How to Share the Bathroom and Keep Peace in the Home! 6 Strategies to stay sane.

Confession time. I have a lot of personal hygiene products. No it's not because I am germophobic (although I am a little afraid of germs). It's because I enjoy my bathroom. I take luxurious bubble baths with essential oils. It's a great way to unwind and soak my aching muscles after a physically strenuous day of organizing. I use it to keep up appearances; sometimes I need to tweeze out a few errant hairs, cut my toenails, blow dry my hair. I have body creams, face masks . . . and various other delightful potions that make me feel pampered.

I also like a sparkling clean bathroom. So, within my bathroom you will find appropriate cleaning products. Now I haven't mentioned hair products or depilation products, grooming products, dental hygiene products, medicines and don't forget the toilet paper. . . Well it adds up. And that's just one person. So when you are sharing with 2 or 3 or more, it's a lot. What to do to keep bathroom products, tools and cleaners under control not under foot.

It’s important to follow a few simple rules to maintain a well organized, functional, clean bathroom that keeps your family healthy and living peacefully together.

Keep reading this blog post to learn some does and don'ts on how to share the bathroom and help keep the peace.

In this blog post:

• What to Declutter Before You Start Organizing.

• Use the Bathroom for its Intended Purpose.

• How to Store Bathroom Supplies.

• How to Organize Towels so That Everyone Knows Which to Use.

• Create a Schedule and Post Etiquette Rules

• Don't Underestimate Taking an Evening bath or shower

1. What to Declutter Before You Start Organizing

Before you organize, it is always wise to start with a good clutter clearing. Keep the counters clear of clutter. When you're sharing a space, you've got to leave some space for others. Get rid of expired and unwanted things in the following places:

• Under sink

• Counter and sink area

• Bath and shower area

• Bathroom drawers and shelves

• Around toilet

Responsibly dispose of old makeup, old towels, old medicine, unwanted hair supplies, old shampoos etc. Keep only the things you use and love.

2. Use the Bathroom for Its Intended Purpose

Don't use the bathroom as a reading room. Use the bathroom for it's intended purpose: washing up; bathing; shaving and going to the toilet. The number of people that share the bathroom, will determine how many other activities can be done there. To make room for others to use the bathroom, you might brush your teeth over the kitchen sink and brush your hair in your bedroom. I apply my makeup in my powder room.

Hang mirrors in everyone's bedroom or closet so that they can do extra grooming away from the bathroom. The grooming products can also be stored away from the bathroom.

3. How to Store Bathroom Supplies

Do store some things in the bathroom (but not everything). There are so many ways to maximize storage space and containerize items.

Use Vertical Space:

• Use the back of the door with a repurposed shoe organizer. If four people share the space each could have a vertical column. 3 could have every 2 horizontal rows. 2 people could each take half.

• Invest in a shower caddy. It can hang of your shower head rest on the corner of your bathtub or be free standing in your shower. Each person could have their own shelf.

• Use the Inside of Cabinet Doors for Storage.

Use Horizontal Space:

• Use a drawer to store large items, such as hair dryers, brushes, and curling irons.

• Use drawer dividers in shallow drawers to keep items such as toothbrushes, razors, soap.

Containerize:

• Have a caddy for each member of the family to hold toiletries. The caddy can stay in the bathroom or be stored in their room.

• Use separate wall holders for each person.

• Use clear acrylic containers to make it easier to find things.

• Use space under your cabinets by stacking plastic drawers labeled with each person's name.

Create a Bathroom Pantry:

It helps to not store everything in the bathroom. Think if there is a closet or high shelf outside of the bathroom that could be used to store most of the usual bathroom supplies like cleaning items, extra rolls of toilet paper, toothbrushes, hair styling products, medicine, soap, cleansers … and anything else that is not used everyday!

4. How to Organize Towels so That Everyone Knows Which to Use

• Use a colour code system. Each person gets a different coloured set of towels. One person is blue, the other orange one red and so on. That way you can keep track of your towels.

• Hang Towels From Initial Hooks. Keep towels separate but easily accessible by giving each member of your household a separate hook - personalize them with initial hooks.

• Or you could also put a hook on the back of every bedroom door so that everyone has a place to hang their towel.

5. Create a Schedule and Post Etiquette Rules

Check what time others are getting up the next morning. If it's pretty near the same time, you can schedule the bathroom times so that each person has a chance to use the bathroom. This time will be kept to a minimum if folks are partially getting ready in other parts of the house.

• Help everyone keep track of how long they're in the shower or brushing their teeth by using a timer.

• To keep things running smoothly, post a list of etiquette rules for leaving the bathroom as it was found.

Such as:

1. hang up damp towels

2. put clothes in the hamper

3. re-cap the toothpaste

4. clean up after yourself

5. wash the tub after use

6. clean out the hairs after shaving

7. replace the toilet paper

8. swish out the toilet bowl

6. Don't Underestimate Taking an Evening Bath or Shower

Since mornings are more rushed than evenings, consider taking a more leisurely evening bath or shower. (It's a great way to relax and you might even sleep better). This practice will mean that you only need the bathroom for a few minutes in the morning especially because you'll do the rest of your getting ready in your bedroom – clothes, hair, makeup. Putting any of these strategies into effect will help your house function more efficiently with only one full bathroom. If there’s no line-up outside the bathroom door and you all manage to be ready on time each morning, consider this a success!

Don't let clutter prevent you from achieving a peaceful home. Take advantage of our free 30 min. no obligation phone chat. Give us a call.

We are Brad and Cathy Borg; siblings and professional home organizers serving the Greater Toronto Area.