I seem to always get the itch to organize in September. It’s a great time to go through closets and assess my kids clothing needs for the new school year as well as my own Fall clothing wants. I also have many projects I’d like to work on like redecorating my daughter’s bedroom and updating some photo gallery walls in my home. I haven’t had a lot of time to get much organizing or projects done lately, but my mind has been on overload. I hope my energy level can keep up with mind. I’ve been trying some new things to help with my energy level and focus and will share them with you if I see some results by the end of the month. I also hope to share some completed projects with you as well. In the meantime, I decided to repost my teenage daughter’s bathroom makeover which some of you may not have seen.
Every time I walked into my daughter’s room it made my heart race to look at her bathroom sink. The first step was to purge any old makeup and things she wasn’t using. The items she uses every day I put in containers and left them displayed on her sink because I know it would be unrealistic to think she will put them in a drawer. Sometimes it’s a matter of having the right size container to store things. I bought all of my containers at Target. Keeping with the same color scheme gives it a more uniform look. I also bought plastic caddies to contain extra items underneath the sink. My daughter can pull the whole container out when she needs something and things don’t get shoved to the back of the cabinet.
It gives me great satisfaction to open a cabinet and see it neatly organized even if it’s just for a short period of time. Regretfully my daughter doesn’t keep things this neat despite the fact there is a place for everything. Since I share a house with three other people and a miniature schnauzer it’s not always possible to keep it organized. For some reason, my family doesn’t feel the same joy I get from organization. I haven’t given up faith though that one day they will. I hope this inspires you to clean one of your spaces. You can also check out last September’s laundry room makeover here.
There are a ton of great blogs and websites that give tips on organizing. One I found particularly helpful is www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. Jen has a lot of great ideas and her blog is a great source of inspiration. Additionally Jen at Tater Tots & Jello is sharing 20 plus ways to get organized for Fall. Cheers to clean spaces!
Linking to Friday Flash Blog
Your reorganization looks great! I think you’re smart to give her a spot to keep some things out on the counter, they’re probably much more likely to be put away there than going in and out of the cabinet every day. (Hmm… Maybe I should steal that trick for myself!). The other thing you should teach her is how wiping down the sink to clean off the stray hairs and sticky residue from styling products will keep the area looking so much nicer day to day. It took me way too long as an adult to realize that the magic cleaning dairy wasn’t going to come clean up after me!
Thanks Sarah! I was hoping the containers on the counter would help, but she can’t quite get the hang of putting things back in them. I guess it’s part of being a teenager. I agree with you on wiping down the sink. She doesn’t seem to care too much about that though either right now. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just wave a magic wand and everything was organized and clean.
OH YES!!! I had THREE girls in ONE bathroom for a long time. I feel your pain. It took me a long time to finally get smart and organize in this fashion. The containers on the counter make it possible to clean, but I never got to the containers under the cabinet! Good work Dawn!
Thanks Angela! For some reason though she can’t quite get the hang of putting things back in the pretty containers 🙂
The reorganization looks great! I am on a kick to do the same, but my time is limited so it is slow going. My daughter’s bathroom looks like a tornado hit it (her room looks the same.). I did get a big organizing bin at TJMaxx and did some of it one day she was out, and she loved it. But its still a mess in there…work in progress!
I can totally relate. This project was from last Fall and I wish I could say that her bathroom has stayed that clean. Unfortunately she doesn’t seem to get the fact that you need to put things back in the pretty containers. It stresses me out, but I have learned to just shut her bedroom door. I know there will come a time when I will miss the messes and wish my kids were home. It seems like most parents I talk to say their kids room is a mess.
Good work Dawn! Post another picture in a few weeks please 🙂
HA! You know all too well what girl’s bathrooms look like. Unfortunately it hasn’t stayed that clean, only on cleaning days. Somehow she doesn’t understand that you need to put the things back in the containers. Your comment gave me an idea for another post!
Looks really good Dawn!!!
Thanks Keri! It’s that clean about twice a month on cleaning days 🙂
Oh I would be so happy if Callie’s bathroom looked even like your “before” picture!!! 🙁
Unfortunately, it hasn’t stayed as clean as the after picture despite the containers.
I have organized my teenage daughters’ bathrooms so many times – containers, zones, structure. It always explodes within 24 hours. Still great to know it CAN be clean:) Gives me a sense of control, even if it is somewhat illusory!
I’m glad I’m not alone! My daughter’s bathroom is this clean about twice a month. It’s very short lived, but at least there is a place for everything. I’m hoping it’s just a teenage thing and that when she’s older she’ll want to keep things neat.
Well, I have to say I felt a little better after reading the comments, when you said the bathroom didn’t stay this clean. My teenager has so much crap on the counter, and her poor younger brother barely has room for his toothbrush. She’ll clean it every few weeks and it lasts for a few days. I try not to look in only to make sure the straightening iron is unplugged, and then I shut the door.
I’ve resulted to just shutting the door as well and I also check the straightening iron 🙂