Bathroom Archives - Graceful Order

Spring Cleaning – The Bathroom

April 19, 2015 · by Maria · 3 Comments

Did you tackle your kitchen this past week with our Spring Cleaning in the Kitchen printable? Well today I have a new printable for you and a new set of tasks. We are deep cleaning the bathrooms this week.

We all have our cleaning rituals and it is so easy to forget spots that need attention, so I attached a list to help you stay on track.

Spring Cleaning in the Bathroom

1- Get rid of clutter inside cabinets and drawers.

2- Throw away expired cosmetics.

3- Shake out bathroom rugs and wash them.

4- Wash Towels and all bathroom linen.

5- Clean Toilets and don’t forget to clean behind the toilet, the flush handle and all the other crevices.

6- Scrub tub and shower area.

7- Clean sinks and counters.

8- Clean and shine faucets.

9- Wipe down the outside and inside of bathroom cabinets.

10- Wash shower curtain.

11- Remove trash from bathroom and clean the trash can. Tip: I always leave extra garbage bags in the bottom of all our trashcans to make it easier to replace the bags.

12- Clean mirrors with a glass cleaner.

13- Clean doors and doorknobs

14- Clean baseboards and moldings.

15- Sweep and mop floors.

Below is a free printable to help you along. You can check the tasks as you complete them or just place this sheet in your bathroom as a cleaning reference.

Adding Fabric Loops to Towels

October 16, 2014 · by Maria · 4 Comments

Today we are adding fabric loops to towels. Why? Well, earlier this week, I shared my mini-project about adding hooks to the boys bathroom so that their towels wouldn’t end up on the floor. Well, it has been a success but I found a way to make it even better. Even better than cake. Well no, not that much better, but you will still like it.

The boys were doing a good job hanging up their towels but they still didn’t look tidy and at times they would slide off if the weight of the towel wasn’t distributed right. I added loops to their towels and now I can say that I love the result!

I sewed a piece of fabric at the horizontal center of their towels. It was quite easy and it was only time consuming because of the amount of towels. But not more time consuming than picking up towels from the floor, thats for sure!

This is how they looked on the towel hooks.

I even did it to their hand towels. (I found these nautical towels at Homegoods, just in case you are interested)

A small project that makes a big difference! Love that!

One more thing, IKEA has some towels that already have a sewn-in loop for hanging. I have not purchased them or checked out the quality, but it’s another option.

Do you struggle to get your kids to put away their bath towels? Maybe this is a good solution for you too.

xo,

Maria

Adding Storage to Bathrooms

July 17, 2014 · by Maria · 1 Comment

My last post on my master bathroom’s before and after was kinda lengthy, so I left out the details of this new cabinet. I already have a small closet that holds a ton of stuff in my bathroom, but I really needed a bit more storage for my little towels and miscellaneous items that get “lost” in that other closet. Purchasing an over-the-toilet etagere (fancy schmancy word and yes, I would like a croque madame with my etagere) is the perfect way of adding storage to bathrooms.

I started building this puppy at night, because I am patient like that. Hence the bad lighting.

It was pretty easy to put together and I didn’t need an assistant. Although my toddler kept saying “mommy, I’m a great helper” the whole time. He even brought over his toy drill. 🙂

The last step was anchoring it to the wall.

I really love the fact that it has doors, because let’s face it, it won’t always look this perfect! I will eventually add more stuff. I haven’t decided what I will store here and what will stay in the closet.

I found these little baskets at Target, on clearance. I am putting new travel-sized items in this one. Not toothbrushes and stuff, because this is on top of a toilet, and because that is gross, and because…well. Ya know.

The one on top has empty cosmetic bags, brushes…not quite everyday stuff but it can still be handy on top of the etagere ( I will now have a mimosa with my croque madame with my etagere).

Here is the side view.

This is a little idea that made a big difference in our bathroom.

