Bathroom Organization (mine and what I wish it was)

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Two Lies and a Truth Answers
Organization is not my strong suit. #understatementoftheyear (I can actually hear my mom chuckling as she’s reading that statement)

Practically from birth, I have been a complete mess-maker. 

Now, I’m rarely a mess personally, as in “on my person”. My “self”. I enjoy getting dressed, doing my hair and makeup, etc. so I put on this great front of being organized behind the scenes. It’s a true talent of mine.

A mutual friend once told my friend Carrie that “kate seems like the kind of friend that you don’t have to clean your house for.” And that is true. Because your messy home is more organized than mine. 

Don’t confuse mess with cleanliness either. I’m clean, I just have lots of clean messes.

Anyway, enough is enough. The reason for this post is due to many questions from readers on how I organize my beauty products/bathroom. And I never answered them because it would look like this:

“Dear Kate,

How do you organize your hair products and make-up?”
-confused and curious

“Dear confused and curious,

I don’t.

Thanks! Bye!”
-kate


And who exactly wants to take the time to read that e-mail?

So, after much thought, deliberation, and inspiration from a new box from Home Goods, I snapped some pics of my bathroom. And yes, I did purge about 2 garbage bags full of j-u-n-k so this is an edited, organized view. 

Lets begin with my dream organized bathroom scenarios:


(via BHG)

(BHG)



Enter my linen closet, will you?



Okay, enough jokes already.


We’re renters–so in the home we own I’d love to put in solid shelving instead of wire racks. It’s easier to stack things on hard, even surfaces than these wire shelves. This is wear most of my products/things live. The area labeled “dailies” is q-tips, lotion, dixie cups, cotton balls, etc. Every other section is there for a “when I need it” sort of moment. The blue and white chevron robe is what I wear while I get ready. I’m in desperate need for a new one but I can’t seem to find another like it.


Let’s mosey over to the “under the sink” cabinet:


I have an excessive amount of hair products, of which I typically use a few times then “save it for the right hair day”. So I seperated the products I rarely use from the dailies, and pushed those to the front of the box. 

Extra hairspray is sitting in the back, as you can see I store about 6 cans in case of an  apocalypse.

Small hair accessories live in front of this box. And the box itself is from Home Goods.


On the right side of my sink, I have a basket full of all my curling/straightening tools. I’m actually not sure why I feel they all need to be under there, instead of in the linen closet, but hey–sometimes you need access to every size curling iron imaginable depending on how the day is going.
And that’s all. I’m realizing my makeup bag is not pictured, but I’m still using this case from KSC Designs. I love it. I just throw all my makeup in there and zip it up. Then it stays under the flat iron/curling iron basket.

Do you separate your dailies from your extras? I’ve found that has helped streamline my morning routine, since I always end up grabbing the same stuff anyway!

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rk says · 05.28.13

You’re so sweet to share! I think your organization is lovely and practical! Nothing to be ashamed of! xox -Rachel

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Jan says · 01.17.15

It is funny. I taught for 25 years. My schedule was crazy for 25 years. I literally was getting up at 4:30 or 5:00 showering, drying my hair, fixing it, putting on my makeup, getting dressed and then rushing to work. I usually was the first one to work. That is until the last couple of years. At work I was really organized. At home that is another thing. My house has been a collector’s mess for over 25. You know what they say? A teacher can’t throw anything away because he/she will find a use for it. LOL. I was not totally a hoarder but with things like clothes, makeup, my teaching supplies, things my students gave me. Then my health caused me to quit teaching. It broke my heart. But in the time span of about 4 years I went from teaching 2nd grade, then teaching music, where I was rushing from building to building because I had 5 schools on my schedule that I had to teach at each week. Now I am bedridden. Anyway, because of this, I have hired girls to come in and just clean my entire house. These girls are wonderful. I have learned to say throw that away, put that in the donation pile, and yes this goes in the front because I use it daily or in the back because it get used rarely gets used. I am learning to find things to help me get organized online. Your things look great. I do understand the difficulties of renting versus owning. I honestly have looked at an enormous amount of organizational tools information and your pictures of your home look really nice. You do not need to feel embarrassed. Previously I had ALL of my hair tools thrown in a big basket that I bought at Hobby Lobby. This includes blow dryer, Velcro rollers, curling irons, flat iron. It just looked like a big mess. I tried to put it all in there neatly. I had the Velcro rollers in a separate container inside the basket. Anyway, we all learn with time. I think you have done very well!!!

