Young House Love

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Bathroom Drawer Organization

Dude, meet our disaster drawer. I know you guys already got a preview of him yesterday, but you know how a horror movie has that dun-dun-duuuuun sound effect? This drawer needs one too. It’s that bad. Like “what wild animal got in there and rooted around?” bad. So in the name of organization week (and general sanity) it was about time we got on it.

  Drawer1

The issue is that we don’t have a medicine cabinet, thanks to the window in front of the sink, as demonstrated by this pic from our House Tour page. The drawer in front of the sink is actually a false drawer, so we can’t use that one for additional storage. Sure, we have the cabinet under the sink, but that’s where we put bigger stuff like the hairdryer and our travel toiletry bag, so it’s mainly all on this small skinny drawer to store every last little thing – like floss, toothpaste, contact stuff, medicine, deodorant, hair stuff, nail stuff, and all the other things that usually get shoved into a few drawers and maybe even a medicine cabinet or linen closet.

Sink Nook Prog

But I knew straightening up this drawer was possible. John and I are pretty minimalistic when it comes to stuff like this (for example, I have a small travel makeup bag with all of the makeup that I own in it – which is less than eight items – and I keep that in the car or my purse, so that doesn’t need space in the drawer). We also don’t wear perfume or cologne, so there’s no need to store that or any bath salts or scrubs (we’re shower people). In short: we don’t have that much stuff when you consider that this is a pile of all the medicine, tooth stuff, nail stuff, hair stuff, and general hygiene stuff in our entire house except for one pot of diaper cream in Clara’s room and a bottle of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in the shower.

So we just had to figure out a way to wrangle it so it was functional (ie: so we could actually find what we were looking for). The first order of business was removing everything so we could see the bottom of the drawer again and take inventory of all the things we had. I went through everything and got rid of things like expired medication or empty bottles that somehow got shoved back into the mess.

  Drawer2

Then I grabbed two divided boxes at TJ Maxx to the tune of $9. I think they’re meant for office supplies or jewelry, but they were the right height for the sink drawer and I knew the key to adding some order would be to segment things off and create zones to keep things from slipping all over the place every time the drawer slid open. Here’s what I came up with after I stuck those two containers in the drawer along with the wooden toothbrush/toothpaste box we had from a while back and filled them all up.

  Drawer4

It was a tight fit, but everything that I took out (except for the expired medicine and empty containers) fit back in. And this time it makes sense! If you look closely, I tried to group things. For example, all my nail polish is together at the back right of the drawer, all of our razors are together at the front right of the drawer, all of our contacts are stored on the left side of the drawer, and all of our mouth related stuff is still in the toothpaste box (mouthwash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes and one pack of floss, while the extra floss is back near my nail polish). In the back left of the drawer is all of our medicine along with a box of my, uh, feminine products.

Some of those cubbies, like the three in the middle of this picture are just items that are grouped by owner. For example, the one on the left is my stuff (an extra concealer and mascara that came packaged as a set of two so I only put one in my travel makeup pouch, my hair-cutting scissors, a nail file, etc) while the middle cubby is where John’s hair stuff and razor and contact case live. That cubby is sort of his morning routine (although he doesn’t shave every morning – maybe just every three). The cubby to the right of that is also John’s shaving stuff (shaving cream and aftershave) – so putting them next to each other and keeping my stuff out of his cubbies will hopefully make it easier to keep up with this system (he won’t be messing with my areas and my stuff won’t be in the way of his).

Drawer5

Medication safety update: All the medication is in childproof containers and those razor blades snap into a protective case that Clara couldn’t unsnap on her own (at 23 months old, Clara can’t open non-childproof bottles or even tupperware containers) and we keep the door to our bedroom closed so she is never in there unattended (since Burger’s food is in that room and she likes to mess with it, haha). So there’s a no-Clara-in-the-bedroom rule unless we’re in there with her.

Here’s the other side of the drawer again, just because I thought for a shot of random bathroom stuff, this was kinda pretty. Haha.

  Drawer6

So yay! We finally got on that. I just hope it stays this way. It has lasted through one evening and one morning routine, so I have a fair amount of hope. I gave John a stern look and said “please respect the cubbies” and so far he has been awesome about it. But I’ll have to take a random photo in six months to see how this whole shebang really fares. You know I’ll keep it real and report back, whether it’s still looking good or somehow has exploded into chaos again.