Au revoir, et a la prochaine! (It means, goodbye, until next time, in french. I know this to be true because I just looked it up. Merci Wikipedia!)

Maria

Updating Master Bathrooms

July 14, 2014 · by Maria · 7 Comments

We have big ideas for the master bath, the kitchen…and the list goes on. Our big ideas usually require some sort of demolition and re-building, so they also have a big price tag attached. I noticed that I wasn’t updating anything in the house because we weren’t quite ready for “the big idea”. After 10 years, I had grown tired of my yellow bathroom. There wasn’t anything wrong with the paint, except I wanted a change. A change that would not cost too much. Updating master bathrooms could be as simple as buying some paint. And that is what I did.

Here is the before picture. Here it was a little messy because I had already started to patch things up and move things around. I always forget to take a decent before picture, but this gives you an idea on the “before” color and look.

After looking at quite a few paint colors, I decided on one called Comfort Gray from Sherwin Williams. It was a “comforting” gray-blue. I also purchased a paint kit from there. I have textured walls and sometimes I prefer painting with a brush and small roller to get into all the crevices. I did use a large roller (not pictured) for the first coat.

Here is the “after” picture. I kept most of the accessories that matched. I changed the curtain rod, that was previously black, to this one from Target. It was under 5.oo at the time! I kept the little curtain.

The paint looks a little more green in this picture, but it was just the lighting. These vintage-looking enamel pitchers are from IKEA and the little bird canisters are from World Market.

I had these towels already, but they looked so much nicer now. These monogrammed towels are from Frontgate.

In the sink area, I added these green coral prints that I purchased on Etsy.

I added a shelf unit to go over the toilet which added a lot of storage. I found this print at Homegoods and I instantly loved it. It had a warm khaki background which could help to tie-in the remaining ivory items and tile, but was still airy enough to match the current look.

At the very top, I added a manzanita branch that used to reside in the family room. I am not certain that I will leave it here (hence the pushpins…look closely). It is right above the cabinet and print. I don’t know if I love it or hate it. What do you think?

Here is a picture from the opposite direction, where the shower and my husbands sink is. I promise that I cleaned the shower door (cuz I knew you were comin’) but I think the glare made it look streaky. On the very edge of the picture, you will see a dark piece which is my ironing board. I keep it in the bathroom.

This is what you see when you step into the bathroom from our bedroom. I also had to paint those columns because they were ivory and majorly clashing with everything. They got a coat of white as well. When I have a brush in my hand, no one and nothing is safe. mwahahaha!!!

Did I scare ya?

My maniacal laugh never works.

I gotta tell you, I did all this while my husband was out-of-town and he was impressed when he finally saw it. I didn’t even tell him that I was doing it and then when I went to pick him up at the airport, I told him. I couldn’t wait any longer. He laughed in disbelief. He knows that I will take on a paint project, but a whole bathroom? And paint cabinets? I stared at him with my best serious face and then he said, “Oh wow, that’s great. Can’t wait to see it.” I have had a good batting ratio as of late but my DIY record has some tarnishes. Then I went on to tell him that I used the same paint to paint over the ivory tile. This time he wasn’t sure if I was serious, so he said “You wouldn’t have done that because you know that you can’t just paint over tile”. Still, it was more of a question than a statement. Then I laughed because the man had been working non-stop for days and doesn’t deserve to think that I painted our bathroom tile with water-based paint. It wasn’t right.

So that’s all! Tell me, do you have big dreams for your master bathroom, but your budget doesn’t allow to start breaking walls? How about just a coat of paint, maybe some new towels and an accessory or two. It made a huge difference in my bathroom and now I am not in a hurry to make further changes.

Hope you enjoyed this before-and-after!

