The best thing about storage solutions for under the sink or in a drawer is that you can buy ugly items. No one sees this stuff, so going cheap and not all that attractive is a-ok. Although, if you go cheap, make sure it’s not junky cheap. I.e. you still want it to last; buying new solutions a year from now because your old one broke is not very eco-friendly.

Some ideas:

This under the sink storage shelf rocks because it allows you to work around bathroom pipes.

Boring, but totally useful, Acrylic Drawer Storage Trays.

Rev-A-Shelf 14 In. Door Storage Trays – great idea for tall hair care supplies!

These above are some basics. Don’t forget that you can find all sorts of handy tray organizers at thrift stores too, many times in wood, which is nice. You can also improvise. For example, instead of trays, in my bathroom drawers I have this eclectic assortment of little wood boxes, small ceramic bowls, and other oddball containers. I fill them with hair clips, safety pins, jewelry, and so on. So long as you can find short containers (so you can shut your drawer) most anything works.

Post from: Blisstree

Under the Sink & Vanity Drawer Bathroom Storage Solutions

Mercer Bath System – I recently saw this and love it. All the little hooks, and the racks for washcloths are so functional. This system is a little pricey but it’ll hold a lot. It’s appropriate for showers or as an above the tub solution. Available at Pottery Barn. (I didn’t even know they had bath goods!)
Grand Arc Shower Caddy – mod and pretty. Available at Organize-It.

Three Basket Shower Caddy – I think this caddy would annoy me. Digging through baskets for stuff. Still, it’s unusual, which I do like, plus I know people who would love this – what do you think? Available at Organize-It.

Three-Tier Stainless Corner Caddy – one of the nicer corner caddies I’ve seen. I like how it’s not obnoxious with a pole, and also love how there’s so much space between each tier. Available at Organize-It.

Go see the intense Simplehuman Tension Shower Caddy - I figure if you ever get sick of it in the shower, you could always use it to practice pole dancing (if that’s your deal). Lastly, Stacks & Stacks has an oddball collection of hanging shower caddies – cloth and mesh bags that hang over the shower rod. I’m not a fan, but if you have a VERY small bathroom or shower, these would work nicely for you.

The last two thing we’ll be looking at in our bathroom decluttering series is some under the sink storage ideas and some dreamy bathrooms for inspiration so stay tuned.

Post from: Blisstree

Shower Interior Storage – Soap & Shampoo Holders for Inside the Tub

You don’t need to visualize the exact space above, but all in all, if you can visualize a clutter-free space, you may have a better chance at eliminating clutter and getting organized in the upcoming year.

Visualizing what you’d like to see in your home is important. Right now, if your home is over-cluttered, all you see and feel is obviously clutter. That’s overwhelming and not great motivation for change. However, if you can visualize a new space, a new look, a new way of living, you may just be motivated enough to pull it off.

Some ideas:

• If you’re extra creative, imagine your space how you’d love it to look. Sketch it out, or just make notes about it.
• If you’re not into imagining interior design yourself, browse some home interior books (minimalist-based), or look through your favorite home magazines for examples of your dream space. You can even clip images you like. It’s true, you may not get your space exactly like that one you see in Real Simple, but you can work toward a similar adaptation.
• Imagine how you might feel differently coming home to your visualized space vs. the one you’re living in now. Do you think you’ll feel more relaxed, more clear-headed, more inclined to have guests over? How will a new space help you?

To get some beautiful ideas, check out some of the Visual Motivation posts here at Declutter It. Such as…

• Streamlined Mizuya Kitchen
• The most clean cut bath in the world!
• Calm Living Space

Can you see your perfect, clutter-free, organized space in your head? What’s it like?

Post from: Blisstree

Visualize A Clutter Free Space

Heads up – I added a new poll to the sidebar (look to your right and scroll down below the archives). Go ahead and vote, or add your own answer. Tell me what you’re interested in cleaning and organizing most in the upcoming year.

If I know what you’re most interested in, I can post more often on those topics.

OR if you have some oddball poll aversion, feel free to leave a comment – I can use those to plan the year as well. Later, I’ll post my own decluttering and organizing goals.

Post from: Blisstree

In 2009 I’d like to declutter and organize…

To use dead space:

Make a list: Trot around your house and make a list of dead spaces. Types of dead spaces include inside cabinet doors, above bookshelves, under tables, and some wall space.

Make a second list: Your second list builds on your list of dead spaces. For example; you see that you have a dead space in your hall closet. When you open the closet door, there’s perfectly usable space on the inside of the door. You can un-dead space it by adding coat hanger hooks, or a magnetic strip for keys and such. Another example may be under your coffee table. You can add a basket and get those stacks of magazines sorted away. Yet another could be that empty wall above your desk. Placing a small wall shelving unit there gives you a place to store pen holders, small index file boxes, and maybe a few books.