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Jacqueline S says · 05.28.13

I’m the same way! I am not dirty, but I tend to be disorganized at home. Luckily my mom came up and helped me reorganize my apartment a few weeks ago, and redecorate a bit. I think your organization is fabulous, love the cute baskets and boxes.

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Nicole Schumacher says · 05.28.13

Haha girl if that’s a mess, I’d hate for you to see mine! But I’m definitely going to take some notes from you with the bins!

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BeautyStyleGrowth says · 05.28.13

Looks like I’m the only one who does not keep all her grooming stuff in the bathroom. Is that an American thing? All my make up everything is on my dresser in the bedroom.

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Carly says · 05.28.13

This is WAY better than my bathroom! I need to get organized!

Carly
http://www.lipglossandcrayons.com

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Rebecca says · 05.28.13

You are WAY more organized than I am, and I love to organize! The rack you have under your sink is exactly what I need. The area under the sink is so hard to organize — it’s really hard to find things that fit well in that area.

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Hailey Stoner says · 05.28.13

I need to organize my bathroom again! I bought a new chest for all my makeup (over 350 bare escentuals shadows) and now I need to work on the bathroom. I have a huge basket of products and a pull out drawn for curling irons, flat irons and brushes! This looks great!

Hailey | Love, Laughter and Lipstick

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Chrissy + Nate says · 05.28.13

That isn’t even bad! At least you have baskets underneath your sink… whereas I just stack/throw things under mine. It’s a disaster zone. But thank you for sharing! πŸ™‚

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Meg Cady says · 05.28.13

Well you are about 4000x more organized than me! I feel like I keep saying “oh ill do that when Im not renting anymore” YAHHH thatll happen!! Also you DO NOT PIN cracks me up!

xo

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Jcam says · 05.28.13

You can use peel and stick floor tiles on top of the wire shelves to give you a flat surface. You can cut them to size to fit your space. I’ve never tried it personally (I think I saw the idea on Pinterest) so I’m not sure how well they will un-stick when you move out, but I’d say it’s worth a try!

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Kate says · 05.28.13

thanks for the idea!

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Abby says · 05.29.13

I did that for some wire shelving in my closet! The only bummer is that dust/dirt tends to get stuck to the bottom side of the tiles (where it’s exposed), so I ended up also lining the underside of the shelves with contact paper. The tiles do help the items on the shelves to stay level, and it’s much easier to slide things in and out.

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Courtney Newton says · 05.29.13

I am also in a rental, and the people I rent from used laminate flooring planks on the shelves in the kitchen and bathroom. Granted, they’re not wire shelves, but for the cost of a box or two of laminate and some time with a measuring tape and circular saw, you would have a flat surface that you can take with you when you move. I still use baskets and trays in the bathroom to keep like things together and organized.

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Kristin says · 05.28.13

Believe it or not, this actually helped me a ton. I have lots of little containers under my sink and I love that great big box underneath yours. What a great idea!

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Nora Rose says · 05.28.13

Definitely saving this for when I organize under my sink… I have hard shelves but I find they are way too deep for my needs. I also need to get better at purging!

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Courtney Hinds says · 05.28.13

I love the box you have all your hair products in. Home Goods always has great finds. You do a great job organizing what you have! I definitely got some good ideas from your space!

Courtney
http://www.theplacesigrow.blogspot.com

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hkschulte says · 05.28.13

Looks organized enough to me! Thanks for sharing.

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MeetMrs.Robinson says · 05.28.13

I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself. We all have strengths and weaknesses.

Last time you misspelled something someone corrected you, but I want you to know they endear you to me. And I love a puzzle, however small.

*Apocalypse πŸ™‚

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Kate says · 05.28.13

thank you!!

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MeetMrs.Robinson says · 05.28.13

I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself. We all have strengths and weaknesses.

Last time you misspelled something someone corrected you, but I want you to know they endear you to me. And I love a puzzle, however small.

*Apocalypse πŸ™‚

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Kat McEachern says · 05.28.13

Ummmm… Kate, you are ORGANIZED!!! I love how you have everything arranged practically and functionally! It’s perfect!! Ok…I’m really begin to realize how bad my bathroom is! Ha! I’m one of those that counts to 3, opens the cabinet door, throws my item in, and slams it shut before anything can fall out! However, this usually takes a couple times before everything is safe and somewhat secure behind the door. Anyways…:) Thank you so much for sharing this, Kate! You are amazing!

My blog:
http://www.aandfphotos.blogspot.com

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Missy F says · 05.28.13

Ha! Kat I’m right there with you , if it makes it in the closet & doesn’t fall out I consider it put away ; ) I love things to be organized and put in place, but with a 799sqft house (yes house!) we ran out of space years ago lol!

