34 Weeks of Clean! Week 17 - The Master Bath

Pretty soon your Master Retreat (it sounds better when you can it a retreat) will be the most amazing place in your house.  Pretty soon!  But first, we must tackle those Master Baths.  I know, I know, stick with me here.  I promise I will try to make it as painless as possible.

No sense in delaying, let's just roll up our sleeves and get started!

• Pull everything out!  You knew I was going to say that, right?  Note to self, it is probably better to put it somewhere other than in the middle of the bathroom floor.  That does make your job a little more challenging.  Just saying.

• Once everything is out, wipe out all of the drawers and shelves.

• Now we are going to sort AS we return things to their space.  First of all, notice I said "sort!"  If it is old and tired, throw it out.  If is is not being used, get rid of it.  If you do not love it, out it goes.  See a pattern here?  We do not NEED most of what we have, so why do we insist on keeping it all?  

          Case in point- this is my makeup drawer.  Really it is.  And before you think, "well, she just doesn't do makeup," trust me, I do!  Wouldn't be seen without it.  But I can only use one thing at a time.  So I have one. thing. at. a. time.  Occasionally I do get free samples and such that I plan on using, so they are housed in a tiny makeup bag in the cabinet.  Other than that though, the rule is to use something up before buying more.

Second of all, notice I said, return to their space.  Think this out and have a plan!  Everything should be assigned a dedicated space.   It it like a puzzle sometimes, I understand, but make it work for you. I had no system at first and things tended to just get thrown in.  Hence the mess!

Before

Consider- 
Does this REALLY belong on the bathroom?
How many towels do we really need?
How many sheets do we really need?
Why do I have 10 half used bottles of lotion?
Why do I have 10 half used bottles of anything?

For me, just putting the sheets and towels in the same cabinet made my life easier.




After

• Have a place for anything you stock up on!  For me it is just a small plastic bin.  Extra shampoo, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and such go there.  If that bin is full, we do not need more.  No matter how great a sale is.  Let's be smart shoppers, not hoarders!  There is a difference, folks!

• If you keep medicine in your bathroom, now is the time to go through it.  For safety's sake, dispose of (properly) anything old and expired.  Keep only what you really think you need and use.

• Now you are ready to deep clean your bathroom and move on!

           Don't forget-

           Toilets, tubs, and shower

           Throw rugs

           Trashcans!

           Wash your shower curtain and replace the liner if needed

           Light switches and light fixtures

           Walls! (hairspray, anyone?)

           Pictures and do-dads! (can I just say the bathroom is probably not the cleanest place for do-dads!  If they are really things that you love and bring you joy, put them in a place where you can better enjoy them.)

           Baseboards and doors

           Even the tops of cabinets!  Thankfully my oldest braved that one for me.  I have a fear of falling from any height these days!

     

And that trash pile?  Out it goes!

Trash Pile

You did it!  Yay for you!

As a reward I am going to give you a sneak peek at one of my favorite things so far in our prize basket.  I recently found this book called Clutter Free by Kathi Lipp.  Don't worry, your copy will be new and minus all of my notes, starring, and dog eared pages! ;)

This book is so good you may just want to go ahead and buy a copy now and if you win, you can make a new best friend by gifting a copy to someone else.  This book is full of the whys and how tos of getting rid of clutter teamed with A LOT of humor.  Guys, we might as well laugh. Or else we may cry, right?!  I think this Kathi gal and I could be best buddies and I have already put all of her other books on my wish list- after I find a few more to get rid of in my current stack, don't worry.

Remember how we talked about this 34 Weeks of Clean Series was not just about cleaning, but taking back our homes?  Hopefully Kathi won't mind me quoting her as I sign off today-

"While the rest of the world is telling you all of their organizing tricks, here is the best one of all: own less stuff....And when your home is more open, you are more willing to open your homes to others!" Page 33

Yes and Amen!

Last week you had a perfect opportunity to clear out some extras in your Master Closets!  How did you do? Please share with us!  Remember, every link here or picture posted on our Facebook page earns you an entry in our 34 Weeks of Clean Gift Basket drawing!


Week 16- The Master Closet

Week 18- Half-time

Blessings,

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