Remember our resolutions?

Well, number 4 got a big check-off this past week!

We’ve been living with our totally unorganized, totally inconvenient medicine cabinet drawer.

Yikes, right?

And the cabinet up on top wasn’t much better.

Yup, now you know why this was on the list of resolutions. It’s embarrassing really.

So, I finally got the supplies needed to get it organized.

I started by dividing everything into categories. Keep in mind that at this point, things are going to get worse before they get better.

I wanted to group like items together, so the big bin was for cold medicine. We seem to always have several options. (When you’re sick, you want something for your symptoms, and there are so many options at the store that the pills seem to pile up when we don’t finish them…)

Then, band-aids got their own container. And another one for the salves and ointments.

We also have a drawer for cough drops. As well as a drawer for other random medicine cabinet things.

I used an open bin for things we use a lot, like Ibuprofen and Tums (we don’t use those a lot, but more than the band-aids, for sure!). I also put the tall things in there, even though we don’t use them that much. It’s more likely they won’t spill if they are standing up!

The best thing is that there’s an empty drawer in this unit. So I can expand into it with stuff from the other bathroom if needed!

The top shelf has another drawer unit right now, but it’s mostly empty/full of things I’d like to sort out or move somewhere else. But it works for now. Especially because the extra TP fits so nicely beside it.

And here we go, all organized!

 

Way better, right?

For one thing, all the drawers are empty now–so there’s room for more stuff someday down the road! (Yay for more clutter, right?)

Here are some other tips to keep in mind when organizing something like this:

• Use clear containers. It’s just way easier than fooling with labels. This way, you don’t have to list every single thing inside to know what’s in there. And, if you change your mind, you can reorganize without having to make new labels.
• You also want to get containers that will stack well. (I suggest the same brand. It’s just easier.)
• Throw things away. Sometimes it’s hard to do this. Have a trash bag handy. And fill it up.

• Make sure to think about the things you are organizing. If you have big, rectangle boxes of things, they won’t fit into a small square container that well. And small, miscellaneous items will get lost in a big, deep container. Shallow drawers will work best.

• Drawers work really well for stuff like this. If you can fit them in your cabinet, I’d recommend that. It’s so nice to not have to unstack a ton of boxes to get the one item you’re in a hurry to get to. (If you do use stacking boxes or bins, try to keep it to a manageable amount. No one wants to be fishing for the bottom bin in a stack of fifty while gushing blood everywhere, right? Plan ahead, people.

Here’s a before and after shot, for comparison purposes.

Now that we’re all organized in the hall bathroom, I’m planning to move onto our master bathroom, although it’s already in a lot better shape so it won’t take much.

Then, it’s time to hit number nine on the resolution list…

Have you organized anything lately? I’d love to hear about it! Spill your best secrets!