This week's episode is all about bathroom organization. We talked about why this space can be so frustrating for people and how to avoid it going forward. We shared our top tips and must-have products for creating a serene and efficient bathroom. Whether you're sharing the space with family or looking to create a spa-like oasis, we've got you covered. If you're ready to transform your bathroom into an organized space, this episode is perfect for you.
Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
In this episode we talk about:
- The significant impact a well-organized bathroom can have on our daily lives
- Having a plan and understanding the functionality of the space
- What products we recommend and like
Mentioned in this Episode:
——
The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
Review the Transcript:
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:00]:
Hi, friends. Hi, listeners. Welcome to our episode. This week we are talking about bathrooms. Yes. Okay. That is a genuine excitement, because that is one of my most favorite places to organize for people, because it's a place that makes a huge. It makes a huge impact.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:17]:
When you are organized in that space where it's clear, you feel more zen, and when it's not, and it's the opposite of that, you feel out of place, you feel overwhelmed. I mean, it's one of the first places that you probably go into every day you wake up, you probably go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, do your thing, you know, shower, whatever that may be. And it's most likely the last place that you go into at the end of the day. You know, you go in again, either shower or clean up or get dressed or undressed or whatever it may be, brush your teeth. And we're in there quite a. Quite a bit more in a frequency type of basis. So maybe you're not in there for long periods of time the way that maybe you would be in your office or in your bedroom, but you're there often and in small increments. So you get a dose of your surroundings in that space.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:01:09]:
And when it's overwhelming and you can't find anything and it's disorganized, it feels. It just feels overwhelming, for lack of a, you know, better word. It just doesn't feel good. It doesn't start your day off with. With success. So that is why it's one of my most favorite places to organize, because the impact is so, so immediate. Like, you immediately feel more Zen, more organized, like lighter. Those are just some of the words that I have heard people describe how they feel after we've been in their space.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:01:38]:
So it is one of my most favorite places to organize for other people, and I'm excited to tackle it today. So let's go. Welcome to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expertise ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you. Yeah. Well, then, let's go. Okay, so, truth be told, we are talking about bathrooms today because of one of the listeners, one of you. Thank you so much to all of you who take the time to send notes, feedback, questions about the podcast, because number one, of course, it gives me a.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:02:20]:
Some direction about what you're liking and what you're not. And because this podcast is for you, it's entirely made as a resource and service to our community so that you have some inspiration, you have some ideas, you can come in and have, like, a free place that allows you to experiment with your organizing style, that you can and are organized. You just have to find and figure out what works for, for you in this chapter of life. And like we like to say here, we, it's organizing that fits your lifestyle, not the other way around. Right? You're not curating a room or a space for a model home that you will never use. This is supposed to be working for you in your life, and we hope that these episodes do that for you. So when you give me feedback and you send me questions and comments, the good, the bad, and the ugly, it allows me to bring topics that are relevant for you. This week was no different.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:03:17]:
So a couple weeks ago, one of you messaged me and said, hey, you haven't talked about bathrooms. You know, I've done a couple reels or social media posts about it, but never a full episode on it. And even though I do talk about bathrooms in some of our podcast episodes, as an example, I've never done one entirely on my tips when organizing a bathroom. So here we are. Thank you so much, Corey, for sending me that you know the topic for us to do and the idea in your questions. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you my top tips on what to think about when you're. Before you're. You're going to organize your bathroom and then during.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:04:01]:
Okay, so these are more like the hot tips, things that you may not have thought of. And then from there, if you have more specific questions, send them my way, and then I'll do an episode or answer the question in a Q and a format more specific to you. Okay. So that way, I don't just go on a tangent because everybody has different types of bathrooms and uses. So instead of me going all over the place, I will focus on what I have seen is the most, the tips that are most successful for people, easy to follow and upkeep and things that I've seen people not realize are important, and they are, and you should pay attention to in your bathroom. So here we go. Okay, so first things first. I do follow our seven steps of organizing almost anything in almost everything that I do.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:04:51]:
