Simple Ways to Organize Your Bathroom

Whether you have several luxuriously large bathrooms, or just a single, small one, these spaces are often less than the tranquil places they should be. Too often, our bathrooms instead hold cluttered jumbles of makeup and medicines well past their expiration dates, an excess of hair products, and stacks of towels crammed into limited storage space. That's why for week five of our Simplify Challenge, we're going to help you de-clutter and streamline your bathrooms, transforming them into tranquil, inspiring places to begin and end your day.

As always, if you need help at any point during this process, feel free to contact us. We have a team of awesome professional organizers who are always happy to help!

Organize Your Master Bathroom

The master bathroom is likely where you spend most of your time getting ready for the day ahead.

Clutter and disorganization have a tendency to become overwhelming here, making your routine longer and more frustrating. Let's de-clutter and organize to add functionality to this space and save you time and energy for whatever your day holds!

PURGE - We all purchase items we think are going to solve all of our beauty dilemmas. However, these products are often worthless. We hold on to them because they were too expensive to just throw away, even if they don't work. But if you haven't used these products in months or years, it's time to let them go and use that valuable space for products you do use on a daily basis. Get out your trash bag and go through every item individually, being honest with yourself about what you use and don't use. Check for expired medicines and get rid of those, too.

ORGANIZE – Maximize your space by using size-appropriate containers to organize, store, and separate the goods you've decided to keep. Group items by category (for instance, hair products go with other hair products), or by when you or your spouse uses them. Use baskets or bins you already have around your house to organize items, and drawer dividers for smaller items like makeup, nail polish, and whatever else you need at your fingerprints while getting ready. You may also want install a shelf to store larger items like towels. In addition to organizing, the main goal here is to clear surfaces so that the bathroom is easy to clean and use daily.

MAINTAIN – Keeping items in storage bins and baskets will make it easier for you to maintain order in your bathroom. As always, the key is putting items back after you use them. Taking the extra step to put items in their proper places rather than setting them on the counter top will keep your area functional and clean, ultimately saving you time and energy.

Organize Your Guest Bathroom

If you only have one bathroom, lucky you! You have one less place to organize. But if you have kids or are used to entertaining guests, that extra bathroom is a necessity. Keeping it de-cluttered will help keep it clean and fresh for whoever is using it.

PURGE - Go through each item in every cabinet and drawer, and get rid of any out of date medicines

and products you won't use. Don't forget surface areas as well! If your kids or spouse use the bathroom regularly, have them go through items with you.

ORGANIZE - Think of this bathroom's function and purpose. Is it for your kids, guests, or your spouse? Clarifying its purpose will dictate how this bathroom is organized. Use baskets or bins you already have around your house to organize items, and drawer dividers for smaller items. Store your containers of choice out of sight below the sink. If guests are mainly using this space, only keep items they'll find useful on hand, like soap, clean towels, and extra toiletries. Try to keep some empty space for their items as well.

MAINTAIN – As always, putting items back in their proper areas after each use is key to maintaining the order you've created. If this bathroom is for your child or children, you'll need to give them frequent reminders to keep this area de-cluttered. Not only will these reminders lessen your workload, they'll also help them form important, lifelong organizational habits.

Bathroom Storage Ideas

If your bathroom is small, storage space can be a huge challenge. Finding creative ways to store items you need can not only maximize your space and minimize your clutter, but also add some 

personality. Here are a few quick DIY ideas:

• Use a wine rack as a towel holder

• Wrap a rustic brown rope or twine around old coffee tins to store hand soap and lotion bottles

• Keep small items like toothbrushes and nail polish in clear vases or jars

• Use (cleaned) vintage planters from the garden to hold soap bars and sponges

• Repurpose a clear umbrella stand to store toilet paper rolls

Do you have more organizing and storage ideas? Let us know and post photos of your organized bathroom on Twitter using the hashtag #SimplifyIn40Days, and on our Facebook page.

Until next week, happy organizing!

Organize Your Dresser

We all know that things have a tendency to hide in dressers. If it fits in the drawers and it's out of sight, all is well - right? Not really. Storage space in your bedroom is valuable, and we want to help you make the best possible use of it.

PURGE – Grab several large trash bags for items you want to donate, sell, or discard, and go through each item individually. Get rid of anything you no longer wear or that doesn't belong. Let go of items you haven't worn and let someone else enjoy them. Keeping them in your

drawer is not only a waste of space, but also a constant reminder of your bad decision in purchasing an item you don't need or like.



ORGANIZE - Assign each drawer a category of clothing – Underwear, socks, t-shirts, shorts, pajamas, bathing suits, workout clothes, sweaters, etc. Neatly fold each item of clothing and put it away in its proper drawer. If you have other clothes laying around the room that didn't fit in the dresser before, incorporate them into this system. Make sure the drawers are not overstuffed; if they are you might need to revisit step one and do another purge.


MAINTAIN - Clothing seems to take over our lives. Keeping up with laundry helps you maintain a manageable amount of clothing, as you'll tend to buy more when you don't have any clean clothes available. Also make sure to fold and put away clothes as soon as they're dry. Using the one-in-one-out rule we used in the closet also helps maintain a manageable amount of clothing. For every item you bring in, get rid of an item. It's that simple!