Maria

Painting Laminate Cabinets

July 10, 2014 · by Maria · 2 Comments

I have been updating my bathroom and I have already shared how I organize my sink area, how I organize under the sink, and lastly, the shower area. Well, the first thing I did was paint the walls, which I will go into detail later this week. Once I painted the walls, I realized that I loved the color but it clashed with my maple colored cabinets. I had never considered painting laminate cabinets because I assumed that the paint would peel right off. So I did a little research and I found out that you can in fact paint laminate cabinets.

I thought that I would try it out in my bathroom since it was just a few cabinets and if the project flopped, I would remove the doors and tell my husband that open shelving was the hottest thing in bathroom trends. But he is smart, and that would not have worked, so it was a good thing that my little project did work!

Some people suggested sanding the cabinets before painting. I didn’t do that but I did give them a good cleaning the day before to make sure that the paint would adhere. Then I purchased a small quart of Zinsser water-based primer and a small little tin of white paint. I found them both at Target. I also purchased a small paint kit at Sherwin Williams.

After a coat of primer, this is what it looked like.

After two coats of paint, this is what it looked like. I was starting to get scared because it was still streaky and not covering the color completely. Thankfully, the third coat did the trick!

This was the after. Also, behind is a sneak peek of the paint change. The top portion of the wall was still unpainted. Here you can see the small bathroom/linen closet that is next to my sink, which was already white. I love how fresh everything looks after painting the cabinets.

Then, I painted my husbands cabinet on the other side of the bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn’t be brave enough to do this by myself to a whole kitchen and also I don’t know how durable this will be. I use my kitchen cabinets way more than my bathroom cabinets. I will keep you updated on how well these do. For now, they are doing great and no sign of peeling.

I will share the full bathroom before and after in a few days.

Do you have laminate cabinets that you would like to paint? It is certainly cheaper than replacing them.

Until then,

Maria

Organizing Under the Bathroom Sink

July 1, 2014 · by Maria · 12 Comments

A couple of days ago, I shared how I maximize the vanity/sink area that I have in my corner of the bathroom. If you missed it, you can read about it HERE.

Today, we are organizing under the bathroom sink. This area can become a black hole, if you let it. It’s awkward (with the plumbing) and its deep and baskets don’t always fit nicely. Since I have so many products under my sink, I chose to organize them with turntables. I used four, two large and two small. I placed them in a way where they fit and still turn.

Each turntable has a purpose. One is for foot spa stuff, the other for bath gels, the other for hair products and one for bath salts and oils. You can purchase the small turntables in my Amazon store HERE and the large turntables HERE. But you can also find these in most home stores. They are an inexpensive way to add a lot of functionality and organization around the house. If I used a basket, I wouldn’t be able to access the products in the very back. Now, I just turn the table until I see what I want.

On the cabinet wall, I have an organizer that I use to store these thingumajigs. Ahem. I also keep my Clarisonic Cleanser in there. You can find that metal organizer HERE but again, these organizers are in most home stores (I have even spotted them at Marshalls).

On the other side, I have another organizer but I can’t link that one since its kind of old. I don’t even remember where I bought it. I keep a little makeup bag on the top shelf and miscellaneous items in the bottom shelf.

Do you have a system for organizing under the bathroom sink? Isn’t that plumbing annoying to work around?

Happy Organizing my friends! I have a bathroom makeover coming up next so stay tuned!

Maria

Organizing Small Bathroom Sinks

June 28, 2014 · by Maria · 49 Comments

Last week we organized the shower area, and this week we tackle the bathroom sink or vanity area. More specifically, organizing small bathroom sinks, such as the one in my master bathroom. My husband has the same size sink on the opposite side of the bathroom and it works for him because all he stores is a toothbrush, a bottle of mouthwash and a razor…men…

However, my sink area has been challenging. Where was I supposed to store all my makeup, cleansers and moisturizer?? A girl can simplify but she can’t part with all her products!

I would have loved a small cabinet, but the area was too narrow and I would’ve bumped it every time I leaned over to rinse my face. A bloody nose would not mirror one of those graceful moments in facial care commercials. By the way, who actually makes all those faces while applying product on their face? I am sure that I make faces, but not pleasant ones.

