Bathroom 101

Okay, I'm no organizational expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I actually do have some tips that have helped me keep my bathroom organized for months now.

I have 2 major issues that were standing in the way of me keeping an organized, tidy bathroom. The first issue: hair combing stuff, as we like to call it at our house. This is all the stuff I use for doing hair for myself and my 4 kids. Obviously we don't use everything every day, but I use all of it at different points, depending on the day, and where we're going. Oh, and I let my husband use some of it too!

The problem was this. I was trying to keep combs/brushes, hair accessories, etc. in the drawer. I kept the curling irons and other tools in the cupboard below the drawer. So I was always having to get down on the floor and dig around for whatever I needed that day. If it was way in the back, then the stuff in the front got knocked over, or pushed out onto the floor. Then whenever I got around to putting it back, it got shoved in and was a mess all over again for the next day. The drawer got pretty messy as well. Now I keep EVERYTHING (hairspray, combs, brushes, tools, gel, clips, elastics....) in this handy little tote.
I put the combs and picks in a gallon size freezer bag, and the clippies and elastics in little lunch baggies. When the bags wear out I just replace them (not really too often). I stick everything in the tote, and it doesn't matter if it gets messy, I can dig for what I need from the comfort of the counter top, and nothing has to get knocked onto the floor! When I'm done with hair, I just pile it all back into the tote - nothing is breakable so I don't have to organize it in the tote or anything! It fits perfectly under my sink, out of sight and just waiting for me to pull the whole thing out again the next morning! It has worked like a charm in keeping my counter top uncluttered, and my floor as well! My second "issue" is the bathtub. It was always full of shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, loofahs, toys and probably other stuff that I'm forgetting! I buy the HUGE bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash at Costco. I don't have a shower shelf, and those I looked at wouldn't fit my huge bottles! So I now stick all those things in this dollar store plastic basket. It's small enough that it stays out of the way when you shower, and the holes allow the water to drain through. When the kids bathe, I just take it out and set it on the floor. It works great, and is out of sight in the tub so the bathroom is tidy.

I used to do the same with the toys. But I hated those toys! You could never get all the water out of those squirt things, or boats, and they got all scummy looking. And the squirt toys would eventually start to grow mold inside from the moisture, and that's just gross.

Santa brought this little gem to my youngest for Christmas. It's a Boon Frog Pod. They had them at Costco for about $36.00 during Christmas time. A little pricey, I know - but I think Santa got his money's worth, and it WAS Christmas after all.
It holds all the kids' loofahs on it's toes, and there's a small shelf where his "mouth" is where I keep some smaller bottles of cleanser and kid shampoo. The best part is the toys and their scoop. These foam decals stick to the wall, or tub and don't absorb the water and get all stinky and germy. And the kids LOVE them. Even the older ones think they're great! And please excuse the red grout in the picture, the bathtub crayon doesn't come out of grout too well!
When bath time is over, you just "scoop" up the toys, rinse them under running water and hook it up on Mr. Froggy's back. The holes allow them to air-dry and no mildew or mold! I chucked every single one of our other bath toys! Plus it looks so dang cute!
You can probably find the Frog Pod online, I got the tote at Walmart (make sure to measure under your sink first so you make sure you buy one that will fit), and as I said before, the shampoo basket is from the dollar store! Happy organizing!