We are pinching our pennies for a down payment on a new home, but until then we are cozily sharing two bedrooms and one bathroom between the five of us. Today’s bathroom task for Money Saving Mom’s 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge was definitely needed!
The top concern I face in how to clean the bathroom is staying organized in our small space. I have three functional small drawers and one that doesn’t open because of the door molding – brilliant planning on the part of whomever built the house. There is a decent amount of space under the sink and we also have an organizing unit that goes over the top of the toilet.
Today I tackled the counter top and drawers. I am going to let you in on a little secret – I love samples and have quite the little stash. My 18-month-old loves to reorganize my stash quite frequently much to my husband’s dismay. Eventually they get disorganized and end up stuffed in every drawer or littered wherever my little buddy takes them around the house. Not very useful, eh? We are in need of some small space cleaning tips here!
To begin addressing the problem, I found this cheery yellow container in my children’s room and decided it would be perfect to hold all my shower samples. I sorted out as many of the shower items that would fit in the container – lots of shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. The container has holes in the bottom and sides so just in case my kiddos get a little crazy spraying water in the shower – the water will still be able to drain and not get yucky. I’ve run into that problem in the past. Typically I like to save my samples for vacations, but since I’ve received so many lately – it makes more sense to use them up!
Once I put away all the items from the counter, I washed it off using the leftover soap from my child’s Johnson and Johnson natural body wash. In the past, I would just toss the practically empty bottles out, but thanks to Fly Lady, I’ve decided soap is soap. I rinse out the last of the soap into hot soapy water and use it to clean the counters and sink. Works perfect!
For the last task of the day, I worked with my five-year-old daughter on her drawer. We organized all her hair ties, lip glosses, bows, etc. into one drawer. Now she knows where she can find everything she needs to get ready in the morning. She loves it!
We also washed the towels, washed the floor mats, swept, and took everything out of the bathroom that didn’t belong. All-in-all, it took 45 minutes. My 18-month-old was my little helper and had lots of fun in the suds and bubbles. There is still work to be done, but I am happy with our progress. We are definitely moving forward!
What do you like to organize with in small spaces like a bathroom?
Do you have a Pinterest bathroom inspiration board? (Leave a link! I would love to follow!)
How do you organize your children’s things in the bathroom?
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9 Comments
Michelle · April 2, 2013 at 5:10 pm
I love how you have a helper! I wanted to answer your question of how you organize your children’s items in the bathroom. We also share one bathroom that is small. We have 5 in our family, so what I did was make one drawer for me, one for my husband, one for my oldest son, and so forth. That way everyone has a drawer. Then we have one drawer for toothpaste, brushes and combs. If I used baskets they would end up as some kind of toy eventually. Your bathroom looks great by the way!
Taralyn · April 3, 2013 at 8:08 am
Thanks for visiting! I am thinking that I may transfer mine and my husband’s things to hanging storage behind the door and then give the three drawers to the children. I like the idea of each of them having their own.
Blythe · April 2, 2013 at 5:24 pm
We too have a tiny bathroom (and only one between the three of us — how do you do it with 5???). I have been getting a lot of shampoo samples lately too — gotta love the Clear shampoo samples that they sent out a few weeks ago – SEVEN for the price of one request – jackpot!
My best small bathroom organization tip is to utilize every square inch! I like to use the clear stackable shoe boxes with latches. They are about $2.50 each at Walmart (more than I would normally spend, but I have found that they are really worth the investment), and can keep out water and stuff very well. I have one devoted just to toiletry samples — and it is full!
The Prudent Pantry · April 2, 2013 at 8:13 pm
The shoe boxes are a great idea. My sister has them in her bathroom cabinet, stacked and labeled. It’s amazing how much you can store in them.
I need to do this!
Taralyn · April 3, 2013 at 8:09 am
I need to get those for underneath my sink. They would be perfect. Thanks for the idea!
It helps that three of the five are under the age of five!
Theresa · April 2, 2013 at 9:27 pm
We have a small bathroom with six of us. Thankfully only two are female!
We bought my stepdaughter a vanity. This is where she stores her “beauty” items. Helps free up some storage in the bathroom. I also hang stuff on the wall (like my blow dryer) it isn’t the most beautiful decorum but it frees up space.
Taralyn · April 3, 2013 at 8:09 am
I definitely need to look at how we can use the walls more! Thanks for the comment!
Melinda · April 3, 2013 at 7:59 am
Great idea on organizing the samples! My son is three and he has his own bathroom, so we put his items in the drawers.
Diamond · September 28, 2013 at 8:54 pm
We to have the oh so familiar tiny bathroom. Granted there are only three of us at home now but a tiny bathroom is hard to deal with in any size family. Two of the best ideas ive seen yet are utilizing that space above the door for another shelf. That one blew my mind because I never would have thought about looking that far up for more space. And number two idea was one ive personally seen in someones house and thought Wow why didn’t I think of that. We all know the shoe organizers are great just about anywhere but what about in the shower or tub? U can corral every kind of shampoo, body wash , razors, shaving cream ; you name it you can fit it in one of those pockets. And there are so many pockets you would never run out of space for everything; at least I don’t think you could, lol