But I digress. So I added small shelves along the side and it gave me a ton of storage!

A closer look at the shelves.

Update to post: Many of you have asked me where I purchased these shelves. I think that I found them at Target years ago, but I no longer see them at the store. I have just added a similar set to my Amazon store and you can find them HERE Otherwise, you may want to check Homegoods or Marshalls.

The shelves are small but hold a ton. I also like the open shelving (in this case) because these are items that I use daily. Here are all my makeup brushes.

The third shelf holds items that I don’t use everyday but I do use often, and a little plant to prettify the wall.

Bathroom sinks can get cluttered in no time if there is no system in place. When you don’t have a lot of counter space, sometimes the best solution is vertical storage. Use your walls when the counters won’t do.

Do you have a narrow sink like me, or a large area to spread out your makeup and products?

Later this week, we will organize under the sink and I will share my master bathroom update, so stay tuned!

Maria

Organizing the Shower Area

June 24, 2014 · by Maria · 4 Comments

Even the shower area needs a little bit of attention and organization.

I used to have one of those metal shower racks in the corner FULL of products. Then next to it, I would place the ones that were too large to fit. With the shower rack I realized that if given the chance, I would turn the bathroom into a Hoarders episode. Yes, me, the one with the organizing blog.

Of course, I had my excuses. I couldn’t just stick to one shampoo because my hair needed variety and couldn’t commit. Then I had 2 shower gels, because apparently my skin also liked options. Then I had 2 shaving creams because my husband likes gel-based and I like cream-based….and on and on…

Eventually, the shower caddy started to oxidize and it was the perfect opportunity to throw it out and come up with a different plan.

I found this acrylic makeup organizer that I was no longer using for makeup, and it was P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Because it was small, and small meant that I had to streamline.

I only purchase pump-style shampoo and conditioner bottles so that I don’t have to remove them from their spot.

The front of the organizer was considerably more narrow than the back but it was perfect for body wash and face wash.

I like to give the shower a quick clean while I am in there (you don’t want to use toxic stuff ever, much less in an enclosed space) so on the side, I placed a cleaner. I also keep a pumice stone for my feet in the shower. I store it upright so it doesn’t get all yucky. I also keep a bar of soap for my husband.

Which brings me to a funny story. Funny for you. Scary for me.

A while back I noticed that my shower pouf was looking kinda rough and my husband’s was perfect, almost unused. So I called my husband in the bathroom and I asked him, “which shower pouf do you use?”. He pointed at….MINE! Panic! I love that man. I have kids with him, I share everything, but my shower pouf??? Nooooooo!

He knows me and all my crazy boundaries, so after a minute (30 minutes in my mind) he laughed and said “I’m just kidding! I have been using the bar soap for a while and I don’t touch those things!”

~~We are still not talking.~~ So I laughed and hugged him. Here is a picture of the suspicious pouf.

Back to the rest of the shower area. On the wall, I have my razor that has been there for over 5 years! I have changed the razor but the housing is the same. I also have a Command Hook to hold a grout brush because you all know that when you are taking a shower, you notice all the yuckies.

So take a second look at your shower area and get rid of excess products. It is so much easier to clean with less “stuff” occupying space.

What else do you keep in the shower? Do you share cups but never bath poufs? Am I a bad wife for almost fainting? Don’t answer.

Maria

How to Fold Towels

August 29, 2013 · by Maria · 1 Comment

That sounds kinda silly right? I mean we all know how to fold a towel quickly and put it away but don’t you love the way they fold them in the department stores? Beautiful white towels with no seams visible…Sigh…

It’s actually pretty easy to fold them like they do in the stores and they look so nice that its worth the extra step.

First, you lay out the towel. I actually just hold the towel under my chin while I fold but that series of pictures was not flattering AT ALL. I opted for the couch approach.

