Partying Down in the Bathroom at our Little House
IT’S PARTY TIME AGAIN!
Ok, how many of you are still with us in this quest to get organized?
I admit, I’m behind, but that’s ok. I was sick last weekend and I’m prepping for a writer’s conference this coming week.
At least I have the roadmap to finish when I get back.
We’re moving on to the bathroom this week anyway. Stay with me. I’m announcing another giveaway at the end of this post.
How many of you have stuff stored under that sink vanity and have no idea why it’s there?
How many of you have cleaned out your medicine cabinet recently? I haven’t cleaned ours since the last time I posted about it (Has that really been over two years ago!?)
When cleaning out the bathroom, you have to be a little extra careful with the stuff you’re throwing into the trash and down the drain.
I was horrified watching the television series “Political Animals” this past weekend to see the characters flushing cocaine down the toilet.
Of course, they really weren’t doing it, only acting, but still. It’s never ok to flush medications – legal or illegal – down the drain. That stuff ends up in our waterways and can harm fish and other wildlife, as well as coming back to harm us as well.
Here’s how to dispose of medications:
- Crush the pills and mix them in with something such as coffee grounds, which will deter any animals from eating the powder.
- You can also leave them in a securely closed container. However, remember that glass will break and plastic will crush in the landfill. Wild animals do forage through trash.
- Some cities and towns now offer free drop offs during the year in which you can take old, expired medications and leave them.
Now, here’s for the next giveaway. We have a great eco-friendly toothbrush to give away to go along with our bathroom themed party this week.
The fully biodegradable toothbrushes by World Centric completely break down when they are thrown away. They come in a reusable travel case. World Centric also offsets carbon emissions by planting trees. The company planted 175,000 trees just in one year.
Just tell us in the comments on this post by 5 p.m. USCST on Sunday August 19 how you’re doing with your organizing. If you’re behind, that’s ok. How will you organize when you get the time and when do you plan to do it? If I draw your name and you win the toothbrush, you MUST send me your snail mail address ASAP. Come back Tuesday to see if you’ve won!
Oh, no! Something else I’m behind on. How do these drugs multiply so quickly in my bathroom?
Great tips for disposal of medications that are out of date. I didn’t know about crushing and mixing with a food item like coffee grounds.
One of the things that perplexes me with bathrooms is how often I have that “how did it all get here?” thought. It seems I purge and reorganized often, and I’m pretty vigilant about not bringing new stuff into the house, but not vigilant enough.
Did my med cabinet with you. I try to take meds either back to the pharmacy (they take OTC) or to toxic waste.
Good idea, Merr.
Thanks for the explanation on how to get rid of old medications. I became aware of this issue when the local hospice team flushed meds after my mom’s death. That was in 2006. They have, fortunately, abandoned this practice. What is great about running a B&B, one of the things, is that bathrooms stay clean and neat. There’s no other choice with guests using them.
That is a sure fire way to ensure it stays clean!
I’m organizing! Little by little. Recycling old papers that have been sitting in my filing cabinets un-looked-at for years has been one of my most successful summer organizing events…
That’s great, Jennifer, you’re ahead of us. We’re moving to office space next week!
Ok, organizing and cleaning is way better than what first popped into my head with the title of this piece — which was big wafts of smoke emanating from beneath the bathroom door (I’m having some sort of flashback to my hippie days). 🙂
Obviously you didn’t read the title of last week’s post when we were partying in the bedroom! 🙂
You got me started organizing. I’ve lost over 25lbs so the first thing I did was go through my closet and freecycle everything too big. I’ve also organized the pantry and freecycled all the high calorie food that was hiding in there like cake mixes….LOL Tomorrow I’ll do the linen closet, I have no idea what is on the lower 2 shelves and the floor so I probably don’t need it. The medicine cabinet and under the sink is something I look through all the time for some odd reason. I will wait to do the hall closet with the winter coats so that I can donate unused coats to the local homeless. I had recently organized all my craft stuff so that’s taken care of.
I was happy to read World Centric planted all those trees. I also enjoy reading everyone’s comment on what they are doing because that also gives me ideas.
Thanks for all you do Kerri to get us thinking about things.
Congratulations on losing all of that weight, Mary! I’m glad the organizing party is also helping get everything you don’t need into freecycle!
My bathroom is a pain. Tiny, no medicine cabinet and haven’t been able to FIND a medicine cabinet that will fit. I think eventually Mr Gorgeous will end up building me one.
My uncle built us a custom medicine cabinet for our other house, Melanie. It is something I still treasure, but it will not fit into the bathroom here. 🙁
Your ideas have me thinking of freeing up the closet from out of season stuff and being able to have plenty of room for the things I am using every day and week. Sounds so basic, buti never gave it much thought.
Tony, I do rotate our out of season clothes. We have good plastic containers that seal well and all of our clothes go into them. It’s actually fun to unpack everything again and remember what we have to wear for the upcoming season. 🙂
I think I’ve only cleaned my bathroom cabinets once in this house and that is shameful. They don’t however hold prescription meds. But you’re right I have no idea why what’s under the sink is there. And I don’t know when I’m going to be able to find out.
It probably wouldn’t take that long to go after the vanity, Heather. If it is a large vanity like we had in the city, maybe break it down into parts, 1/2 hour each. Good luck!
I can only blame myself in my small house. I have great trouble returning items to their proper place. My greatest issue is clothes. Dirty is no problem…in the basket. The lightly worn which are not dirty??? Chair backs, hooks, and door knobs tend to get full of clothes. I don’t want them in with the clean, as they have been worn, but there is no need to wash the lightly used items. Has anyone solved this…or am I alone on this one?
My husband has the very same problem with this, Tony! He has me to remind him not to get out anything else as he already has a shirt on the bed post or on the back of the kitchen chair. Would it help if you made such a rule – no more clean clothes come out until the “lightly worn” are dirty and ready for the hamper?
I am open to any thoughts on the subject. If, it is a “guy thing” then what do the gals do? I have 6 jobs, plus my volunteer work. Many times I just run in and jump out of one uniform/outfit into the next. Maybe I need a series of lockers or bins?
I think that’s a great idea! We don’t have a lot of closet space, but we have shelves built into the closets, as well as hooks on the closet wall and behind the bathroom door. Maybe if you start looking around, you could identify spots you could have these hooks or bins. You have a busy life, I don’t know how you keep up with it all!
I’ve got to work on the master bath. I did the kids’ bath a while ago. I can’t believe the stuff I find in the drawers and closets in there.
LOL, Brette, just don’t imagine what you’re NOT finding! 🙂
I made it through the bedroom. My best plan was to call Vietnam Vets for a pick up so I had to go through my clothes so I would have something to donate!
CVS pharmacy has mail in envelopes to send expired medicine in for disposal, but I think there is a charge.
On to the bathroom, why do I have old make up when I don’t even wear it any more and how many hair brushes to you really need? Oh my….. And the half used tubes of lotion, etc… Time to get tough. I’m getting better at it. Thanks for the inspiration. I’m going to clean out the bathroom in my travel trailer too. Amazing how much stuff just gets put places. I really think it all breeds at night!
I like the “breeding” theory, Carol, it takes the rap off of us! 😉 Good for you on the bedroom. That is a good action plan, to call a charity and schedule a time for a pick up so you have to be ready for them.I forgot I used to do that. Thanks for the reminder! Good luck with that make up (I have some stuff left from when I worked in the corporate world 14 years ago, WTH!)
Kerri – Thanks for the tip on the World Centric products. I’m browsing there now, and it looks like they have several things I can use!
You’re welcome, Sheryl!