Welcome back to my organization series! Today, we're going through my bathroom and linen closet.
Weirdly enough, even though my apartment is huge, there are a lot of small spaces in it. Many of the closets are large, which is absolutely fabulous, but the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom are all teeny tiny. So here we go with some more small space organization...
Any over-the-toilet storage is going to be a little more expensive, but to me it's worth it because I can definitely use the extra space! Not sure how intense this assembly was, as boyfriend and dad put it together, but I didn't hear any yelling or cursing, so my guess is it wasn't so bad!
TIP #2: SPLIT UP BELONGINGS INTO SMALLER BINS IF POSSIBLE. Having loose things just lying around stresses me out. I like to have them all contained and organized by category. On the bottom shelf (top picture) I have a small storage bin that I bought my freshman year of college that contains all of my hair and face products. I used to need an entire bin just for my hair stuff, but...
TIP #3: THROW IT AWAY! If you don't use it, get rid of it. I simply don't take the time to do my hair every day, so I purged myself of the vast amount of hair care products I'd been hoarding. Now I have one hairspray, one mousse, one leave-in conditioner, a finishing cream, and a heat protectant. And that's it. That is the extent of what I use on my hair. Well except for B&B, but that'll come up in a minute.
I also found this super cute cotton ball organizer at Target for about $5. The skinny side perfectly fit my makeup pads, and the fat side I used for good ole traditional cotton balls.
TIP #4: THRIFT AND RECREATE. I have a super cute cow thing (I think maybe it's supposed to be a ring holder??) that I picked up at a Farmer's Market in Vienna for like 50 Euro Cents. It's my favorite thing in my bathroom, and I use it to hold cotton swabs. Give old things new life!
TIP #5: PUT MOST-USED ITEMS IN AN EASY-TO-REACH PLACE. The second shelf (middle picture) has a drawer organizer that I did not, obviously, use in a drawer. It's see through and has three divided spaces. In this I put all the things I need easy access to, like my makeup wipes, moisturizer, perfumes, and the all important Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray. These are things that I use every day, so I put them where I could see them and grab them easily.
I also have my makeup and combs on this shelf—more everyday things.
On the top shelf (bottom picture) I have the things I reach for the least. In a small set of organizing drawers, I have medicines that I don't take on a daily basis. Next to that I purchased a "bathroom tray" for around $5 from Target. On that I put some small makeup bags that contain makeup and hair samples, and a bowl I use to mix my Care by Chloe masks (shout out to her! If you're in Auburn, you HAVE to check out her all-natural beauty products at Mama Mocha's on Tichenor and at Day Spring!).
TIP #6: KEEP YOUR SINK/COUNTER CLUTTER FREE. It's actually scientifically proven that mess and clutter makes you more stressed! My sink doesn't have a lot of surface area anyway, but I keep only things that I reach for when I'm actually using the sink on it. That includes my hand soap, face wash and face brush, and toothbrush. It just makes everything feel so tidy to have all the empty space!
TIP #7: ADD YOUR OWN TOWEL RACKS. That way, the rack is exactly where you want it, and not in a weird place (such as inside the actual shower). I got this from Target for around $15, and my dad did the install in about ten minutes, no sweat. And the chrome finish matches my toilet shelves!
TIP #8: KEEP THE BATHROOM WELL VENTILATED. Again, this is for anyone who lives in an older building. Most older buildings that do not have central air will also lack a ventilation fan (and air conditioning) in the bathroom. My advice is to leave the bathroom door open at all times when you're not using it to allow the cool air from the nearest window A/C to circulate, and place a fan in front of the window for when you shower. If you open the window, the fan will pull in all the fresh air and help disburse the steam faster.
Honestly, I have not had any problems at all so far, and I had expected that the bathroom would be hot at all times. But the A/C air actually reaches it pretty well, and if I keep the fan on high, even my unreasonably hot and steamy showers (I use the hottest water possible) don't stick around for long!
On to the linen closet!
This is where I am storing the majority of my makeup collection, my towels and sheets, laundry things, cleaning things, and replacements for the stuff stored in my bathroom (cotton balls, pads, and swabs, toothbrushes, etc.
Side note: let me know in the comments here or on FaceBook if you want to see an in-depth makeup organization post, because I have a ton of makeup and reorganized it all pretty recently!
TIP #9: USE BASKETS AND DRAWERS. These cute lil' blue babies from Target have been a lifesaver for the past year. They really are so versatile. You could even use one of the baskets to fold towels and washcloths in instead of using it for makeup like I did. You can also stack the drawers and baskets, depending on how high your shelves are, or you can put other things on top of them like I did here with feminine products and heat tools.
TIP #10: REUSE GIFT CONTAINERS AS ORGANIZERS. The beautiful woven basket on the second shelf was originally a Valentine's Day gift from boyfriend and contained chocolates and a little stuffed dog that I named Mr. Ruffers (don't you judge me). But as soon as I had emptied it (it didn't take long) I saw how great of an organization tool it could be! In my dorm room, I used it for snacks and plastic silverware and plates. Now it holds all the replacement items.
Again, I'm taking full advantage of the massive vertical space in this closet and stacking things almost to the ceiling. On the top shelf I put things I don't need that often, like travel makeup and wet bags, beach towels, a change of sheets, and first aid things.
TIP #11: HANG IT. If you can't find a space for it, consider hanging it on the wall inside a closet. I hung my ironing board, my iron (in the silver bag), and my swiffer on the wall and it saves SO much space!! I would've hung my reusable swiffer as well, but it is, alas, unhangable.
TIP #12: LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO WALK IN. Especially if you need to be able to reach high spaces, you will need a spot to put your step stool that gets you close enough to the shelf. Even leaving a space, though, I still had enough room for a storage box with household cleaners with my step stool stacked on top, a humidifier for those St. Louis winters, and extra toilet paper. Yew!
And of course, we can't forget the famous "bag of other bags" that everyone has in their house. Now there exists cute grocery bag holders that aren't expensive, but I just haven't invested in one yet. So for now, they hang on the back of the linen closet door in another bag.
GRAND TOTAL: $55
Now, again, I had most of this stuff on hand already, but like I said in my last post, you can get great storage drawers and baskets at the Dollar Store that won't break the bank. Also, remember that one of my most-used organization things here was absolutely free (well, for me)! Don't be afraid to check out flea markets with an eye for rebirthing objects like jars, tins, and other knick-knacks. You may just find your favorite piece there :)
Until next time!
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