Organizing the Bathroom With Food Containers

See-through plastic bag for hair accessories

Two weeks ago, I came across an online article offering organizing tips.  In it, I read that glass jars can be reused.  That immediately sparked my imagination.  I had been using the above see-through plastic bag to house my hair accessories.  It was fine, but I wanted something less bulky but with some solid body to it.  

Washing to repurpose coffee containers

I remembered that we had some empty coffee plastic jars.  We had washed a few out to use within our home.  My hubby likes them for his endless supply of screws and nails.

Plastic jar for coffee repurposed for hair accessories

I decided to take my idea a little further.  I had some empty cleaned-out peanut butter plastic jars.  

Varying degrees of plastic jars

 I threw in some small balls of yarn.  I thought it looked decorative.  I've been watching a few episodes of the Nate Berkus show.  With his decorating expertise, he recommends using personal touches.  Since I crochet, I don't mind letting people know about love of yarn.

Disposable shavers in plastic tray

Having the disposable shavers in this white tray was not working for me.  I decided to use one of the former peanut butter jars for them.  It worked!

Disposable shavers in plastic jar

That freed up the white tray so I could use it (below) for toothpaste and other tooth-related toiletries.

Reused tray for tooth cleaning supplies

Often, we feel overwhelmed with all the things we own.  If we must keep a lot of items, we can organize them.  I have shown here that plastic jars can be reused to house our toiletries.  To organize the bathroom, we can keep the food containers and wash them up.  If the labels prove hard to remove, we can always employ a little bit of peanut butter and scrubbing.

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  If you like it, please press the "like" button below.  I would appreciate that very much.

How about it, my readers?  Have you organized anything in your bathroom lately?  Would you consider using plastic food jars?  Right now is the perfect opportunity to do your fall cleaning.  I hope you would find time to change things up for the fall season. 

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

Cleaning Challenge Update Fifth Week--Bathrooms & Home Office

Update on the 31 Days to Clean Challenge: Days 21-25

Day 21

Planning is easy for me.  It's the follow up that is difficult.  I have been sick so often throughout the years that I just can't get to everything that I would like to do.  I want my house to be more organized.  Yes, it looks clean, but the dust is often not seen to, and the floors do not get mopped as they should.  Luckily, my kids don't get sick.

I figured out that I might need to detail how my kids should do some of the chores:


Dusting - TVs, computers, books, shelves, walls, ceiling fans (broken down by days)

Sweeping - Every room and the baseboards (broken down by days)

Clothing - sorted, washed, folded, and hung (daily)

Dishes - clean pots, pans, big bowls by hand; dishwasher in and out (daily)

Mopping - almost every room (broken down by days)

Vacuuming - classroom (weekly)

Trash collection - (every other day)

Cooking - biggest challenge; hubby, morning; Iris, afternoon; Gabriel & me, evening (daily)

I need to enforce the chores, but the time always slips.  I can't reward my kids because they already have all they want.  There doesn't seem to be any extra currency I can give them.  The best I can do is to pray to God to help me enforce and carry out the chores.

Today, I cleaned both toilets.  I mopped my own bathroom.  Also, I mopped my bedroom, which also houses my office.  (Everyone has their own "office.")  Need to clean both tubs.  Need to sweep and mop the other bathroom.  Might ask daughter to do that for me.

Day 22

I've written schedules, but I get sick.  Need to see a doctor to figure out what's wrong with me.  I am working on getting up early.  Didn't work on the chores today because I was sick from a diet I attempted.

Day 23

I wish I could steam clean the carpet in the room occupied by my teenage son.  It is not realistic to rent the machine because it would only be for one room.  I would like to someday pull out that carpet.  The room would look so much bigger if I could do that.

Anyway, I've been praying about my health.  He's the only one who can help when I feel like I'm dying.  That's what holds me back from having the ultimate home--my illness.  

I want to spend more time with my kids.  For now, I go to their rooms and visit with them for a few minutes.  We talk about the weather, politics, school, plans, etc. at night time, when hubby is asleep.

Since I was feeling sick, I asked the little one to spend some time with me.  

I quizzed her, verbally, on her alphabet, the numbers 1 to 100, and her vowels.  Her brother came along and soon all Kaelyn's pandas and seals were on my bed.  We played together until their father arrived.

Time management situation:

I must turn the TV off.  

Perhaps, I can use a timer.

I must limit how much time I spend online.  

I could use the Firefox reminder.  

I could try the Yahoo or Google calendars.

Day 24

Computer desk holds hubby's stuff and computer.

Hubby's household include bills and pay stubs.

Box holds hubby's calculator and reading glasses.

Hubby's drawer holds his calendar and check register.

Picked hubby's workspace to declutter.  He told me that the drawer at his computer desk would be better for his papers.  He balances the checkbook and the family budget at that desk.  It did make sense for his stuff to be relocated to that area.  He had already taken his files over there.

I removed all the paper and office supplies so his paperwork could be in the one drawer.  Then, I designated a simple box for his supplies, which include his writing instruments, calculator, and reading glasses.

Then, I came over to my desk (in my room) and spread out my own supplies within the drawers.  I don't know how to get rid of my paper clutter.  I don't like to throw away things, in case I need them later.  I will have to work on the files to weed out old stuff, like out of date utility bills.  I could teach my hubby how to weed them out, too.