The sad thing about getting on this project is that in doing it I noticed another task that I need to add to the list: painting these cabinets and drawers- both inside and out. See that dinged up looking lip? Now that things are nice and organized inside of the drawer I notice it even more. Why is it that one upgrade often just shines a big ol’ spotlight on other things that still need to be attended to? Oh well. Someday I’ll get on that.

Drawer7

Just for fun, I snapped a picture of the cabinets under the sink. I told you we were minimalists about this sort of stuff. Just an old box from John’s grandpa full of a few John things, our travel toiletry bag (the black thing in the middle) and a basket with a hairdryer, a brush, and a curling iron among some other random items in the back. But see those blue arrows? Those are other dings and smudges I noticed while cleaning up. Someday I’ll conquer them. Although probably not anytime soon if I’m being honest. Haha.

  Drawer Cabinet End

Until then I’ll just appreciate being able to check if we need more floss or razors at a glance while grabbing the deodorant without having to wrestle any other toiletries out of the way. It’s the little things.

Drawer4

We’ll be back tomorrow with a huge rundown of all the grooming & cleaning products that we use in an attempt to keep it simple (many of them multitask, so we don’t have to store ten million different bottles under the sink). What have you guys been organizing lately? Have you found things like dividers or cubbies to be helpful in instances where you have only one shallow area that needs to store a bunch of different things? Who’s tackling their bathroom stuff tonight? And is it weird that I brushed and flossed after this project? Staring at all that stuff somehow compelled me to end things like that – just to test out my storage system I guess. Haha.

Comments

  2. Cat says

    We call those spaces my ‘Monica Closet’. It’s from the Friends episode when Chandler discovers Monica’s back hall closet which is a complete mess. The outer areas of our place are very neat and tidy, but there are Monica closets and drawers lurking throughout our home!

    Reply

  3. theresa says

    This might be a weird question, but how do you like toms deodorant? Andd toothpaste for that matter haha. I’ve been looking to switch beauty/grooming products to eco friendly brands but wasn’t sure about the deodorant category…thanks!

    Reply

  4. Lauren@FilingJointly says

    Isn’t it funny how happy an organized drawer or cabinet can make you? I take pictures of mine too, not even to post on my blog, just to look at and possibly one time make the background of my phone.

    It’s nice that John will actually listen to you about “respecting the cubbies.” Once I cleaned out our kitchen junk drawer (take-out menus, batteries, etc.) and within two days all h*ll had broken loose. (There was a safety pin AND a dime in the battery spot.)

    Reply

  6. Jane says

    I Spy some Zoya Nailpolish ? :) I need big time organization under my bathroom sink cabinets and my my dressing table drawers. BIG TIME. I need those dividers.

    Reply

  7. hollie says

    Is it sad my first thought when I saw the first few photos was OHH I see Zoya nail polish! I wonder which colors… haha!

    Reply

  8. Bethany Annechino says

    Dare I ask… why don’t you guys just make the faux drawer in the vanity into a real drawer? It’d just require adding a few rails for the drawer to slide in and out and it’d mean you could have your deodorant near where you bathe and dress, instead of where you chop and dice.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’d love to, but the sink drops into the space that the drawer would take up, so it wouldn’t have much storage space in there due to the sink.

      xo,
      s

    • Ali Miller says

      I think this person was under the impression that this messy drawer was in the kitchen. That’s what I thought you meant at first. I think just because you mentioned “sink drawer”, for some reason our brains assumed kitchen.

    • Ashley says

      Umm…Bethany, I think that drawer is still a part of the vanity…like in their bathroom. Chop and dice sounds like you think it’s a kitchen drawer…am I wrong here? I think they just have one drawer in the vanity instead of two..right?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’re still in the bedroom, it’s just the drawer on the left that we use since the one on the right is a faker. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Jamie says

      Ha! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this drawer was in the kitchen. I didn’t catch on until you mentioned needing to paint the drawers.

  9. Kathryn Humphreys says

    I’m impressed with your minimalism. I need to tackle our storage areas, but its just so easy to keep the drawers closed (especially when they’re so messy you can’t open them).

    Reply

  11. Allyn says

    Respect the cubbies. Ha.
    We have one drawer in our bar that seems to be the black hole. It’s not even full, but whenever one of us can’t find something, the first question is always “did you check the right hand drawer?”
    It’s like Mary Poppin’s bag.