Okay? So if you haven't been. If you haven't been here for a while, we have our own methodology called seven steps of organizing almost anything. I'll put it in the show notes. So there is a podcast all about the overview of what that is. And then I go through each of the seven steps in one episode at a time. So there is a total of eight episodes. And the reason we follow it is because we've seen that it works. And it's just easy.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:05:18]:
It's easy to follow. And the first thing that I want you to think about, because I do follow that methodology, is to have a plan. Okay? You, like, you just have to have some plan. You don't have to be, you know, completely OCD style tendencies, where it has to be perfect. I just want you to have at least some kind of goal and goal in mind, mind when you're tackling your bathroom. Because if not, then we can. You might either declutter too much where it feels overwhelming, where you just end up throwing everything away with no rhyme or reason, and then go back to that habit of overspending and over buying again because you didn't have a plan. The other thing that can happen when you don't have a plan in your bathroom is.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:06:04]:
Or the consequences of it, is that you will put them away so nicely in either bins or the closet or the drawers that you will never find them again. Because there's no rhyme or reason, there's no functionality to it without a plan. So I just want you to think about it. And some of those examples are going to be such as, my goal to organize and declutter or have some system in my bathroom is so that I can feel more at peace or more zen, or I want it to be as close to a spa experience as possible. Or maybe this is just a place that you go in and out as quickly as possible. You don't like to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, and you just want this space to be a place that you can quickly brush your teeth, do the very bare minimum. For some of you that travel quite a bit. My.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:06:58]:
The people in our community that is always on the go, this is a very. This is an example for you, right? Where you're hardly ever home. You're always on the go, on the run, on airplanes, trains, automobiles, working off site. And so when you come home and you go into your bathroom, it's a place that. Where you, you know, you. You just use it to clean up, to do your thing in the bathroom. But it's. It's an in and out.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:07:22]:
There's no spas and experience. So you just need the essentials. Um, and then for some of you, you know, you have multi generational families or multiple people that are sharing these spaces. So it needs to have some. Some organization, some flow that feels good without feeling messy. So have a plan. Some of the questions I want you to think about, too, is who is using the bathroom? Like, how many people? Not just how many people, but who in their age ranges. Like, for instance, I have a four and a half year old.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:07:56]:
And when we share a bathroom, then I need to think about having a stool for him. And that stool will block some of those cabinets that are in the sink, you know, in the, like this bottom of the sink where we keep a lot of stuff. So if we have to share a bathroom and that stool is there for him, I can't really easily access those things. Or if I do, I have to move the stool every single time, which for me is annoying. For you it might not be, but those are the things that I want you to think about, like who is using it, their height, what do they need? Maybe you are living with multi generational, you know, they're different age groups. And so someone who is older and elder or who needs more assistance might be very different from a teenager who, you know, who uses the bathroom for different reasons. So think about what is your plan? And think about who is using, what are their age ranges, what are their needs when they're in the bathroom. And then we will go from there.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:08:55]:
Once we've got that covered in those questions answered, I want you to then think about the functionality of the space. So start by thinking about how you use your bathroom, you know, on a daily basis, based on the goals that you have and the questions that you answered. And then the most common successful way of organizing is to keep frequently used items within easy reach. And then, of course, everything else can go in the deeper type of drawers. But the easily accessible spaces are going to be different for every person that you live with, including yourself. So that's why the first exercise is so important. Something that is easy for you to reach might not be very easy for someone else to reach. Put the stuff up to the side that you use on a daily basis.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:09:44]:
What I like to tell my clients and community is that take about a day or two and then including a weekend. So one of the days needs to be a work day type of like work. It be work week, but just whatever day you go to work or you do your daily routine type of activity and then a weekend where you have it off. So try to get those two. And whatever products you're using either have a little sticker, like a red sticker sticker that you put over it, so you know which ones you touched and which ones you didn't. Because then when we go into the declutter mode, or you go into where to put everything. Where to place everything. The ones that have the red stickers are the ones that you used.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:10:24]:
