Identify the Problems

Let's do the Fresh Eyes Exercise. I'd like you to grab a pen or pencil and a notebook and sit in your bathroom and look around. Pretend you have never been here before and ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you know about the people who live here from the condition of this room?

• Is the trashcan adequate to the task at hand or is it taking up too much space?

• Are there enough towel bars? What about hooks?

• Could the room use a few more shelves? Is there enough wall space to install a few or should you consider adding one of those over the toilet units?

• What about the state of the towels? Are they threadbare and ready to be donated to the local animal shelter?

• Do too many products crowd the counters?

• Are drawers stuffed to the max?

• Does the medicine cabinet house expired meds?

Craft a plan of attack

Start by making a list of the things you can do immediately to make a difference. For example, while you are out doing your early holiday shopping, you can purchase a new trashcan for just a few dollars at a store like Bed Bath & Beyond. (If you have one of their discount coupons you'll really score a deal.) It doesn't have to be expensive. It does need to be functional. While you're there it might be time to purchase a few new towels. Or maybe you'll put that on your shopping list for Black Friday? Decide what you need and when you can take care of the task. This moves you from complaining about the bathroom to taking action to fix the issues that bother you.

The next thing you'll need to do is schedule a nice block of time to do some weeding out. Be sure, for example, that you return those expired meds to your local pharmacy. Flushing them down the toilet or tossing them into the trash may ultimately contaminate the water supply. If you purchased hair care products, make up, tooth paste or other supplies and decided they weren't for you, be brave and either toss them or offer them to a friend. You need the space and additional time isn't likely to alter your opinion. Besides products have a limited shelf life and you want to give them away while someone else can enjoy them.

If you need bigger ticket items like brass hooks, sturdy towel bars and shelves, why not spend a few minutes shopping on line? See what products are out there. Or you might peruse a few magazines and see how other folks have solved similar issues. Make this a creative endeavor and have fun with it. If you view it as a homework assignment you're adding to bathroom stress rather than alleviating it!  I'd like to share the story of a couple I worked with many years ago. They had an unusual situation and I helped them solve it with the addition of a few containers. I think you'll need a few of these as well. I use them all over the house.

Your container or mine?

I don't believe that intimacy is enhanced when we throw our possessions together in a physical mish-mash designed to fray nerves. Bob was very neat and tidy by nature. He loved the idea of putting his everyday toilet items into a small tote that he could store under the sink. He places it on the counter when he needs to prepare for the day. Before he leaves for work, he returns the container to its position under the sink. On the counter he has a display of beautiful bottles. This area is very inviting and easy to maintain. When we first met, it looked like a small cyclone had passed through. John had no idea there was a way to avoid clutter and still find what you needed when you wanted it. And there was one additional complication.

His sweetheart lives part of the year in another city. Unlike John, she does not mind being surrounded by a sea of bottles, brushes and tubes. We introduced her to the grid tote from The Container Store, and as a compromise, she decided to use one as well. Now her things reside in a quiet corner of the cabinet under the sink rather than spreading across the counter like a fungus. She can retrieve them easily whenever she is in town. When she is away, they live quietly under the sink in one controlled area, waiting for her return. John, meanwhile, is soothed by the absence of clutter.

I think like John and his fiancée you will find that containers make your life easier. But remember! You need to whittle your stash down to what you actually use before you purchase any containers. The purpose of a container is to make the products you use accessible. It isn't meant to help you corral your mistakes along with your every day products. Being organized is all about making decisions and then honoring the systems you put into place. If that sounds like a lot of work, take heart: you already do this! Avoiding a decision is making one; keeping everything in a chaotic heap is a system. I'm simply asking you to be faithful to something that will nurture and support you rather than adhering to the avoidance and chaos that cause you distress.

Be warned!

The very first time you pick up an item, shrug your shoulders, say to yourself "I don't know where this goes" and toss it on the counter or in a drawer, you have jeopardized all your efforts at organizing this room. One casually tossed item will call to its brethren, and before you can invoke the name "Zen of Organizing," bottles, jars and brushes will have bled across the nicely organized space like ooze in a horror movie. You create the system. You determine the placement of everything you own.

In Conclusion

Here's a little trick to help you keep the bathroom in tiptop shape. You can make these steps part of your bathroom ritual. You'll rarely have to do all of them and even if you did, we're talking about a two-minute investment of time. As you exit ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I hang up my towel or have a wild moment and toss it on the floor? Whether it's a bar or a hook, place the towel where it belongs.

• Is the trashcan full? Take out the full bag and put in a fresh liner.

• Can you see spots all over the mirror just above the faucet? Give it a quick spray with Windex or homemade window cleaner and wipe it clean. Toothpaste flies up there with great abandon, doesn't it?

• Does the counter need a quick wipe? Use a sponge you keep handy for this purpose. Sticky residue can't build up if you check the counter each time you exit.

Everyone in the home needs to follow the same guidelines. In short order all the bathrooms in the house will have that inviting, spa like quality. During the holiday season consider adding something special like a scented candle. In fact after a long day at work or some serious time at the mall, reward yourself with a long hot bath or shower in this room that now nurtures you body and Soul.