    Reply

  12. Annette says

    That looks way better! Although, I have to mention that the medicine in a low drawer concerns me.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No worries, it all has child safety caps and she’s never in our bedroom unattended (we close the door since it’s where we keep Burger’s food and she loves making a mess of that!).

      xo,
      s

  13. miriam says

    Our toiletries are corralled in the medicine cabinet and 4 metal boxes under the sink (2 for me, 2 for my boyfriend). I’m going to do an overhaul soon, but I just started the Oil Cleansing Method and I want to see if it works before getting rid of all my various face washes!

    Reply

    • Katie Boulanger says

      Wonderful! I’ve been interested in doing oil cleansing, but am a bit scared.

  14. Jennifer says

    I have similar organizers for my jewelry box but those work great for shallow drawers! I am feeling motivated to tackle the dreaded kitchen “junk drawer” now…lol

    Reply

  16. Ashlee says

    Plastic silverware dividers work great in most bathroom drawers as well. That’s what I have in all of mine!

    Reply

  18. Robin Grey says

    This drawer reminds me of that issue of Martha’s magazine where she showed the insides of all of her drawers and they were all cubbied off. Very nice!
    I was looking at all that space on the countertop you’ve got and thought hey, they’re going to add some of those sweet decorative boxes that Sherry likes so well to corral some of that stuff. And then you didn’t. Surprise! It thought, there’s no way all that stuff is going to fit back in that drawer. But you did it.
    At any rate, I thought I’d throw out that decorative box on the counter idea in case you found some more things you needed to keep in there. All you nail stuff in a box, for example?
    Happy organizing!
    Robin

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I LOVE THAT IDEA! More room for nail polish. Haha. John will probably roll his eyes now. I actually have a 10 bottle limit, so maybe I could use the box to store something else, like treats for Burger (he gets one for being a good boy in his crate while we’re gone).

      xo,
      s

  20. hillary says

    You won’t believe how much this reorg will change your life for the better! I did our bathroom drawers last fall and they are still surprisingly organized…and we are not tidy people.

    One thing that surprised me about your reorg (and pardon the assvice) is that you keep medications in a low drawer without a drawer lock. I realize Clara is probably not doing much unsupervised exploring at this point but it might be worth thinking ahead a little bit and moving those things to an inaccessible or cabinet-locked place. I was so surprised the day that my three year old brought me the bottle of ibuprofen, having climbed on the bathroom counter to get it out of a high cabinet. She got the lid off too, even though it was supposedly childproof! I almost had a heart attack.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip! All the medication is in childproof containers (at 23 months, Clara can’t open non-childproof bottles or even tupperware bins) and we keep the door to our bedroom closed so she is never in there unattended (Burger’s food is in that room and she likes to mess with it, so there’s a no-Clara-in-the-bedroom rule unless we’re in there with her).

      xo,
      s

  21. Ellen says

    Oh gosh. This is making me feel really guilty about our bathroom storage. It’s a serious disaster area. I’m going to need to get on that project as well… you’re inspiring me! (well, after making me feel guilty…)

    Reply

  22. Tara says

    This sounds super weird, but when my mom came into town I really needed to organize my bathroom. I cut the bottoms off of random cardboard boxes (like from Diet Coke packs and other various food/bathroom packaging) and turned them into a similar organization system! Not quite as pretty, but just as functional. Since I live in a small apartment and like holiday decorating a little too much, I also use seasonal bowls to hold other items in my cabinets – for example, a Halloween bowl is currently where I keep my hair ties/bobby pins/other hair junk. Gotta stay organized somehow :)

    Reply

    • Angela says

      Such a good idea! You could even wrap the cardboard in some pretty paper to make it more presentable. I’m totally trying this.

  23. Larissa says

    I literally laughed out loud at “please respect the cubbies”. My husband is so fantastic at putting things away, but not so fantastic at putting things away in the same place every time. We were just laughing about it last night. Luckily he usually remembers where he puts stuff. Needless to say we have about 17 junk drawers.

    I’m am LOVING this week’s o-r-g theme. It’s fitting right in with my 2nd trimester nesting. Thank you!

