When organizing your bathroom, it’s normal to prioritize the items that you and your guests will see each time they enter. However, what can often get out of hand are the areas that people don’t always see, such as drawers and cabinets. It can be frustrating and overwhelming to sort through a cluttered and disorganized medicine cabinet that is full of outdated and obsolete items, so this post will provide you with a few basic tips to restore your medicine cabinet to its most organized, functional, and presentable state.
Start with a Clean Slate
Before you start organizing your medicine cabinet, it’s best to take everything out and get rid of any items for which you have no use. This involves checking the expiration dates on all of your medications and tossing the expired ones. You should also take a look at some products that may be past their prime, such as old Band-Aids or dried out face wipes. Your medicine cabinet will be much more manageable and easy to navigate if you can reduce its contents to the items that you will actually use. While you’re at it, this would be a good time to clean the cabinet itself. Use the temporarily empty cabinet as an opportunity to do some dusting and to wipe down the shelves, so when you place the items back in the cabinet they will be stored in a clean area.
Decide What Belongs
Another good way to reduce clutter in your medicine cabinet is to evaluate which items you’ll need easy access to. For example, you’ll want your toothbrush and other dental care products to be readily available, along with other daily hygiene medications and frequently used medications. If you wear contacts, then go ahead and place your lens case and contact solution within easy reach. However, your medicine cabinet can quickly become overcrowded if you use it to store items you only use every few months. For these products, it’s best to find a separate storage solution, such as drawers or a separate storage cabinet. This way, you’ll still have access to these items, but they won’t be taking away from the limited space in your medicine cabinet.
Organize
Now that you’ve reduced the contents of your medicine cabinet, you can begin to establish an organized system. For example, you can reserve the top shelf for first-aid supplies, such as Band-Aids and disinfectants. In this same section, you can place items such as tweezers and nail clippers, since these do not take up too much space and will be used with similar frequency. You can designate the next shelf for your daily use items, such as your toothbrush, toothpaste, contact supplies, and deodorant. Finally, you can use the rest of the space for beauty products. Create an area for your makeup, hair products, face wash, and similar products. The key is to group similar items together, which will make it easier to keep your cabinet organized over a long period of time.
Add Accessories
Now that you’ve created a more organized system in your medicine cabinet, you can choose to add some extra pieces to help out with storing certain items. For instance, you can get a small toothbrush holder in case you have multiple toothbrushes in your cabinet, which will help keep them clean and separated. You can make use of small jars for items such as Q-tips or gauze pads. This last part is optional, but it might just provide the finishing touches on a neatly organized medicine cabinet.
While it is understandable to prioritize with organizing the more commonly seen parts of your bathroom, you don’t want to let your medicine cabinet get out of hand. A disorganized medicine cabinet can be a nightmare, both for you, and on occasion, your guests. Often times when this area becomes cluttered and disorganized, it can be difficult to decide where to begin, but with these basic tips, you can be well on your way to creating a neat, clean, and organized medicine cabinet in your bathroom.