Prompt Card Example from Declutter Deck™: Organize Your Bathroom Drawer
Set your timer for 60 minutes and take a before photo.
Step 1: Take Everything Out and Make the Pile
This should be a relatively easy Declutter Deck® prompt. Really, how much can one bathroom drawer hold? The answer is, it depends. Some people have just one toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and maybe a night guard in their bathroom drawer. Other people have more to declutter. Make-up will be addressed in a later prompt so just focus on everything but make-up. If you’re feeling ambitious, and your make-up drawer is bugging you, go ahead and declutter and organize it now. If not, it can wait.
From my perspective, I don’t keep a lot in my bathroom drawers. In one, I have the items noted above. In a second, I have my make-up. Growing up in an era when make-up with not a thing, I tend to have very little. I have a few extra products for days when my natural look (read: no make-up) needs to be brightened up a bit, but for the most part I don’t own a ton of make-up. In a third drawer I have my hair accessories like brushes, clips, and hair bands, and a fourth holds my hair products. My fifth drawer holds my blow dryer and straightener. That’s about it. I keep other products and overflow in a linen closet in clear storage bins. This particular line, mDesign deep plastic storage organizers, come in a pack of four bins and are useful throughout your home. When I use them in the bathroom, in them I place overflow bathroom products that I may need to refill, like dental floss and extra toothpaste.
I'm a minimalist and you may not be. Either is fine.
You, however, may have many items. Starting small, working on only one drawer at a time, teaches you how to sort, group, edit and return everything to its proper place.
To get started, empty your drawer. You can lay out a large towel to keep things clean and organized, and then empty your drawer onto it. Then, wipe out the drawer. If you have a divider system, for example, make sure to assess its function and thoroughly wipe it down, too. The system we selected is made by Utoplike and is a four pack of adjustable drawer dividers that are spring loaded. They work well in the bathroom. They can also be a great help in the kitchen, bedroom, desk drawer or in a dresser.
Step 2: Group Your Bathroom Drawer Contents
Once you have finished making the pile, it’s time to group. Look at all your available bathroom space since you will want to repeat this step until all your bathroom drawers are finished. It may take you two days for two drawers, or a week for five or six. Decide where you want to store things, and make sure to give it some thought. You will have the opportunity to adjust what you have in your bathroom drawers when you are finished with all of them. Make sure you group the first drawer well. That means, if other drawers have the same type of things in them as the drawer being grouped, make sure you’ve gathered them into one. The objective is to get like objects together. You want to know that when you open a drawer, the contents are similar. This will prevent you from opening and closing all the drawers in your bathroom to find the one thing you’re missing. Think strategically and be aware of what you own.
Step 3: Edit the Bathroom Drawers
The editing step is very important. In bathroom drawers, there is the temptation to save little knick-knacks or odds and ends. Try to refrain from doing that, if possible. Because, as soon as you close the drawer, you’ll forget what's in there. For this organization step, it may be a good idea to put removable sticky notes on the outside of the drawers so you can see what's in each one without opening it.
Junk drawers are primarily found in the kitchen. Put your odds and ends there. Aim for a reduction of at least twenty percent in your bathroom drawers, but even more if you can. The less you keep in your bathroom drawers, the easier your morning and evening routines will be. Reducing will also be a huge help when decluttering and organizing your bathroom countertops. You may finally be able to put things away. Remember, too, that bathrooms are humid. Try to refrain from putting things in there that have the potential to rust or get damp from the humidity.
Step 4: Return Everything to its Place
Once you have completed your editing, it’s time to return everything to its place. Place your dividers or organizers in the drawer. We have chosen Kiplant bamboo organizers as a supplement to the Utoplike drawer organizers because these organizers have eight inserts and also come with dividers. This helps to better separate items when storing little things such as hair clips, makeup and small tubes. In this pack there are eight dividers with sixteen inserts. They can also be used for kitchen and dresser organization. These drawer dividers extend from 16.5 to 22 inches and are stackable.
We prefer to use bamboo organizers in bathroom drawers as they tend to soak up moisture, are shallow, and look great when you open the drawers. You may equally prefer plastic containers from Brightroom™ at Target. Drawer inserts come in clear plastic and also a multitude of colors. Think about your morning and evening routines, what is most convenient, and which drawers work better than others for lotions and sprays. Once you have put everything back, continue in future sessions to work through all your bathroom drawers. Adjust as necessary. It’s that simple.
Take an after photo. Then, you’re finished for the day.
(Instructions provided by professional organizers at The Uncluttered Life, Inc.)
About Life Hack Decks™
Declutter Decks® are part of the life Hack Decks™ collection. Life Hack Decks™ are powerful micro-prompt motivational cards to make your life easier while reducing stress in your day. These instructional decks simplify ineffective routines and help you go from stuck and overwhelmed to inspired and empowered.
Life Hack Decks™ take the stress out of decision-making and motivate you to tackle things you’ve been putting off for years - like bathroom organization. Life Hack Decks™ (52 cards per deck) allow you to focus on the things that bring you joy, happiness, and connection with others rather than lingering in the mundane, anxiety-producing ruts in which we often find ourselves.
Our Line of Life Hack Decks™
The Life Hack Decks™ collection currently includes Date Deck®, Declutter Deck®, Dorm Deck, New Mama Deck and Random Acts of Kindness Deck.
Order your Declutter Deck® to get your bathroom drawers in order. $19.95 plus shipping. And don’t forget to tag us and a friend at @lifehackdecks to show us your before-and-after photos. You'll be amazed at how your morning routine improves with bathroom drawer organization.