Simple Solutions: Bathroom Organization and 31 Days to Clean

I have a tendency to over-complicating things. My husband just fell down laughing at the understatement. Take, for example, the disaster that is my master bathroom vanity. We are blessed to have a large double sink, which should mean that we each have plenty of room without encroaching on the other’s space. That’s the dream. Here’s the reality…

My sink becomes filled with hair styling appliances that apparently weigh 900 lbs, because it is absolutely impossible for me to unplug them and put them away every day. Seriously. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.

When we built this house, I asked the builder to put a plug inside the cabinet so I could avoid the unplugging part. He talked me out of it. Something about building codes and fire hazards. Blah. Blah.

This silly little quirk causes a ripple-effect where my side of the sink is rendered unusable, my creams and make-up become scattered all over and my hubby and I end up sharing one sink. Even though he’s generally been gracious about his, the occasional sigh and eye-roll suggests that bugs him. So I needed to find a solution.

Which brings me to Kimba’s 1st Rule of Organization…

Know yourself and work with it.

I KNOW that putting away my hairdryer everyday is beyond my ability. I could fight my nature and promise myself that I’m going to change my bad habit or I could just figure out how to work around myself. Frankly, I’ve got enough flaws to work on. This one doesn’t seem worth the battle.

My solution comes in the form of the Hairdryer Basket. This $12 basket from Target lets me keep my hair dryer (and straightener) plugged in all the time. And I can just as easily drop them into the basket as I can drop them into the sink.

Step 2 of my bathroom organization genius is the Everyday Basket. True to it’s name (I’m a genius at naming things, eh?), the Everyday Basket holds all of the potions, lotions, spritzes and sprays that I use everyday. Clearly, I have way too many of those things.

It’s the perfect size to tuck under the sink, but if it also weighs 900 lbs, then it doesn’t look so bad sitting out on the counter. And it, at least, corrals my mess so that my fella can lay claim to his sink once again. Cue angels singing!

While we’re on the topic of organizing our homes, I have to tell you about the new eBook from my friend, Sarah Mae:: 31 Days to Clean, Having Martha House the Mary Way.

You may know Sarah Mae from her blog, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and as the creator of the fabulous Relevant Conference.

31 Days to Clean is about the “why” and the vision and the heart for taking care of our domains. Each day I encourage you with some thoughts and ideas, and then we put those ideas to action. – Sarah Mae

I am so honored that Sarah Mae asked me to contribute a chapter to her fabulous book. I read the whole thing over the weekend and it’s no ordinary “how to clean your house” book. It goes way beyond the “how-to’s” and gets to the heart of why it’s so hard to keep up with the tasks of running a household and what we can do about it.

Head on over to the 31 Days to Clean site and check it out for yourself.

Do you have a nagging organizational problem that could have a simple solution?