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mgwg says · 05.28.13

Umm, all of your stuff is standing upright. And in bins. And on shelves.

I have to make sure the toilet lid is closed before I open my bathroom cabinet because you never know what might spill out of it, especially the bottom shelf.

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Kate says · 05.28.13

haha, that is what mine looked like before this post!

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~*Melissa*~ says · 05.29.13

Haha you should have done a before and after! You are so much more organized than I could ever be! My bathroom is tiny with very little storage so I just pray my doors don’t bust open and create an avalanche in the floor haha!

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Jill says · 05.28.13

There are no falling mountains of stuff from those cabinets. It’s all in little containers…standing upright. Nothing overlapping. Looks organized to me!!! Let’s just say if mine looked like that I’d be a happy gal!

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Ruthy Taylor says · 05.28.13

looks pretty organized to me!! I just cleaned my bathroom yesterday because it’s been months…we plan to remodel eventually so I just can’t get myself to maintain the cleanliness.

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Lisa says · 05.28.13

You look pretty organized to me! Looks great!

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Suzanne S. says · 05.28.13

haha you are so funny!! I think you are pretty organized though πŸ™‚ I love that basket with the yellow and grey flowers. Looks great!
xoxo
Suzanne from written by suzanne

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Kacie Jackson says · 05.28.13

You look way more organized than I am! I am in the process of moving in with my boyfriend, who is definitely OCD when it comes to order, so he’ll make sure all of my items are in some sort of order/neatness. I told him that I’ll need to buy an extra cabinet (or two) to put in his basement bathroom just for my extra products, ha. I did start putting products in various bins, and storing store samples, extras in other containers so at least they’re all in something and not just hanging out on their own. I told him that was a step!!

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Melissa Spearow says · 05.28.13

I was expecting so much worse! You crack me up… and inspire me to be more organized! πŸ™‚

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Melissa Spearow says · 05.28.13

I was expecting so much worse! You crack me up… and inspire me to be more organized! πŸ™‚

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pretty little things says · 05.28.13

looks like youve done a pretty good job of organizing to me! I’m a renter as well and I keep saying I’ll organize better when I own. But I think you’ve done a great job so far! xo

http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/

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Addie Knight says · 05.28.13

Found the source for the 3rd inspiration photo (it has even more excellent ideas!): http://www.bhg.com/bathroom/storage/storage-solutions/store-more-in-your-bathroom/#page=22

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simplysophisticatedblog says · 05.28.13

This makes me laugh because I am the exact same way. People always say I must be organized because I look put together, but they have no idea. My sister is a neat freak and I so wish I enjoyed cleaning and organization like she does.

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Brittany DiBella says · 05.28.13

Oh. em. gee. You are NOT messy! Your closet and under your sink are so clean! Don’t be so hard on yourself πŸ™‚ Plus, most of the pins on Pinterest I swear are not real life. Thanks for showing how you organize! I’m a renter too and totally understand the lack of space/awkward closet shelves that undoubtedly come with rented spaces. Looks great though!

Brittany @ La Vita DiBella
vitadibella.blogspot.com

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spanishkitchenette says · 05.28.13

I was like: O.O (open eyes + open mouth) with all the irons and curling tools

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Anna P says · 05.28.13

Omg, if this is you being messy, you are never ever EVER EVER allowed to see my bathroom/toiletries. That being said, yes I do keep my ‘extras’ (in my walk-in closet in a container actually, not the bathroom) and try to minimalize the *stuff* that is left out on a regular basis. (Okay, fine, I have 3 different sets of shampoo/conditioner stashed in my shower – my roommates hate me. Good thing they’re males.)

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Robin says · 05.28.13

lol This is a lot more organized than you think! Mine is not in any kind of basket and I have a whole shelf FULL of hair products that I’ve tried and didn’t like. Probably 50 different products~!

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Melissa says · 05.28.13

That is waaaay more organized than I’ve ever been! LOL Right now my bathroom is fairly “organized” but only because I did a massive purge last fall, and then a minor one yesterday. I find that if I can regularly purge, organization ceases to become an issue because I just don’t have too much stuff for my space.

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....... says · 05.28.13

I am personally also a mess maker. I am clean but messy and my husband taught me to be more organized I think. I still have a long way to go but i’ve gotten a bit better. sometimes having more space helps. thanks for sharing this with us! xx. gigi. food and beauty blogger @ http://www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com

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Lily Nolan says · 05.29.13

Having a vanity makes all the difference for me! Plus then you get to sit! I’m a nurse so I’m on my feet ALL day. I’m sure you can appreciate that feeling Kate!