Day 25

When do I have more energy?  I should look for a pattern within each month for about 3 months.  I need to see if there is a rhythm to my energy levels.  I would definitely like to figure that out.  I know that I can live without coffee because it makes my stomach ache.  I can drink some tea but not too much.  

I can try fruit smoothies, but I would have to make them ahead of time.  My blender is too loud for the morning.

As for working on the shelves in the office, I looked at those for the homeschooling material and need to reorganize the workbooks by grade once again.  I'm constantly shifting things around.  I am working on getting rid of some of the pre-k and kindergarten material that Kaelyn has outgrown.  It is a bit sad to think that I won't be needing them anymore, but I need to make room for the new stuff.

Well, thanks for reading this update. 

I appreciate the support through this journey.

I hope this entry has inspired you to organize your homes.

How about you, my readers?  Have you deep cleaned your bathrooms?  Have you mopped your bathrooms?  Have you worked in your home office, weeding out papers and decluttering your shelves?  Are you wanting to deep clean, but you don't know where to get started? 

The link above leads to an ebook which can be helpful in prioritizing and breaking down the cleaning.  I encourage you to click on the link if you need more help.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry has been part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

Cleaning Challenge Update Fourth Week--Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Update on the 31 Days to Clean Challenge: Days 16-20

One of the targets for this week--bedroom shelves

 

Day 16

I'm falling behind.  I'm upset that my writing course has been extended.  I did not expect it.  I am ready for the course to end.  Want to move forward, but I know that I am still have some learning to do.  

Iris has been teaching Kaelyn how to sweep.  

I asked the kids to sweep their rooms.  I have often asked the kids to pick up the slack because I suffer with pain.  My sickness often leads to laziness.  I have to pace myself with the illness because the stress causes inflammation.  The inflammation leads to pain.  I am now eating anti-inflammatory foods which are helping to squash the pain.  Yes!

Blogging is taking a lot of my time.  I'm better at writing.  I might have to take some time off, though.  Perhaps it can coincide with the kids' time off. 

Day 17

11 year-old's bookcase--he needs direction

 

I asked the kids to dust their books and declutter their bookcases.  Have they done it?  I don't think so...

Under the DISC personality quiz, I scored as the cautious type.  I'm calculating, contemplative, and careful.  I like for things to make sense, and I need to understand the reasons behind situations.  I tend to focus on making things "right" and follow some sort of routine.  My weakness is taking too much time to make decisions.

I think it helps me understand that I calculate how to delegate chores.  I contemplate how much to assign.  I am careful not to burden my kids with too much to do.  I have been indecisive as to giving them more detailed instructions because I'm afraid the kids will revolt.

Day 18

For today, I was supposed to clean out our closets, but we had already done that in March.  I did work on my closet problem more recently.

 

Sampling of clutter from our closets--March

Problem in my closet--clothes too tight

Closeup of shoe rack taking space

Opposite door is bare

Over-door rack for shoes at Walmart

Clothes breathing; caps now in utility room

Unpainted wall, yes

Twin flat sheet to hide closet

I had to write out a tentative schedule:

Wake up

Pray

Breakfast

Exercise

Work on Writing

Lunch

Blog

Clean

Homeschool

Dinner

Browse Internet

Day 19 

I had to do a Bible study on the words joy and self-discipline.  It is too detailed to post it here.  I will post it on Sunday.  I did jot down a few Bible verses, but I want to give the study a good treatment.

Had already cleaned out expired medications and toiletries.  Had updated my first aid kit to take to our trip.  I cleaned out my old cosmetics, too.  Well, I kept a few items.  I don't wear too much makeup so I am holding on to the minimum.

Following are before and after pictures of my decluttering:

Messy medicine shelf

Closeup of medicines

Bag containing summer medications

Expiration dates to weed out

Result of messiness--too many band aids

Walmart bag full of old toiletries and medications

Medications organized in bigger basket

Medicine bag on the go

Basket on shelf; travel toiletries and summer meds. on side

Messy shelf for vitamins and supplements

Difficult to see labels of vitamins and supplements

Rack borrowed from elsewhere for vitamins and supplements

Container for toiletries in master bathroom

First drawer of toiletries in master bathroom

Second drawer for toiletries in master bathroom

Day 20

Had to clean bathroom mirrors, windows, and walls.  Used mint-scented Method glass cleaner for the window and mirrors.  Need to dust.

Also, need to assess how I spend my time.  I have to do it honestly to figure out where I am wasting time.  I know that I spend too much time on the internet and watching TV again.  I need to do things in moderation.

Like I said before, I am not gonna stress if I didn't get to everything.  I'm about 60-70% of optimum health.  I am feeling a lot better, and I am working on my diet, weeding out the junkfood.  This cleaning challenge has covered many areas of my life, not just the house situation.  I am very grateful for this opportunity to improve the quality of life for my family.

Well, thanks for reading this update 

and viewing the pictures. 

I hope this entry has inspired you to clean your homes.

How about you, my readers?  Have you deep cleaned your bedrooms?  Have you weeded out expired medications and old cosmetics?  Are you wanting to deep clean, but you don't know where to get started?  The link above leads to an ebook which can be helpful in prioritizing and breaking down the cleaning.  I encourage you to click on the link if you need more help.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry has been part of the Family Fun Fridays series.