be checked for missing pieces. Incomplete games will be tossed.
   

 


4. DVDs will be kept in their cases (or in a large DVD holder) and will be stored in the entertainment center.
   

 


5. Magazine racks or baskets will be placed by chairs so magazines and newspapers are convenient to put away.
   

 


6. Books will be organized on the bookshelf.
   

 


7. Rules will be established about eating in the room.
   

 


8. There will be a place for craft projects to be created with storage available for the projects when they are not being worked on.
   

 


9. Place a container at the end of the couch or nearby to hold lap quilts.
   

 


10. Children's toys will be placed in a container. Unused toys will be donated. A limited amount of toys will be allowed in the family room if children's toys are stored in their bedrooms. If their toys are mainly kept in the family room, containers will be used for toys. Refer to Chapter 7 for further information on toys.
    

 


11. Every item that does not have a wattage of 7 or above will be replaced. This can be done over a period of time.
    

 


12. A family meeting will be held to discuss what can and cannot be kept in this room (e.g., no shoes, dirty dishes, unfinished craft projects, etc.).
    

 


13. Everything in the room will have its own designated space, including the remote controls for all electronic systems.
    

If you need to buy any containers, take measurements for the areas where they will be used and set a time to buy them. Set a deadline for getting the room organized and move into the Green Light to go organize.

GREEN LIGHT

With your goals written down, you now have the Green Light to move

forward. Go as slow or as fast as you want, but I recommend you schedule a specific time to work in this room. Try setting your timer for an hour and play beat the clock. See how much you can get accomplished in that hour. Then reset the timer and keep on going until you are done. Or schedule another time to come back — it could be in the evening or the next day. Stay in the Green Light for the entire hour by not leaving the room. Take the phone off the hook or let the answering machine earn its keep, and return calls after you are done. Wear comfortable clothes. Have your tool kit with you (see page 22) and grab your four containers (see page 35). Get yourself a snack and a drink and get started. You are all set to turn up the wattage in this room! Remember, it will look worse as you are working in this room, but it will all come together and everything will look great when you are finished. When you need to take a break, I recommend setting the timer for five minutes to remind you to come back.

As always, start working from the inside out. I suggest you work in this order (completely organize one area of the room before you move on to the next area):

 


1. entertainment center
   

 


2. bookcases
   

 


3. closet
   

 


4. toy boxes
   

 


5. flat surfaces, such as:
   

    
   

   1. tables
      

    
   

   2. fireplace mantel and hearth
      

    
   

   3. game tables — Ping-Pong, foosball, table hockey, pool, etc.
      

    
   

Entertainment Center

Take everything out of the entertainment center one section at a time. If there are shelves, start there. Dust off the shelf and only put back the things that belong there. This could include instruction manuals, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, videos, or electronic games. Group like things together, so all DVDs go on one shelf, manuals go on another, etc. Put the things that don't belong in the entertainment center elsewhere in the room if they belong in the room or put them in one of the four containers (trash, recycle, donate, or BE basket) if they don't belong in the room.

After completing every shelf, move on to the drawers. Take everything out of the drawers one at a time, starting with the top drawer. Before you place things back in the drawers, decide what will go in each drawer and remember to keep like things together. If you find DVDs or other items in the drawer that belong on the shelf, move those items to the proper shelf. If you keep like things together, when you are looking for an item, you'll only need to look in one place.