Sorting Through the Mess

There are many things that are nowhere close to being organised, or even properly functional in our house still. I still don't know where half my clothes are, half of my kitchen appliances and things are  still in boxes in my mum's garage (thanks for the free storage once again, mum!), and our front sleepout area is still firmly holding to its status as a storage area.

One thing I decided I could take control of though, was our scattered mass of toiletries.

Most people who go on extended holidays like our recent one say that something they get very tired of is living out of a suitcase. Not us! Because compared to the situation at home (of which this toiletry situation is a great example), we were in organised heaven while we were living out of our suitcases! We knew exactly where everything was, how much toothpaste we had left, and were blissfully happy with that.

We returned home to this chaos, where I know that I have completely unused body wash all over the house, but because it will take me half an hour to find just one, I keep buying more.

No longer! It was time to divide and conquer!

The picture above shows the beginning of my attempt to line everything up in neat little rows based on their category. Body wash, perfumes, hair styling products, shampoo and conditioner, aftershaves and deodorants, hand cream, body moisturising creams, insect repellants, make-up, the list goes on.

I pulled out my ridiculously large number of toiletry bags (I usually manage to time my make-up purchases with some kind of giveaway, so I keep accumulating these free toiletry bags), and began sorting.

I even decided to extend the love to our horribly disorganised linen closet as well (which will be disappearing once we get to sorting out the laundry), and moved the more regularly used towels into my Black Barbie.

And then it was onto the drawers! I'm in dire need of some kind of purpose-built drawer organisation product, but since I was doing this at about 8pm on a Tuesday evening I had to work with what I had. Out came the Chinese takeaway containers!

And the toiletry bags slotted very nicely into one of the little cabinet areas under the drawers, containing our first aid kit, my female products, and other bits and pieces...

More towels and the spare toilet paper took residence under the sink...

I even found an old cutlery drawer insert (I think it's the one that came with our last house), and organised the boys' bits and pieces and toothbrushes.

Two matching containers are labelled 'HAIR & SHOWER' and 'TEETH, VITAMINS & HANDWASH'. I now know exactly how much body wash we have, and let me say, we probably don't need to buy any more for ten years.

The bandaids even found a spot in pride of place on top of the vanity counter.

There's still a bit of work to do to get that vanity cabinet working as hard as it can. This drawer, currently containing my hair dryer, perfumes, and assorted jewelery and junk, needs some attention. Plus the fourth drawer actually can't be opened or closed without a serious amount of force. It's a combination of being a tight fit to begin with, and then an extra layer of paint has made it impossible to slide. A bit of a rub with some sanding paper should help in that department.

It's an enormous improvement though, and it makes me incredibly happy that I know exactly where I can find anything bathroom-related. It's the little stuff like this that nobody ever sees (well, except when I post it on the Internet) that really makes you so much more comfortable in your home.

If only I knew where everything else was!

Give me time!!