Simplifying in the Bathroom
baby care, natural body products, organization, simple living Add comments
On the counter: toothbrush holder, toothpaste dispenser, soap dispenser - that’s all!
Welcome back for further simplifying tips for every room of your house…last week, we discussed the kitchen, and today, we enter the bathroom! Normally this room is piled high with various body, hair and facial products. I have been there! Items that just make this room look so cluttered. How can you simplify? Preparing for this post got me extra motivated to get more organized in the bathroom - I even pulled out a few items that needed to go! Remember every little baby step you take to simplify your life will open up time to focus on the important things - investing in family and the lives of others!
1. Baskets
As you may know, I love using baskets for organizing my home. I use a simple basket on top of the toilet which holds all our bathroom supplies that are normally in daily use, rather than cluttering the counter with them all. Any other product, whether it be duplicate items from a sale, or not used as frequently are stored under the bathroom sink. My basket includes coconut oil (uses listed below), deodorant, Aaron’s shaving cream & aftershave (which is slowly weeding out and being replaced by coconut oil), and my makeup. Now if I can keep it so nicely laid out in this basket! 
I need to work more on putting things away when I am done using them - rather than leaving my makeup scattered around the counter!
2. Bathroom Cupboard & Drawers
Remove anything that is not being used. Organize in baskets. Medicine in one, jewelry in another, hair pins in another. I used something I had on hand - small little tea cups to sort my goods. The rest of my earrings/necklaces hang in our closet.
3. Towel rack or basket
Store your towels in a basket or shelf, folded and ready to go. It could be hanging or not. I keep them in the laundry room, but if you have room in the bathroom you could set up a little shelf above the toilet for this purpose as well. Keeping just two sets of towels will keep it simple. Wash one and use the other set, rotating weekly. Wash with your whites or colors and simplify your laundry!
4. Consolidate your products
Do you really need three different types of shampoo? Or might one product serve multiple needs? How about all in one shampoo and conditioner? Do you have any products that haven’t been used in a while? Remove them altogether. I am seeking to provide quality natural ingredients for our bodies. What you put on your skin is just as important as what you eat, as it will penetrate your body in a matter of minutes. Test this by rubbing garlic on the bottom of your feet. In a matter of seconds you can taste it in your mouth. As many natural products are rather expensive for my budget, I have come up with a few more frugal alternatives that have simplified our body products significantly.
Coconut oil can serve so many different purposes (all in one type of product!)- conditioner, aftershave & lotion/moisturizer. It works as well as a natural curling gel for me and regular hair gel for Aaron!
Another frugal natural option is getting rid of shampoo and conditioner all together as discussed here.
I have shampoo (homemade in the spray bottle - still experimenting before sharing the recipe ), coconut oil for conditioner (put on our hair after we take a shower -stored in basket on toilet), Dr. Bronner’s bar of soap, shaving cream, and razer in the bathtub, and that’s it!
If you have multiple family members that must use different products (try all these other options first!), try this idea: Have a box for each one of them with their specific products. The key - they must take them with them and store in their room, rather than loading up products in the bathroom. Keeps it organized and no complaining about using someone else’s product.
5. Baby Bath - toys & such
Do our toddlers really need a huge bag of toys for the bath? I’ve always found my little lady is quite happy with 2 or 3 little toys. Choice safe plastic toys (without PVC). This keeps a lot of clutter out of the way! We have a fun little bathtub that works great for Karis from day one!
We use one product for Karis - Dr. Bronner’s baby mild soap bars along with some simple baby wash clothes. These work great for her hair and body! No need for multiple products here either.
Why should we simplify our lives? For the glory of God! Live simply in order that others may simply live!
Any other ideas for simplifying the bathroom? I would love to hear them! Any one have a natural alternative to shaving cream or a natural brand recommendation? Slowly weeding out this product as well!
For more tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday.
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July 15th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Now THAT is a simple/organized bathroom! Very nice! I just cleaned and organized our master bathroom today..I thought I did pretty good but now I am thinking I need to go through it again. Hehe.
Very nice!
~Melissa
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July 15th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Please post when you find a natural shave gel! I’ve been searching for one for a while…trying to find one without frangrance is very difficult! Will look forward to what you find out! Thanks!
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Tori replied on July 26th, 2008:
My friend, Anna, makes a natural shaving soap that is really great. It does have a slight scent but only from essential oils. Everything she makes is completely natural and very reasonably priced. We really like her body balm for a diaper cream for our infant son and use her soap for him for soap and shampoo. You can find her at the Fairview and Gresham Farmer’s markets or at jc-naturals.com.
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July 15th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I love your tips for simplifying both the bathroom and kitchen. I printed them both out. When I am cleaning the bathroom tomorrow, I am going to take a break and go over them to make sure that I followed them. I think there are some products/containers I need to get rid of.
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July 15th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
*grin*
Just days ago, this post appeared in my reader:-) Reading your post today, I thought it might appeal… I’m rather tempted to try it out myself—the rest of our bathroom is pretty good, but the bath? Horrendously full of toys, and they’re _not_ all so pleasant:-(
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Lindsay replied on July 16th, 2008:
Thanks for the link! I had my plastic duckies get mold and such inside them too as this lady mentioned. Yuck! That is when the plastic had to go! We just have a set of stacking cups now that she enjoys. Definitely looking for creative ideas!
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July 16th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Funny - I just gave my bathroom an overhaul on Monday
Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap works for me as shaving cream. The lather runs/rinses away quickly, though. I can’t say that my four and six year old would be happy with a couple of simple bath toys, but they are creative with using everyday things to play with!