    Reply

  25. Abby says

    I have a big organizer from an office supply store in my bathroom drawer. I like it because it’s wire, which means I can throw my wet toothbrush in there and not worry about it running the felt on the dividers like what you got. Plus, sometimes the hubs will stick toothpaste or contact solution or something in there that get all over the place, and I can just take it out and rinse it under warm water. I tried the same technique with hubs drawer, but unfortunately he does not understand the concept of putting things back where they came from :)

    Reply

  26. Jessicalynne says

    Great job on the drawer. However, could you put a medicine cabinet on either of the walls on the side of the sink? Maybe one that isn’t mirrored or possible cover the mirror.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We could, we just like how open it feels without something coming in from the side wall on us when we’re brushing our teeth or when John’s shaving, so we’re happy to make do with this drawer! Just needed some cubbies to make sense of things!

      xo,
      s

  27. Mellissa says

    I wish I was that minimalist but I have a serious issue when it comes to beauty products. I have so much! But they are all organized, I have various drawer organizers and baskets and at least everything has its place. If I could only get down to having one of something instead of 8…

    Reply

  28. Natalie Muurisepp says

    Thank you. We jumped on replacing the funky medicine cabinet in our house when we moved in. But now I am falling out of love with its size and want to replace it with a wicker mirror. We are making the 50’s green and yellow tile come across as beach-y and I think bigger would fit our little space better. SOOOOO long verbal diarrhea short ;) This will help when we have to go with under the sink storage! <3 you guys

    Reply

  29. Barb says

    Ummm, I don’t think you’re going to have to buy floss for a while. Is that a pack of floss in front of every nail polish bottle?

    You both have nice smiles though so maybe it’s worth it! :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- isn’t that hilarious! Our dentist gives us a few packs every time we visit in a little goody bag, so I don’t think we’ve bought floss in five years!

      xo,
      s

  30. amy says

    Amazing! I always buy little baskets at garage sales because they are so usefull in drawers… and besides, you can’t have enough baskets! (big or small) :)

    Reply

  32. Danielle says

    Haha! Count me as a Zoya spotter as well! I love their polishes, especially when I was pregnant. No mom-to-be should compromise nail polish vs. baby health! And, of course, after my son was born, it took 18 months to finally find time to paint my nails. From the girl who would lose sleep over a chipped nail, I transformed into a mom who debated with herself if 3 days is too long to go without a shower! (I know you’ve all been there)

    Anyway, awesome organization and awesome nail polishes!

    Reply

  33. Emily L says

    Sherry, as much as you like green products, you might love this product
    http://www.keeper.com/
    to replace what you’ve got there in the back left corner. I’ve had one for three and a half years now and will never go back to disposables — it’s far superior to them. Just a thought. Good job on the drawer, too, you’re giving me the organizing bug!

    Reply

  34. Sarah M says

    You guys have totally inspired me to start organizing tonight. So hard to get home after I’ve worked 9 hours and start a project. I’m a mom of 3 and work full-time out of the home. But I did go buy a few baskets today at Target. I <3 Target. My 2 yo has toys everywhere and has totally taken over our living room. Thanks for the tips.

    Reply

  35. Krystle @ ColorTansformedFamily says

    It’s great that y’all don’t mind sharing a space together. Maybe if I organized my drawers I could condense mine and give my husband his back! It’s also cool to see you use Tom’s deodorant and toothpaste. We use the mouthwash but I had been wondering how well the deodorant worked. I’ll have to give it a try.

    Reply

  36. Shauna says

    Sherry! Grab your Mr. Clean magic eraser for some of those dinged-up spots that need repainting. Sometimes it’ll get them– at least to a point where it doesn’t annoy you every time you brush your teeth.

    I admire your beauty product restraint.

    Reply

  37. Shannon says

    I was thinking about your false drawer front. If you need/want more storage in the future you could get one of those tilt out kits from Lowes. They are usually used in the kitchen but I imagine they would do very well for ponytail holders, toothbrushes etc as well. Just a thought! :)

    Here’s a link, in case you don’t know what in the world I’m talking about. ;)

    http://www.lowes.com/pd_52924-1214-6572-11W-5_4294735491_4294933768_?productId=1091951&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Kitchen%2BCabinet%2BPantry%2BOrganizers_4294735491_4294933768_%3FNs%3Dp_product_price%7C0&facetInfo=