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Kelly Jane says · 05.29.13

I just would like to say that (almost) my favorite part of this post was the aerosol can of Static Guard in one of the pictures. I take a can of that miraculous stuff with me almost everywhere I go (probably thanks to growing up in the Midwest where you have to spray your hats every day in the winter) but you wouldn’t believe how many people have never heard of it! Glad to know I’m not alone…

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serious sarah says · 05.29.13

im dying for all that white! eek!

…and your bathroom is wonderfully organized! i have a cupboard that i STUFF everything into…i should use this as inspiration haha

-s.

serioussarahblog.blogspot.com

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Sandra Lee says · 05.29.13

This is such a funny post. I’m the same way, messy to the max (clean, but messy) and yes your house is probably even more organized than mine haha. I have to say though, product junkie to product junkie- you have your bathroom pretty neat. mine is in 2 bathrooms, scattered all over the place. So congratulations, you found someone less organized than you lol πŸ™‚

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dindsaylavis says · 05.29.13

When I read this I thought to myself, “my bathroom needs to be organized!?” I think the problem with not having a picture perfect bathrooms and linen closets is… we’re using them! Our guest bathroom always looks nice! Only because nothing is in there!

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Frank Vinyl says · 05.29.13

wow those bathrooms are nice!!

francesca
http://www.frankvinyl.com

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thekatrinakritz says · 05.29.13

Your bathroom looks great! When I moved into my husband’s place we hired a professional organizer to get ourselves together and all settled in neatly – what a blessing she was!

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Dana says · 05.29.13

Your “mess” is lovely…FAR superior to my wreck! Those ARE Pinterest-worthy pics, as far as I’m concerned!!

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Bethany Sloan says · 05.30.13

Love that you don’t have the lids on your hair products! Genius… grab and style. πŸ™‚ (Do you save them somewhere so you can put back on when traveling?)

I’ve been really curious how you store your clear hair ties and bobby pins, too. Cute bowls on tray for bathroom counter? (Not sure if you’ve already blogged about this!) It’d be fun to see any tips you might have for storing Birchbox samples sometime, too! Like the little packets that have a couple uses in them? Love your blog, Kate!

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ben linus says · 05.31.13

All products will be in the box of your hair at home is an important asset to any ruins I love .. Definitely I’ll keep it under the sink when my host … Shelves can be hard, but I found that they are not too deep for my needs. Peel and stick tiles can be used to provide a flat surface on the wire shelves. You can cut to fit the size of your space.
Regard’s,
Ben Linus,
Bright Bathrooms

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Carolyn says · 06.02.13

Oh gosh, makes me cringe about my bathroom. Improvements needed asap!
<3 Carolyn

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Roger Richard says · 06.05.13

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RealEstatebyJulian

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Carrie says · 06.11.13

Keep up the topic that everyone can choose one of the best. Thanks.Soil pipe

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stacy james says · 07.08.13

I love your way to manage everything in the bathroom so neat and cleanly. Love it. Bathrooms Christchurch

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Suzane Mart says · 07.10.13

A nice good list of ideas here – going to give a lot of these a read…

free-blogs.co.uk

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idealdesignstuff says · 08.27.13

HI I’m Mat from Bathroom Sinks. Personally I’m not organized as well but will change that for sure, and I know how πŸ™‚ I realized that I’ve got too much stuff in my home. Lately I read in one the magazines an article about organizing things, and there was a short sentence: To have your life organized, simply throw away one old item when buying a new one πŸ™‚ Your life is for You not for all the staff You have in your home. Keep it simple.

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Estelle Sacre says · 10.09.13

I liked your shelves and cupboards. They simply look luxurious for me, I don’t know whether it is because of their model or because of their content, but you have done them really well. You have inspired me to transform the way my bathroom cabinets look like.
http://www.anyclean.co.uk

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Tanya A. Westover says · 01.30.14

I loved the way these are arranged and I liked the shelves especially the first one. But don’t you think shelves like these take too much of space. I have got a small open cabinet, to store important stuffs, and then I make use of shower caddies or hooks etc for items of daily usage.

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Simplified says · 02.10.14

What do you do with all of the little things you pick up, from places like birchbox and ipsy? Do you just purge often… That’s my problem… all of those little things!

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Soap Dispensers says · 03.31.14

Love all the style. Though those multi washroom products must be a huge waste of water. Be eco friendly.

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Dominofinance says · 05.01.16

Wow those bathrooms are nice!!

Your bathroom looks great! When I moved into my husband’s place we hired a professional organizer to get ourselves together and all settled in neatly – what a blessing she was!

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