Bathroom Cleaning Challenge Week 2

This is the second and final week of our Bathroom Challenge. We'll wrap it up by focusing on the linen closet, the bathroom floor and decorations. Let's get right into it.

Towels

What those towels do? Before I decluttered my bathroom towels I was holding on to a bunch of raggedy ass towels that really needed to be replaced.  I gave myself permission to throw them away (or repurpose some as hair dye towels) and buy some new ones.  By minimizing our towels, we can easily reduce the amount of laundry we have to keep up with and experience positive feelings when we open our linen closets.

To Declutter:

1. Remove all towels from their storage.
2. Clean the shelf.
3. Toss any towels that you don’t like or that are worn out or feel icky.
4. Leave ONLY what you use here:

• 2 bath towels per person
• 2 extra bath towels; if you have house guests regularly
• 4 hand towels (7 if you actually use them for hand drying, they'll need to be changed daily)
• 2 washcloths per person

Establish New Routines: Make a habit of laundering your towels once a week.  Pick a day.  

#Tip: Using only white, light or dark towels will make it easier to wash them all in the same load and be done with it.

Linen closet

The Linen Closet.  This can be a big job, so get a head start on it if you can.  Let's talk about what you need.

How many sheet sets do you have?  You really only need two sets for each bed.  If you change your sheets weekly (we all should), wash the soiled bed linens immediately.  If you have a small linen closet but lots of beds, try storing bed linens in the bedrooms.  I have mine stored in an under bed box.

What else is in here?  First aid kit? Extra hair care supplies? Paper towels and toilet paper? Stuff you didn't really know where to put so you shoved it in the linen closet?  I am guilty of all of the above.  Let's get this space decluttered and organized.

Self by shelf, take everything out of the linen closet.

1. Clean the shelves.  If you have wire shelves, dust them off.
2. Organize your closet by putting the most often used items within easy reach.  Towels and washcloths at eye level.  Paper towels and toilet paper supply on the floor of the top shelf (you can store these in cute little baskets).
3. Organize your soap in little baskets, plastic containers from the Dollar Store or get fancy with it and get you some glass apothecary jars from Michael's wich yo bougie self! (keep YOUR home goals in mind here).
4. Think shoebox container storage with tops for small things that are alike in nature. DIY first aid kit, hair tools kit, hot water bottle and enema kit, etc. 
5. If you have a large household and need a lot of space for storing towel linens, try folding towels lengthwise, then rolling them and stacking them in the linen closet.  This will create a lot more space than square folding.  You can do the same with washcloths.  In fact, you can even store your washcloths in one of those Dollar Store baskets to keep them neat and prevent someone from accidentally pulling down the whole stack.

New Routines: Go through your linen closet seasonally to make sure everything is in order. This is an area that can easily get out of control.  

#Tip: I know as women our hair care supplies can be outrageous. We buy things, we try them, sometimes we hate them, but we hold on to them because we don't want to waste money.  Decide on a few supplies that you really want to keep, the ones that make your hair pop and smell real good!  Donate the used supplies to your local cosmetology school. The students will love you for it!

Bathroom floor

The bathroom floor needs to stay as bare as possible. The bathroom gets dirty easily and often, so with a clear floor, it’s easier to do your weekly sweep and mop. If the floor is not cluttered, it will only take a few minutes to clean it.

What to do:

1. Remove everything off the floor. 
2. If you need the items in the bathroom – make a home for them in the closet or cabinet. If you don’t have room, ask yourself if they are actually used, loved and needed in the bathroom.
3. Sort in 3 piles: trash, donate, and keep.
4. Take the trash out and put donation items in your car.
5. Sweep and mop the floor and keep it as clear as possible

New Routines: Sweep and mop your bathroom floor once a week.  If you follow the Good Vibes Cleaning Routines on our Instagram Stories you can do it with us every Friday.

Decorations

Since bathrooms tend to collect dust easily (which turns to grime because the air is always moist), it’s best to keep the decorations to a bare minimum. Bathroom décor is nice, but this room needs to be functional.  Let's all just freely admit, it goes down in the bathroom. 😅

The Mission:

1. Take a discriminating look at the walls, shelves, tops of cabinets and over the toilet storage.
2. Remove anything you don’t love, anything with negative emotions attached to it, or anything that collects dust or just looks old, outdated, or dirty.
3. Sort in 3 bags or boxes: trash, donate and keep.
4. Pick out the décor you want to be the centerpiece of the bathroom, clean it off and then put it back on the wall or shelf.  
5. Look for the “sweet spot” for all other decor. Less is more here.  You want decor that accepts the centerpiece. A nice candle counts.
6. Take the trash out.
7. Drop donations off at the thrift store.

#Tip: Keep bathroom decor practical.  I have two pretty wicker baskets in my bathroom.  One atop the over toilet cabinet and the other on the lower shelf of the cabinet.  I store my microfiber cleaning cloths in the basket up top, neatly hidden out of the way. I store hair accessories (combs, brushes, and clips) in the basket on the shelf.  This way my decorations double as functional storage.  I also recently purchased a gorgeous shelf that doubles as a hand towel holder.  This is my centerpiece. I bought it to cover up the nail holes from my old hand towel holder that keep falling off the wall.  I keep one pretty candle on the shelf. That's it.

That’s it for our bathroom deep clean and declutter.  If you so desire, now is a great time to do a bathroom makeover with a new or seasonal shower curtain, bath rugs and decorative towels as well.

If you missed week 1 check it out here