I always have your best interest at heart.

Then fold one side towards the middle.

Then the other side towards the middle.

Then fold in half.

If it’s a small towel then you are done. If it’s a bath towel, give it one more fold.

You are done! The department stores have nothing on you. Except a full staff to keep things tidy of course…

I want to start doing some mid-week short posts on simple ideas that you can implement right away. Last week I did the one on “how to fold your sheets” which you can find here.

What do think about that idea? Are you enjoying these shorter posts as well?

Until next week! Happy Folding!

Maria

Kid’s Bathroom Organization

July 25, 2013 · by Maria · 9 Comments

I have two boys and they share a bathroom. ‘Nuff said. You feel my pain. It is the bathroom that gets cleaned most often and doesn’t seem to stay clean for long. I decided that I needed to de-clutter the bathroom to make cleaning easier. I used to have all of the boys toiletries right on the bathroom counter which made it more of a chore to clean.

I found two solutions to clear out the clutter. The first was purchasing this curtain from amazon which you can purchase {here} or you can find at most Targets. The picture below is not my boys bathroom because we covered it with another curtain which you will see in the next picture. I don’t recommend that you put really heavy items in the pockets such as large shampoo bottles but I did put hairspray, cologne, a hairbrush and water play toys in our curtain and it holds them just fine.

Amazon photo of the Maytex pocket curtain.

This is the boys bathroom. Like the curtain? 60’s psychedelic right? Well here is my bathroom conundrum: I have a toddler who would love to have a Mickey-themed bathroom and a 9-year-old who would threaten to run away if he had a Mickey-themed bathroom. He is apparently too cool for the big mouse or any cartoon for that matter.

Keeping that in mind, I decided that I wanted to make the bathroom fun and colorful but not include a theme. We found the curtain and mat at Target.

Since the counters need to be wiped down so often I just placed the essentials. I chose this little container (also from Target) because it has a divider and the boys can share it.

I also purchased three small plants from IKEA and I spray painted a plastic plant holder that I had in the garage. That’s as crafty as I get. No joke.

The second storage solution was under the sink. If my boys were both older I would definitely have a cleaning caddy under here but for now I like to keep those in higher cabinets. Instead, I stored in these two baskets all the items that didn’t fit in the shower curtain pockets. They hold one extra set of bath towels, hand towels and shampoo. You have seen me use these baskets in the past because I love them so. Also from Target. I feel like I say “also from Target” after every sentence. I guess I am drawn to that red circle!

The baskets are stackable so I purchased a large and a small one so that I can push the small one back when I need something from the larger. I am so happy that the baskets fit despite the plumbing pipe. That is always something to consider when purchasing containers for under-the-sink organization.

I love having the area cleared out and it is so much easier to keep the bathroom clean and tidy. Peace to all {keeping the 60’s theme in full effect}.

What ideas do you have for keeping kids bathrooms organized?

Maria

Bathroom Linen Closet Organization

July 15, 2013 · by Maria · 8 Comments

The space that I lack in my sink…

I have in the linen closet that is right next to my sink.

My husbands sink is on the other side of the bath tub and it is equally as small. If I had a larger sink counter or drawers under my sink I would probably store my makeup in that space. Since I don’t, I use the closet to hold a LOT more than towels. I have (maybe) 4 towels in the closet. The rest is makeup, hair care, nail supplies, lotions and bathroom cleaning products. Here it is…

In the very top, as in “I need a ladder” I have towels. These are towels that are designated for guests. I have another area in the bathroom that I store our daily use towels.

In the top shelf I also have 2 turntables that hold extra shampoo, conditioners and lotions. Turntables are one of my favorite organizing tools. They allow me to put items in areas that I otherwise would lack the visibility to see what is in the back of the shelf. I just turn the tables and get what I need. You can find these here: Amazon.com

Next to the turntables I store my travel toiletry bag. It is not used often so I don’t need it to be right in front of me. I will be doing a post on what is in the bag sometime next week.