The ones like your go to, like, the ones you immediately went and reached for. Most likely it's the toothbrush, it's the toothpaste, it's the soap to wash our hands. It's the towel. It's the, you know, if you put makeup on, like, the essentials that you put makeup on, the cream or the lotions, it's probably going to be one of those combinations of things. And then what happens is sometimes we forget what we actually use versus what we want to use. And so I would do this exercise about ones, like one or two weeks, definitely at a minimum, two days, one workday type of day, in the morning and at night, and then a day off. And then I would repeat that again at least one more other time if you can, because that way you can kind of, you'll. You'll start seeing some patterns of, well, I use this when it's really hot.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:11:14]:
Like, I will put on sunscreen when it's hot, or I know it's going to be a sunny day versus, like, the day that I don't. Right. And it's for some, sometimes you won't even put any of that stuff on and you think you will, and then when it's come, it's time to put everything back and it's place or declutter and organize it, you'll realize that you never touched that one really special, beautiful smelling lotion that you said you would use, but you don't really, you haven't used it at all. So that'll make those decision points much easier when it's time to let go, if that is part of your process. So get, you know, some sticker or just put it to the side. What I've done to with, now that I'm a little bit more experienced in this is the sticker is just a visual representation. That's why I use stickers. And I will give them to my clients when we go through this activity.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:12:05]:
But if you don't have stickers or you don't want to put stickers on, then put them in a bag. Like, I have my toilet, toiletry bag, like, to go when I do this, like, big declutter, like once a year, I will then put those items in a bag, the one that I'm using as I use them. And then whatever was in that bag is what I actually used. And everything else is not so you can do something like that as well. Okay, so I think now we're ready to do the action of decluttering or going through everything. I in the bathroom, unless it's like, you have so much stuff that it's so overwhelming, like a closet. I would take everything out if you can, like, everything from every drawer, every cabinet, and then, you know, clean up the. The drawers and stuff really quickly.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:12:49]:
And that makes a huge difference, just visually itself. Like, clearing the counters, clearing all of the cabinets and whatnot. It just removing the dust, it just gives you a sense of cleanliness. So that right there will make a huge. Taking everything out will allow you to see everything and then sorting it. Sorting it by whatever is most important to you according to the plan that you created. So if you're going for a Zen type space where this is the bathroom that you're using to feel relaxed and comfortable and all that, then I would put all of my Zen type of spa like products and sort them that way. Like, sort.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:13:24]:
This is the everyday. This is what I use. This is my, like, spa type of stuff. And then this is other. If you are using the space with multiple people, then I would then organize everything by who uses it. Right? So it'd be kids, you know, the kids stuff, the adult stuff, the mom and dad's, whatever, you know, grandparents stuff. So then I would separate it by family member and so on and so forth. So decide what your goal is and then sort and take, when you're taking everything out, sorted by that.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:13:54]:
And then from there is where I would look at expiration date, see what's old, see what's not what, and then remember the stickers that we talked about. Like, if it doesn't have a sticker, it means you haven't used it in the last couple of times that you were in the bathroom. So think thoroughly and think about if you're actually going to use it and start making those executive decisions based on what actually is that you're using and whatnot. And then I would have the section of the. Having your extras. Right, like your overflow or your inventory. So if you need extras and whatnot, put that on a separate and label it. That you know that that is your overflow.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:14:31]:
That is your. Those are your extras. Now, very important. I would not. I would not put overflow stock items in the same bin unless you label it and you have a very clear separation. But I would not have your, oh, I would like to use these items one day or somebody gave you something, especially like the bubble baths and the bubble bombs and the whatever. Something for the bathroom. And that's cutesy.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:15:00]:
And you're like, well, I might use it. Okay. I would not put that those things in the. I might. I'd like to try. I got this as a gift. In the same space as your backflow or overflow inventory. If you are tighter on the space and you need.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:15:19]:
