Simply Maid to Help

It’s way too early for your alarm to be going off. You drowsily hit snooze, and the infernal screeching retreats into blessed silence. Your hands lazily bat at your eyes, as though this will help them open up and feel more awake than they actually are. Your feet drag you into the bathroom, you fumble for the light, and boom. You’re greeted by the mountain of clutter and mess that was only a molehill yesterday. Or was it 3 weeks ago?

Don’t worry. We’ve all been there, and there are several strategies you can use, starting today, to regain control of the bathroom space so when you flip on the light in the morning, you’re greeted by a clean “pamper myself” space instead of a troll den.

Strategy #1: Purge all trash.

It’s interesting how often trash ends up piling up on the floor, countertops, and around the garbage can instead of actually where it belongs. The first thing to do to clean up the space is take a trash bag and work one section at a time (countertops, toilet area, shower, floor) until all trash is in the bag. Tie it up and pitch it. Not later, do it right away. Which brings us to the second strategy.

Strategy #2: Get in the habit of tossing trash immediately.

It goes without saying, but taking out the trash (or even simply putting trash into the can as soon as it is “trash”) is one of the most important habits to keep the bathroom clean and smelling fresh. When you empty a shampoo bottle, throw it in the can. Toothpaste gone? Throw it out. Tissue fall on the floor? Pick that sucker up and throw it where it belongs. Then, as soon as the can is 2/3 full, take out the trash. The minute you notice (or give yourself a cutoff, like within 15 minutes).

Note: For those of you reading this who use every. Last. Drop. Of shampoo, and every. Single. Bit of toothpaste, take a breath and start throwing out these items when they’re pretty much gone. Especially if you already have replacements. One more use isn’t worth the extra clutter and it won’t break the bank to throw it out and open the new bottle when you reach the point of beating the bottle onto your palm to get the remaining amount out.

Strategy #3: Get a system in order.

Organizing the items on your countertop and in the bathroom cupboards can feel so overwhelming. If you don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone and I’m here to offer practical ideas that anyone can use to get things looking neat and tidy. Bonus perk, you won’t have to spend 10 minutes searching for that tiny beauty item. Yep, you know the one.

• Organize by part of the body. For example, keep hair products separate from face products.
• Sort by product type. Example, hairbrushes, styling products, face cleansing products, makeup, and body lotions.
• Order by color. This is a fun way to bring an added aesthetic appeal to your bathroom space

Strategy #4: Narrow down what gets stored on the counter.

Only keep items on the counter that are used more than 1x per day. Everything else should find a home in the cupboards or on a shelf. If you store all your beauty/hygiene products on the countertop, no amount of cleaning and organizing will keep that space neat.

Strategy #5: Bins and labels.

All items should be properly stored in containers and labeled accordingly. You’d be surprised how much this improves the aesthetic of the space, not to mention how easy it is to find things. Larger items (such as hairdryers and curling irons) are best stored by hanging them on the wall or inside cupboard doors, since they take up so much awkward space if kept on a flat surface.

Label makers are inexpensive and absolutely worth it. If you’re accustomed to hand written notes taped on bins or post its – please stop, for the love of all things orderly. Ink fades, or worse – bleeds into paper, notes get wrinkled, and tape tears. Just stop. Proper labels that can be stuck on will last for a very long time and make it look like you’ve got your shit together, even if you don’t feel like you do.

Sort items into the bins and stack them under the counter or on shelves. This alone will go a long way to keeping that space clutter free.

Strategy #6: Clean the bathroom. Regularly.

Now that your space is cleared of excess clutter, it’s time to tackle the grime. Cleaning your bathroom once a week will keep the space fresh and prevent stains from setting in. A complete, full bathroom clean shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes once you get the hang of it, although the first clean after a long time of neglect can take longer. But once you get it clean, keeping it that way is 100x easier!

If you need some tips on cleaning the bathroom efficiently, or what the best products are for your unique situation, please contact us! We are here to help.

And that’s it! Stay tuned for Part 3 as we tackle the rest of the house.