In the next shelf I have my cleaning caddy. I think every bathroom should have a cleaning caddy. If you have to walk to another room to grab cleaning supplies you are less likely to wipe up simple messes. Having this here helps me keep the bathroom cleaner in between deep cleanings. I keep this caddy in the higher shelf to keep it away from the kids.

If your grooming items look pretty you will use them more. That being said, fifty percent of the times my nails are not done. Clearly it’s not because of lack of polish, just lack of time. I think if this display didn’t look so pretty my nails would never get done. I purchased the polish display years ago on Amazon but you can still find it here. They have different vendors and different size displays that you can choose from.

In the next shelf I have my makeup. Same story as the polish. I use very little makeup on a daily basis. My daily makeup routine consists of no more than tinted moisturizer, mascara and lip gloss. The rest only gets used when we go out on the weekends. I like to display my makeup so that I can “see” what I have and hopefully get inspired. I know that if I threw my makeup in a bag I would never use it. I will be doing a post on makeup organization later this week.

I have these baskets and bins to hold extra makeup and samples that I use to refill my travel bag. I also have a sewing box. I only know how to replace buttons and maybe a quick hem but even for simple things like that you need a system to hold all the different color threads and buttons. This is also where I put all the extra buttons that come along with outfits. Otherwise you end up with 50 baggies of weird buttons swimming throughout your home.

Underneath are four white plastic baskets that hold items that I like to throw in without much thought.

Such as hair care.

Extra lotions that have been gifted to me or nice hotel samples.

In the very bottom is a large basket with all my rollers. You like the pink ones? Be honest. I know you do.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

Lots and lots of things that have nothing to do with each other but you can still manage to make them look organized if you dedicate a shelf to a certain task, use organizers and label your items. I hope I gave you some ideas of other uses for linen closets. What else do you store in your linen closet?

Happy Organizing!

Maria

Guest Bathroom Organization

July 5, 2013 · by Maria · 2 Comments

The guest bathroom in our home is pretty small but considering that my first home didn’t have one, I am grateful. It was even hard to photograph due to the size. I looked like Spiderwoman trying to get a good picture. Minus the latex suit of course.

The guest bathroom is adjacent to the laundry closet and close to the kitchen. In theory it would be a good place to store cleaning supplies. However, since I have little ones I never keep cleaning supplies under sinks. Instead, I use this space to store all of our beach towels. I roll them up so that I can circumvent that annoying pipe. I really dislike that pipe. :-/

On the other side I have small plastic drawers that hold items that a guest may need: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, shaving cream, small cologne bottles, karaoke equipment (just checking to see if you are paying attention!). In the other drawer I have a first aid kit and Q-tips. On top of this I put extra toilet paper.

Sometimes we forget to use the cabinet doors for extra storage and its the perfect place to put a small caddy. Here I place extra lotions, soaps, essential oils and a roll of garbage bags. I have these caddies in almost every bathroom. They are narrow so you can still have the items inside the cabinet uninterrupted. I love them!

On the other cabinet door I use a command hook to hang my cleaning gloves. I placed a clip that is meant to be used to close chip bags onto the command hook and it is the perfect clip to hold the gloves. It’s a good idea to hang the cleaning gloves so that they can fully dry after using them.

A little closer…

Here is a picture of the whole bathroom cabinet.

There are systems meant for under the sink that circumvent the dreaded plumbing but sometimes by using a little creativity you can find an inexpensive way to use every inch of space. Here is the other side of the bathroom just in case you were wondering (ok maybe you weren’t but for the sake of symmetry I will end it with this picture).

I hope you got some ideas and if you have any ideas for me just post them below.

P.S. My husband just told me “you realize there is no Spiderwoman?” Clearly he hasn’t seen me in action cleaning the house when he leaves…

Happy Organizing!

Maria