It needs to be in the same very, you know, in the same bin or the same cabinet or the same, you know, shelf separated in some way. So either have like a divider that separates the two, label the left and the right. The left is your overflow stuff you actually use and you bought extras for, because it was. It saved you on money. It was more, you know, more economical, and it was for functionality. It was just better. Like, if you get that big jug for the soap to fill up all of your hand soaps around the house, you know, it saves you money and it's just more functional. Great.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:15:52]:
That is a backfill inventory back. That's that section. But if somebody gave you a cute perfume that you haven't really. You're still trying it out. It's not really your jam. You're not ready to throw it away, though. That is not inventory and that is not backfill type of stuff. That is the.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:16:12]:
It's on its way out or you need to make a decision about keeping it and because you will actually use it. Okay, so those two are two very different categories. That is something that people most, a lot of times will combine into one. So let's talk about storage. Now that we know we're getting through the cleaning, decluttering phase and sorting, let's talk about storage. So my monthly reminder is to not forget about vertical space. That sometimes might even be better. It's a place where you hang things, so don't forget.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:16:43]:
Especially like in the shower. That might be very handy. Anything that can go on the wall with suction cups might be very. Might save you space on the floor. It might be cleaner, more hygienic. So don't forget about your vertical space, including shelving on in the bathroom. Magnets, suction cups. Let's talk really quick about the sticky like hooks that you would get from companies like three m.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:17:11]:
I love three m. But there are certain products that the sticky you do need to just make sure that you get the right adhesive for the type of wall you're putting it on. If it's a tile, if it's porous, if it's a wallpapered wall, if it's painted. There's quite a bit of moisture most of the time in bathrooms. So you need to think about that. And adhesives do lose its strength if you are used, if you're not using it correctly with the right temperatures. So there is a. Some adhesive that is meant for all weather.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:17:48]:
I always talk about the acrylic type of adhesive, like double sided tape adhesive. It's called acrylic tape, and it's double sided. And then you can just put it. It's mostly for, like, all weather type of places. It doesn't sweat, so it doesn't start to get slippery and lose its. Its stickiness. So think about those things. All right.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:18:07]:
So don't forget about your vertical space. Okay, so what are my thoughts about storage? Like bins? Either bins or baskets. Personal preference. Okay, so if visually, that is something that will help you get motivated to put things away and everything will have its place, go get them. You do you. I just want you to think about the space and not forget that in that space, there's moisture and there's different types of particles in there. That's where you brush your hair, you shave you. So there's going to be more of that, a personal type of debris, if you will, then another than in other spaces, because that's what it's meant for, right? For you to get cleaned, to scrub and dub and do all the things.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:18:54]:
So there is more of that floating around in the bathroom. And that can also get stuck, especially in, like in wicker and cloth type of containers. That is why clear plastic glass is so popular in bathrooms, because it's easy to wash. It's much easier to see through and clean. It's not porous. And you start to get into that stuff, like, like the nitty gritty that you have to get into. It's just harder to clean. So use your best judgment there.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:19:23]:
My favorites are not going to be anything that can accumulate the, like the debris of your body or the debris of any of the products. You're using perfume, right? You spray your perfume, you spray hair stuff. And those particles, those are smells, will get into the cloth type of bins and the wicker type of bins, and then you just have to make sure to clean them, wash them and be good about that. And if you are, great. But if you're not, and that's one more thing to think about, and that will overwhelm you, then don't even go down that route. And I would suggest something that's more. Less lines less nooks and crannies that things can accumulate in and easy to wash if there's a spillage or things like that, it's just much easier to clean and watch. So think about that for our last couple of tips.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:20:16]:
It's all about being able to find things. So the first is labels. Am I pro labels? Yes. You know, I love a good label system. At the same time, there is such a thing as over labeling, especially if you don't know where everything will go permanently. And if you're the type of person that has to move things around a lot, then that label will get annoying because then what? You know, it said towels, and now that bin is not for towels anymore, it's for something else. And now you have to get a new bin. And you didn't change the bin, so now someone else thought it was towels and it was actually something totally different.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:20:51]:
