I am so happy that I have a project update for you today! Happy because it means that I’ve made progress on at least one of the projects that I’ve had on my to-do list. This project, organizing the cabinets in my master bathroom, actually started in March and I was so excited when the first side (left side) was done. I thought that I would complete the right side soon after but for reasons of living life and procrastination I just didn’t get to it. I’m trying really hard to complete at least these smaller projects so that when I move to larger ones I don’t get distracted by the smaller ones.
In any event, I am pleased to report that I completed organizing the right side of my bathroom cabinets. This is the side that I use mostly so it was a bit more cluttered and needed more attention. As is my usual pattern, working on the cabinets led to work on a couple of drawers (unplanned) but well worth the time it took.
BEFORE
This is the two sides of the right side of cabinet. On the left side, is mainly hair stuff-curlers, tools, conditioners and creams. On the right side, is mainly nail care and skin care stuff & a few COVID tests. You can see that there is some semblance of organization but it got out of hand.
I started by pulling everything out, throwing away anything that was expired or unusable and then grouping like objects together. I liked how the cabinet was split into uses so I did the hair side first knowing that it wouldn’t take me near as long as the skin care side.
Because of the shape of the bathroom, it is really hard to photograph the whole cabinet. The photo on the left is the entire cabinet and the photo on the right is the skin care side and the jumble of everything in there. Skin care products, nail care stuff, Qtips, cotton rounds, new products, old products, etc….
One of the things I learned was that I do not need to buy anymore skin care products for the foreseeable future! I even realized that I have doubles of a few products.
Storage Containers
When I did the first cabinet re-org in March, I used these containers from The Home Edit line. As I’ve said before, I don’t think that you need fancy or expensive containers to be organized. But I do believe that it’s important for your organization to work. Mine worked for about 3 years and then it became a jumbled mess. What I like about these containers is that they are clear and I can see what’s in them. As I get older, it is harder to bend down and reach into a deep cabinet to find what I need.
These containers are available at Walmart and I believe that they are affordable. I am particularly fond of the drawer unit where you can then stack either another drawer or an open container on top of. The Container Store also carries Home Edit items but I find them to be much more expensive.
Extra Organization
While I was in the midst of organizing, I realized that I had a couple of drawers that were not being used to their full capacity. One of the drawers was holding extra skin care stuff and a ton of skin care samples (I forgot to take a before photo)! I decided to put my nail care stuff in the drawer so that it’s easier to access when I need the products.
I was able to get two containers on the bottom with one on the top. This drawer has all of my nail tools, polishes, and all things nail related. Even though I get my nails done professionally, I still like to try and keep my cuticles conditioned and my hands moisturized!
I also decided to re-arrange a drawer that I use at least twice daily. I keep masks, eye patches, head bands and lots of other skin care stuff in this drawer. The problem was that things were stuffed in there and I couldn’t even see what I had in there. I had to get real with myself and decide how I really want to use this drawer to my benefit.
As you can see, this drawer went from being terribly cluttered to very minimal. I actually laughed out loud as I was pulling out all of the stuff I had crammed in there! In this drawer, I have some makeup removers, some exfoliating pads, my eye patches, floss, toothpaste and my facial scrubber (the pink thing). I really like this scrubber as it’s silicone, gets all of the makeup and cleanser off of my face and does not leave my skin stripped. It also cleans very easily! The empty container is where I put my used reusable cotton pads (they’re currently being washed). I am enjoying this set up as I can try a few different makeup removing cleansers that I’ve accumulated to see if I like them and also have access to special products that I don’t use daily but still use regularly.
AFTER
This transformation was not quick. I had a ton of items stuffed in the cabinet and drawers and it took awhile to go through it all. This was a several hours project but definitely worth it.
The left side continues to have hair stuff and also now has sunscreens, extra deodorants, bath products, bath sponges, foot scrubs, cotton rounds, etc….
The right side has skin care including all sorts of facial stuff, lotions, and creams, spa head and wrist bands, and makeup removing cloths. In between the two you can see my nail polish removers.
And this is the end result! So far, it’s been working really well. I can find what I need and it’s easy to get to.
And to refresh your memory (from March), here is the left side of the cabinet.
So what do you think? Is it worth the time and the money to do projects like this? Would you have done anything differently? Share in the comments.