We hope we've helped you de-clutter and reclaim your space this week! Don't forget to post photos of your newly clean bedroom on Twitter using the hashtag #SimplifyIn40Days, and on our Facebook page.

Organize Your Closet

It's easy to shut the door to your closet and ignore the cluttered stacks of clothes, shoes, and accessories you probably haven't worn in ten years. But having a functional, organized closet will not only make your morning routine more pleasant, it'll also help you feel less stressed the rest of the day as well. After all, who wants to begin their day with clutter?

PURGE – Grab several trash bags in which you can place items you want to donate, sell, or discard. Go through each item individually, asking yourself if you'll ever really wear it again. Try to be as honest as possible, and get rid of anything you think you won't wear. If it's too big, let it go. You don't want to give yourself the option to regain weight. If it's too small, you'll only feel guilty for your weight gain each time you see it. If you do lose weight, you'll mostly

likely treat yourself to some new clothes anyway, not the old clothes you wore ten years ago (or more). If you find clothes you haven't worn yet, pass them along to someone else. This will not only free space in your closet, but also relieve you of the guilt associated with purchasing something you never wore. Do the same for shoes, purses, belts and anything else you find.



ORGANIZE – Now that you've pared everything down, arrange your clothing by style and color for easy access. Next, try to get as much as you can off the floor, as it will help maximize your space and minimize the time you spend digging for things. You may want to get new hangers and discard the miscellaneous ones that tend to get tangled together. Consider buying a hanging shoe rack as well, so you can clearly see your collection. Lastly, put purses on shelves and hang belts.


MAINTAIN - To keep your closet manageable, use the one-in-one-out rule – If you buy something new, something old must go. Keep only a certain number of hangers. This will keep your closet from becoming overstuffed again.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Organizing your Bedroom

Clothes all over the floor, magazines sliding out of their tidy stacks and into slippery piles, unused gifts from the holidays still in boxes littering the perimeter of the room ... Does this sound like your bedroom right now? Maybe this week (or month, or year) has just been way too crazy to give much attention to the clutter that's slowly building around you. But your bedroom should be a retreat of sorts, a place of rest and respite that somehow squeezes itself between the margins of your crammed schedule. That's why for week four of our Simplify Challenge, we want to help you reclaim this sacred space in just a few simple steps.

As always, if you need help at any point during this process, feel free tocontact us. We have a team of awesome professional organizerswho are always happy to help!

Organize Your Floor Space and Furniture Surfaces

Maybe your floor is littered with so much clutter you can't even remember what color the carpet is. Maybe you're just tired of tripping over the books that constantly find their way off the bookshelf. Whatever the case may be, we're going to tackle the clutter that won't stop hanging out on your floor in three simple strategies: PURGE, ORGANIZE, and MAINTAIN.

PURGE – Get two boxes in which you can put things you want to donate or sell, as well as two trash bags for things you need to throw away or recycle. Next, go through each item in your room individually, beginning at the doorway. Ask yourself – Do you really need this item? Does it make you happy? Is it something you want to look at every day? If you answer no to more than one of these, consider getting rid of it.


ORGANIZE – Now that you've downsized, it's time to organize and repurpose the items that will enrich your life and make your bedroom a happier and healthier place. Put back only your favorite decorative pieces and functional items. To get an even more streamlined, de-cluttered look, you should also re-think your storage space. Try installing under-the-bed storage organizers, for example. This under-utilized space could be perfect for things you need but don't necessarily use every day, like extra linens, blankets, or workout gear. You could also try replacing a side table with an attractive vintage trunk, which will both look unique and create additional storage space.


MAINTAIN – Having a place for every item in the bedroom, and putting each item back in its designated space daily, is key to keeping a stress-free atmosphere. Also consider investing in organizational tools like drawer dividers so you're not tempted to dump everything from your pockets into the nightstand at the end of the day. 

How to Organize Your Kids' Toys

Get your kids involved in this project! Toys can easily take over the house, especially after the holidays when there's a fresh inventory. That's why it's especially important to create good habits for keeping them organized now.

PURGE - Encourage children to give toys they no longer play with to children in need that may not have toys. Once they make the decision to get rid of a toy, put it in a black trash bag so they don't rethink the decision. Rather than making the decision for them, help them make their own decisions. Guiding them through this process will help them develop lifelong organizing skills.

ORGANIZE - Sort toys by category. Place them in appropriately-sized containers and label each one (or use a picture for kids who are too young to read). Teach your children to put away items in the proper container.

MAINTAIN – You may need to show your children how to properly put toys away and enforce the new rules, but eventually they'll maintain your labeling system independently. Teach them to put toys away after they're done playing and before they get a new toy out.

After you've finally met your organizing goals in the living room, put your feet up and relax – Maybe pick out a DVD from your well-organized stack! If you weren't able to get everything done this week, or if you feel overwhelmed with any tasks, please contact us to assist you. We're always happy to help!

Also, don't forget to post photos of your newly clean living room on Twitter using the hashtag #SimplifyIn40Days, and on our Facebook page.

Until next week, happy organizing!