Right? Like it just becomes confusing. So I love a good labeling system, but only one, either for two reasons. Only if you're using it to remind yourself of something and start creating new habits. So that way, you know, you're not used to putting the paper towels or the paper toilet paper, extra toilet paper in this one particular bin. So you need a label to remind you, great, you're starting new habits and, or tell other people around you that are also using that space, that, that is where that goes. Great. The second is if you are ready to make that, that space, the permanent space, if you're not sure and you're not even ready to be like that's not going to be its permanent space yet, then something that is easily removable, like a sticky note, or just start to play around with things like that, that you can easily change just so that you're not so stuck. And then you don't even use it the way you intended it to, and now just, it becomes more confusing.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:21:53]:
So a good label system will take you a long way, but only if you're ready to commit and, or its specific instructions on creating new habits. The other reason I really like labels as well is if you're a, if you are a decanter, if you know what I mean. If you, if you don't know what I'm talking about, then you probably are not, or you might not know the term somebody that's a decanter, that in their organizing system, it's where they buy in bulk and then they will decanter or they will put it in smaller binsheendhouse. It's been very popular in the influencer space where they'll get, you know, walk you through this, like ASMR, how they fill everything up in their laundry, like the detergent, you know, they'll put it all in, like the nice containers or their olive oils and their pantries and, or their spices or whatever, maybe, and put them in nice containers. The same with the bathroom. So mostly that's been done with. I used the example earlier, but the, the soap, the, the hand soap. And you buy the big one, and then you fill all the little bottles.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:22:58]:
Okay, so that's one that's a style of decanting or that's an example. Another example is when you buy, like, a bigger shampoo and then you put it in smaller bottles. That's decanting, or when you're putting it into like, a different dispenser, those. So if you are that, that is your style and that is something you will be doing, then that is when labeling becomes really important, because you need to know what you put in that container. Trust me, I've definitely been a victim of this. Where I thought I was putting lotion on and I put my conditioner on because I did not label it correctly. So I'm a big, big fan of labeling, especially if you will be decanting anything in your bathroom. All right.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:23:40]:
And lastly, it's some of the products that I really love using in bathrooms. And those are turntables, also known as lazy susans. And for some of you, but the turntables, anything that you can, especially like those awkward, like quarter, quarter or very small type of spaces where you. They're just awkward. A turntable is great. Multi tiered, if you can fit it in there, is great as well. And even though it feels like you're losing space because it's round and you feel like, you know, it's, it doesn't go all the way back into the corner, you are actually going to be, if you're actually going to be using it the way it's intended, where you're turning it around as needed, you actually will be saving some space in the long run because you're actually using this stuff that's in there, as opposed to all those things hiding in the back of the cabinet or where we know whatever space it may be. That's one of my favorites.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:24:36]:
The other I mentioned, anything that is like plastic acrylic, see through, or easy to clean and easy to label. Big fan of that as well. And then the third thing that I'm really a big fan of is separators. So in the bathroom, the bathroom is a place that has a lot of little things. Q tips, you know, small perfumes, makeup, shaving cream, razors, whatever it may be that you're using and you need. It's just a lot of little things. So anything that will help you separate them and not just have them all in one drawer so that you can quickly find them. I am a big fan of most cabinets will have you just have to measure it.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:25:19]:
And then you can get some multi tiered type of separators, acrylic separators, bamboo, plastic, anything that just will keep things separated from each other so you can quickly get it is I'm a big fan of. So those are the products that I would recommend. Okay, so that's our episode on bathrooms. Like I mentioned, we. I could have gone on probably for another hour on this topic because I love it so much. It makes a great impact. I have specific tips on sharing spaces when when you do have multifamily and or when you're trying to create a feel, like a, like a spa type of feel, or if this is a place where you will be using to cut your hair. Like very specific needs.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:26:05]:
So I can do episodes on that as well if you would like. Just let me know if that's of interest to you. But today's episode was more about general tips that I have for you and things for you to consider when you are organizing, decluttering that space. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next week, thank you for listening to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it. If you leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player, it helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources, head on over to theorganizedflamingo.com podcast Happy organizing.