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July 16th, 2008 at 6:52 am
I love this. I simplified a couple of years ago and was amazed at how few products I truly use compared to how many I had accumulated over time. Now I’m doing a lot better at sticking with the tried-n-true vs. trying-all-the-new.
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July 16th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I love the idea of the basket on top of the toilet for the daily items. I have never thought of that! I do have a question…DH and I are getting ready to move into our first home and the master bathroom has 2 sinks together in one counter space and the toilet is in a little alcove in the back so putting our daily items on the toilet might not be useful. Any suggestions? I could put a basket in between the 2 sinks, I guess.
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Lindsay replied on July 16th, 2008:
That is what I would recommend - in between the two sinks. We just don’t have that much counter space, so the toilet suits us!
It would definitely still keep it more organized and contained.
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July 16th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I have been reading a lot of your posts about using the natural, better for us products. Thanks for doing all the research and then sharing your experiences with us.
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July 16th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Have you found that a certain type of coconut oil is superior to another? I bought a virgin coconut oil for $8, but my MIL found a regular coconut oil for $4 that had more oil too. I know with olive oil it is much better to have the extra virgin, but wasn’t sure if the principle applied to coconut as well. It would sure help out my budget to be able to have the cheaper kind. Thanks for your input.
Heather
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July 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Now that is a beautifully clutter free bathroom! Hope mine will stay as clean as yours; my mom just put a new shower holder in ours, and it’s the same as yours!
Doesn’t take much to amuse me…
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July 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Now I’m motivated to go simplify my bathroom!
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July 16th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
That looks similiar to our bathroom! I love the simplicity-I hate a cluttered bathroom!
We’re in a small apt. without much storage space, so we have a wall mounted cabinet above the toilet from IKEA. It has two shelves-the top one holds towels and below is baskets with toiletries, etc. It works awesome for us. Just an idea for anyone needing extra storage space! (And I think it’s nicer than the over-the-toilet floor standing ones.)
Looking forward to more simplifying ideas!
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July 16th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’d like to suggest that except on very rare occasions, babies/young children don’t need anything but water to clean them. When I stopped using anything on my kids except water I found their hair was nicer & their skin didn’t dry out like even a gentle, natural soap can do. Once in a great while we need to use a little gentle, natural soap (the last time I recall needing it was when Lexie threw up in her sleep & got it in her hair, it required soap to get the vomit smell out) but for normal day to day, plain water gets them clean and doesn’t dry out their skin or hair.
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July 16th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I use many different styles and sizes of hair pins (my hair is below my knees). Instead of throwing them all in one basket I separated them by size into coffee cups and smaller empty tea tins. I keep the cups and tins in one drawer. As I am fixing my hair, I know exactly what cup to reach into for a specific pin. Once I received flowers with a beautiful vase; not the tall clear kind. I put this vase on my counter to stand my combs in.
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July 17th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I didn’t have time to read all the posts, but I have used conditioner and coconut oil in the past to shave my legs, etc.
I have an over the shower head organizer. I had to get an adjustable one because of the size of the shampoo bottles. (normal size)
Our drawers are tiny in our bathroom, I keep all my hair stuff in a make-up bag in the drawer. We’re fortunate in the fact we have a linen closet in the bathroom. To keep our towels, and stock pile of toilet paper and stuff.
Oh, and you shouldn’t store medicines in the bathroom, too much moisture. Best place is in your bedroom.
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July 17th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Great ideas! I nixed the tub toys a while ago. The slimyness was getting to me and I just did not have time to wash them. My kiddos still have a blast in the tub with just water!
Our bathroom is very small…I am out to get some baskets today..thanks.
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July 17th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
We only have a handful of toys in the children’s bathroom. We have one of those mesh bags w/suction cups on it. and at the end of bath time the time the toys go back in the bag.
When we moved into our home we have now, we got rid of those big mirrors in the bathroom…too big too clean! I just went out and bought 2 mirrored frames. (we have a double sink in our bath). And a single mirrored frames in the other baths.
We have the same taste Lindsay!
Another thing…I guess it’s frugal tip. Instead of buying toothbrush holders, I used the 4 oz glasses out of our glassware. They are clear, and it’s different. And easier to clean! (open glass, now tiny holes to clean out) And the toothpaste tube can fit in it!
We also have a small clock in our bathroom. Like a travel size clock. But that’s it!
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July 19th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I recently came across your site through a friends blog and I am all about going simple. I love to decorate and such but I hate clutter. Bathrooms can be one area that I like to keep simple.
I loved your ideas for your kitchen as well…the canning jars. I will have to see about finding some.
I would love to hear ideas about organizing or keeping a simple bedroom. This is my tricky area.
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July 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I just received an email from my mother-in-law that suggested that you shouldn’t leave your toothbrushes out in the open because many of the 3.2 million microbes (per square inch) of the toilet bowl get aerosolized upon flushing and land as far as six feet away. This info. was provided by -Chuck Gerba, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, University of Arizona
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Shelley replied on July 25th, 2008:
Closing the lid of the toilet should help alleviate a lot of this problem related to flushing.
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September 4th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Hi!
but have found it difficult for her–she gets pretty frizzy and yucky without conditioner. Any suggestions would be welcome. BTW–Happy Birthday!
Thank you so much for all of the information that you make available on your site! I was wondering if you had a suggestion for what to use for my two year-old daughter’s curly hair. I am trying to go no-poo
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