Monthly Organizing Challenge: Linens and the Loo

Welcome to the fabulous month of March!  It is such a wonderful month that we have a snow day today!

I am back to launch another monthly challenge, this month we are tackling the less talked about areas of the home, the linens and the loo!

It's all about sharing ideas, working together and conquering our organizing projects one step at a time.  And organizing is so much more fun when you have someone to do it with {or hundreds of people to do it with}, so let's do this together!

To kick things off let's chat about some of my favorite linen and loo organizing tips:

In the bathroom: 

• Remove all medications from the medicine cabinet.  It actually isn't great for your medicines to be stored in room that varies so much in temp and can get so humid.  It reduces the effectiveness of those medications over time.  A hall closet or a cabinet in the kitchen away from appliances, are both great alternatives.
• Just as they are in the kitchen, drawer dividers will be your friend once again.  Bathroom drawers are often filled with itty bits such as hair ties, floss and makeup.  As The Offspring group would say, "You gotta keep 'em separated!"
• Kitchen storage does not just have to be used in the kitchen.  Spice racks, over the door organizers and lazy susans all make great bathroom storage as well.
• Combine all of your miscellaneous lotions and potions.  Half used conditioners, shampoos and lotions should be pared down.
• Check the dates on your makeup, did you know it expires?
• Keep your toothbrushes behind doors or in drawers.  When left out in the open, they are exposed to extra unwanted germs.
• Get creative when storing things like cotton swabs and q-tips.  Thrift stores are great places to pick up decorative dishes that look beautiful in the bathroom.
• Pre-pack and store a stocked toiletry bag so you can just grab and go when it is time to travel.
• If you don't have a linen closet in or near your bathroom, you can add one!  Bookshelves, bathroom cabinets and utility carts all make versatile storage options.
• Bathroom's are typically the smallest rooms in the home.  It is important to maximize on the vertical space by mounting shallow shelves or baskets to the walls to add additional storage.  Don't forget about the space behind the toilet, many etagere cabinets are designed to give you additional storage where there once was none.
• Towel bars work great, but also consider adding hooks instead, as they can hold more than just towels and offer a little more versatility.  It also makes it easier for kids to hang their items and they don't have to be hung perfectly to still look neat.
• Woven baskets are a really great option in bathrooms because they look great, but they also hold up well to humidity.
• When working under the sink, find storage solutions that can be stored and stacked around all of the plumbing.
• Don't forget about the back side of cabinets, extra storage lives there too!
• Toss a small pail or bucket of cleaning supplies under the sink so it is easy to quickly wipe down the bathroom each day.  If you have littles, make sure to add a child safety lock.

In the linen closet:

•  Add labels to the fronts of the shelves so the entire family can stay on the same page.  Bookplates work great for this!
• If multiple people share a bathroom, keep a small canvas bin or shower caddy for each person tucked inside the linen closet.
• Don't stress about folding sheets perfectly.  You can toss each set inside of it's matching pillow case, or tuck them inside of a basket.  That way, it still looks tidy, and you don't have to be a a folding wiz.
• Use corbels or shelf dividers in-between your stacks of sheets and towels to prevent them from toppling over. 
• Just like in the pantry, think about placement.  Frequently used items at arm's reach, less used items up high and down low.  Also consider organizing sheets and towels by person or by room.
• The back of the linen closet door is a prime spot to add towel bars or an over the door ironing board hanger. 
• Use stackable bins or baskets to maximize your vertical space on the shelves.
• Utilize the floor for hampers and handheld vacuums.
• Since medications shouldn't be kept in the bathroom, if your linen closet is in the hall, you can store your medications here.  Baskets or lock-boxes stored on the top shelves with labels, keep the items out of reach from little curious fingers.

So where does one begin?

1. Make a list of things you are hoping to tackle this month to get your line closet and loo in working order.  Be realistic and only take on what you can commit to and pick your battles.  It doesn't have to be an entire space overhaul, just enough to feel stress free about your time in the loo each day.
2. Find inspiration.  Check out the www and your favorite magazines for ideas and products to spark your creativity.
3. Schedule it in!  Make time to get it done, whether it is 15 minutes per day or an hour on a weekend.  Ask for help watching the kids or get them involved to help with sorting and any crafting.
4. Blank slate it!  Anytime I take on an organizing project, it is great to start with a blank slate.  It allows you to properly evaluate what you have and place things back where they make the most sense vs. where they have been for the last eight years.
5. Sort.  Sort down your contents into categories and piles.  Make sure you have a purge pile!  It's time to clear out the clutter!
6. Purge.  Say farewell to all of those things holding you back from living simply.  Only keep what you need and love, say farewell to all the rest.  Sell on Craigslist, donate to Goodwill, recycle recycle recycle.  Also, consider donating linens to local domestic violence, homeless and animal shelters.
7. Store it!  Now that you have cleared the clutter, it is time to store the remaining items.  Use what you have and shop your home for additional items.  Check out thrift stores, the dollar store or the Container Store to find things that fit your storage needs.  Or, DIY your own storage for a custom fit, to save moolah and because crafting and projecting is fun!
8. Share it!  Blog about your projects and share them with the world!  You have just accomplished something, you should be proud!  At the end of the month, we will link up all of our projects and share the ideas and inspiration with the IHeart Organizing community!

This blog isn't just about organizing, it's about getting your hands dirty.  Whether making a tag from scrapbooking supplies or creating hair supply storage out of magazine files.... let's dare to DIY something fun while working on our bathroom spaces!

To not only bring us some inspiration, but to also spark a few DIY ideas, here are a few that have recently caught my eye:


Create unexpected labels and pair them with clear dividers:

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Or paint your own pattern on white drawer liner, to give the inside of your drawers a little extra pizzazz:

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Build a bathroom vanity from scratch:

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Or use an old dresser to create one:

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Or give yours a face lift with a fresh coat of paint and pretty hardware:

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Soup cans attached to the inside of a cabinet door make for great hair tool storage:

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And if you are a serious DIYer, you can build a cabinet to hold and charge your styling tools:

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When it comes to hanging towels, I love the idea of knobs paired with ribbon loops:

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 Or using unexpected hardware to create hooks:

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On my DIY wish list, building a ladder to hang towels.  I love that it uses vertical space so well!

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When it comes to storing extra towels, you could build a sweet wall unit:

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Or use wall mounted planters or baskets to tuck extras away:

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How pretty are these DIY floating shelves?  I love that they can be customized to any size and finish:

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And when working in the linen closet, painting old baskets with fresh colors, adding labels to the shelves and dividers between linens, really goes a long way!

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So who is excited to tackle the linen closet and loo with me?  I will be sharing a few of our projects along the way this month, but what I am most excited about is seeing yours at the end of the month during the Link Party!

What other bathroom and linen closet organizing tips do you have to share to kick off the challenge?  Any projects that are working wonders for you?  How about favorite product picks that you couldn't function without?