Be frugal: Some dead space is nice. If every single inch of your home is full of stuff, well, that’s not the idea. Dead space serves a purpose for items that actually really need a home, not silly collections, old newspapers, or junk you won’t ever fix.

Where are the usable dead spaces in your home? 

Post from: Blisstree

Getting Rid of Dead Space

Small living rules: 

Keep small collections: Set limits. Allow yourself one shelf of books. If it overflows, send some books packing before you get more. Own only the shoes than will fit in your shoe holder. Have only 10 (or choose another number) frames of pictures on shelves at any given time – switch out pictures rather than gathering more frames to dust and organize.

Live in a smaller house: Small room = easier to organize, clean, and less easy to fill with junk.

Own actual smaller items: DVDs take up less room than video (purge the old VHS movies). A smaller couch or shelf system means less to clean and dust. Tennis shoes are the ultimate small in exercise equipment – try walking outside instead of owning a treadmill. A smaller desk or file cabinet is less likely to get covered with junk and paper piles, because you’ll only have so much room to work with.

Forget bulk anything: I used to be into bulk, for the money savings. Now, I’d rather my house be less cluttered than have extra toilet paper. Seriously, unless you live in the way far out boonies, you’ll never have a serious lack of toilet paper, milk, or printer paper issue. Bulk is ok, but not if your goal is to live smaller. Also read, The Case Against Deep Storage.

Living small, living with less, living without everything you think you want is a tough transition for many. It’s a process. But the gains, once you start living smaller are huge. More time, less clutter, less to clean, and you’ll feel better. A bonus is you may end up with more cash in your saving account as well.

Need help getting started…

• Organizing by Simplifying
• Need a Bigger House, or Just Smaller Ego?
• Scaling Down Your House and Life
• How To Live Small
• You won’t go to Hades for tossing that (fill in the blank) out

For parents with stuff loving kids:

• As a parent, do you understand the impact of the need for stuff?
• Kids & Shopping – How Kids Can Be Smart Consumers

AND in case you think I’m a major hypocrite for showing products on this blog, while I go on and on about too much stuff being bad, you can read this post: If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog? – I wrote this for another blog, but the sentiments are the same. I’m not pro-have nothing EVER, just pro-have what you need to make your life easy or beautiful, but not in excess. Stuff doesn’t have to own you, but sadly, it does own many people.

Post from: Blisstree

Live smaller to fight clutter & cleaning issues

That said, it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people NEVER finish deciding about that maybe box. Boxes like this, if you’re undecided, basically just move around your house. That’s not decluttering; that’s called reorganizing clutter.

If this is you, if you’re stuck, you need a harsher rule. The 2 minute rule. Set a basic kitchen timer for 2 minutes. Grab one item from that maybe box. Look at it. Think. When the timer goes off, the item needs to go into the stuff to keep or stuff to get rid of box.

If you can’t decide that you need an item in 2 minutes, then frankly, you probably don’t need to keep the item.

Harsh? Maybe, but this is faster and less cluttered than moving stuff around in a box for years.

Post from: Blisstree

The 2 minute toss it rule

There’s this popular theory that I’m sure you’ve hear at some point in your life; “Waste not, want not.”That’s true to a point, but often, people can go overboard on clutter morals. If you were raised on the whole waste not, want not theory, it may be the reason behind your clutter problems.

Here’s the thing – get over it. You won’t burn if you toss, recycle, or give away your old books or sweaters, not even if you give away an entire collection of ceramic miniatures. NOT EVEN if you throw out or give away food (gasp) that no one in the house will eat.

If you do throw out food, I do hope you’ll think long and hard on your next grocery trip before you buy, and if you can, I hope you recycled used items rather than toss them in the garbage, but that’s the extent of my worry.

Discarding items in order to simplify your world is not a major (or even minor sin). The time you spend constantly decluttering, dusting, and cleaning the items you own, is time you could spend with your family and friends.  Which is the larger sin? Tossing items or losing all these life hours because you own too much stuff to take care of?

What do you think? AND if you were raised on a heavy diet of waste not, want not, have you gotten over it?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

You won’t go to Hades for tossing that (fill in the blank) out

So hop to it. Need help? Read:

Organizing by Simplifying

How To Start Getting Rid of Stuff – Get Rid of “Maybe” Items

Clutter Confessions and Denial

The Case Against Deep Storage

What exactly is clutter?

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Quick Clutter Tip: Donate before December 31st

Here are some nice shower rack options:

Sunshine shower caddy – how cute is this?

Teak Shower Caddy – really unique and beautiful.

Avant Corner Shower Caddy – not totally my style, but would work great in the corner of the right tub. Comes in three color flavors.

And just for fun… Giant Safety Pin Wall Rack – I know; not a shower rack, but still pretty darn cool.

Post from: Blisstree

Nice Shower Rack Choices