    Reply

  38. Trela says

    My in-laws kitchen sink has a false drawer, too. Apparently the old ones were designed to tip out. You can get a kit, but it basically requires taking off the false front (which is supposed to be easy, like the cabinet guys may have had this in mind), screwing in a little drawer type thing (think like your Ikea shoe holder/recycling bin), and the special hinges. We’re going to put them in our bathroom and our kids’ bathroom just for toothbrushes/toothpaste, but with a wide sink area, you could probably get even more in there. I’m not sure what they’re called, but I’m sure someone knows! (Your drawer organization looks awesome, but I love that you’re realistic about it… with one of these things you could at least always find a toothbrush. :) )

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we did that in our first bathroom! It was a very small drawer so toothpaste was mostly it! If we ever need more space it’s always a possibility!

      xo,
      s

  40. Amy @ a new old house says

    The drawer looks great!
    One thing you might want to consider now that Clara’s getting older (curious toddler) is a childproof medicine box.
    I got ours from “One Step Ahead” and love it, mainly because I can just toss it in the back of the car when we go on trips, and know I have any illness covered!

    Reply

  41. Nicole Y. says

    Do you think some covered baskets on top of the cabinets would get you even more space? Or do you try to keep that clear?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That could definitely work if we need more stash space! I’m worried about cluttering them up, so I like keeping it minimal for now!
      xo,
      s

  42. Sarah says

    I too have minimal bathroom space. A few things that help me save space: I have a small medicine basket and I keep all our medicine in that, and in our kitchen. And then all my nail polish, files, remover, etc. has its own plastic box with lid that I store under the sink (having the lid means I can keep stacking stuff on top :))

    Reply

  43. Karrie says

    Ever think about building a slide out drawer above your hair dryer etc?

    I organize our drawers here, and then it slides back into disorganization with help of the other five people who live here!

    We just sold our house though, so I feel some purging and organizing on it’s way again!

    Reply

  44. Kristen says

    Oh, Monica’s closet. Yes, that’s exactly what several of my drawers and one closet are like! For some reason I have a brain-block over our front hall closet (we have a Pottery Barn organizer thing by the front door with hooks) and we all just hang everything there. Everytime someone goes to open that closet door, I’m always running in slow motion, saying “NNNNOOOOOO…” :-)

    Reply

  45. Deena says

    Have you considered adding a shelf to the left side of under the sink? I know you would have to work around the water supply but you could add another basket and add a little more storage. We added shelves under our bathroom sink and it made for so much more space – we love it!!

    Reply

  46. Stephanie says

    I know you mentioned the child proof meds and that Clara is never supervised. But just in case I mention the razors…. said as the mom whose 3 year old son tried to shave like Gramps.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip! Those are in a case that she couldn’t get them out of (they snap in with force from a certain angle, so I don’t think she has the strength to snap them out). Of course we always keep an eye on her in this room just in case!

      xo,
      s

  48. Ang says

    You have lots of clearance under the cabinet for more storage. I’d recommend installing stack-able drawers underneath the sink. We did that in both of our tiny bathrooms and it really made a difference. They were fairly inexpensive, I think I found them at a discount store for under $20. You can also find them online, but of course you pay more :(

    Reply

  49. Alicia says

    I notice the lady products, but have you tried the DivaCup (divacup.com)? I know it seems a bit gross at first–but its a lot like your disposable diapers, once you get used to it, it’s great! Eco and wallet friendly too! I got mine 4 years ago and never looked back.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Alicia! I have heard mixed reviews about those, so it’s nice to hear you like it! Might have the confidence to try it someday!

      xo,
      s

  50. Brenda says

    I couldn’t help but gawk at your lack of “feminine product.” Maybe I’m just overly cautious, but I usually have quite a stash going on.

    I’m a make-up minimalist in terms of my daily routine. Eyeliner, eyelash curler, and mascara. Sometimes a little eyeshadow, but not usually. You’d never know it by my make-up bags, though. I’ve outgrown several, and now I keep one that’s everyday and one that I bring out to “play.” Granted, some of it is stuff I have for stage make-up when I’m in a play. I did my toenails the other night, and it’s ridiculous the amount of polish I have considering I get it out maybe every other month. Eyeshadow and nailpolish are my weakness impulse buys when I’m having a rough day and I’m already at the drug store.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I was the same way in high school and then something about living in a tiny dorm in NYC (followed by a tiny studio apartment) made me really pare down! But if you have space for stuff, it’s totally cool to have more stuff! I’m just oddly minimal. Haha.

      xo,
      s

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