Day 10 Clutter Challenge - Master Bath

Picking Paint Colors

Martha Stewart Idea

Martha Stewart Idea ~ Shelf Separators

   Like I said before, I am not a decorator. I have a yellowish-green in my kitchen (that was supposed to be a beautiful olive green) that I told my husband go ahead and paint it that color since I already bought it. I walked around the store with the curtains I bought for my kitchen and matched them to the color, that matched in the bright lights of the store. I purchased the paint then, not bringing home the color samples to tape on my wall. We started painting and immediately I asked myself, "What happened to the beautiful olive green I bought? Did they mix the wrong color?" No, it just looks different in the store than in my kitchen. See my taped color samples, lesson learned. I still have a problem committing to color and caution to the lighter colors.
   This bathroom and our half-bath are rooms I have already decided I am going to paint. There are upgrades we want to do in the bath, but not during this project.
   I have spent some time this day looking for organizational tools that could help me. I visited marthastewart.com and love her trio towel bar for the back of the door. I saw wicker baskets hanging on the wall with rolled towels placed neatly in them. I am going to have my husband help me this weekend make the, under the counter organizer, because I am power tool challenged. I am pretty happy with the progress so far.

Master Closet 5s System COMPLETE

Before ~ Master Closet

  Wow! I can't even believe the difference a week can make. This is the before and after of my Master Closet. It feels like we have so much more room. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.
  You may be wondering what happened to all of the stuff in the closet. I filled my totes plus a few bags. The books have been moved into my laundry room. I am going to convert a cubical storage unit we already have from being our sock box to place to hold school supplies and books. I also had a box of framed family photos that I am trying to figure out where to hang them.
  We couldn't decide on the bookcase on the back wall. We want to paint the wood trim the same espresso color of the storage unit, but that will have to wait. I am on to my next area of attack. 

Here is the 5s System at Work:

1st S  ~ Sort : I pulled everything out of the closet that I could. All clothes, games, books, there were just a few pieces of furniture I couldn't move on my own.

2nd S ~ Straighten or Visualize : I needed more storage in the closet. All I had was a long bar for clothes and a long shelf over that. I wanted to add cube storage. I decided, at this time, what I wanted to put back in the closet and what didn't belong.

3rd S ~ Shine : I dusted from top to bottom, wiped the baseboards and vacuumed.

4th S ~ Systemize : I labeled my new cube storage bins so we would be able to find what we need quickly and know where the items go back to.

5th S ~ Sustain : I have a picture in my 5s Housekeeping Binder to remind me how the Master Closet should look and created a regular cleaning schedule.

After ~ Master Closet

Storage Cubical System we put together and labeled. I didn't realize the collapsible boxes I got were smaller, but they were 3 for $3.50 and I made it work.

I took out 3 bins of clothes, purses, shoes and items to donate or sell. One bag of my husbands clothes and 2 bags of trash or broken, unneeded items.

Let's see your completed projects!

Day 9 ~ Clutter Challenge Master Bath "Sort-1st S"

Left Side of Sink Sorted...Drawers Sorted

Right Side of Sink Sorted

   Our Master Bath is small. It didn't take too long. I did manage to throw out a half bag of garbage. Half empty bottles of lotion and shampoo, expired products, old razors, old makeup, etc.
   Once I pulled everything out of the bathroom, I could "Straighten~2nd S" or visualize how I wanted my bathroom to look. I needed to answer the age old questions, "Where should I put my wet towels? and "Where do I hang my hair dryer?" I found an organizational idea on Pinterest (I'll give credit for the idea if I can find it again) for my hair dryer and curling iron using PVC pipe. I also found an idea here. for making my own under counter, basket system for the bathroom. I don't do a lot of DIY projects, but I know we have some scrap wood I could glue together. 
  I started my 3rd S "Shine". I cleaned the cobwebs off the ceiling and cleaned the window and blinds. Inspecting the top of the shower wall, I saw a little mildew I need to kill with some bleach. My goal tomorrow is to pick a paint color, because this is a room that needs some painting and finish "Shining" to the floor.

100 Day Clutter Challenge Budget

    I mentally went through every room thinking of what I have wanted to do for a long time, saw something that needed to be done or a problem area that I could quickly fix with an item I have (like an empty tote or basket) or will need to purchase. I plan on spending some of our tax return and just getting my house in order. This is a huge undertaking. You may want to set your own pace. The 5s System works in any room and any house. I am just ready to get my house in order and blogging about it is keeping me accountable. My husband is on board and is happy I have started this project. He is doing what he can to help.  In the long run, it's going to save us money, time and if we train our children to follow the 5s routine, save us words and headache.
   My budget is $1,000. Hopefully, I will come way under budget. I am going to use what I have on hand first. Second, I will go to thrift stores or yard sales to find organizing items. Lastly, I will purchase items I need from a retail store.

Here is the link to the budget spreadsheet. 

Blank 100 Day Clutter Challenge Budget

Day 8 ~ Clutter Challenge ~ Master Bath

Before: Sink Area

Before: Under Right Cabinet

Before: Under Left Cabinet

Before: Other Side of Bathroom (yes, my preschooler was trying to display his art work under the towel bar)

Before: Bathroom Drawers

Our Master Bath is not large, but I have just put stuff here and there. I don't have a linen closet, but like to have what we need for the bathroom, accessible. What's the first S of the 5s System "Sort".

• Monday~I am going to get everything out of the cabinets and drawers "first S - Sort"

• Tuesday~ I am going to figure out what needs to stay and what needs to go. "second S - Straighten". Everything in my bathroom needs a permanent home. Where will that home be? Do I need anything in baskets? Where will my hair dryer and curling iron go? Should my hair dryer keep hanging on the towel bar? Where do we hang our wet towels? Do I need to build anything to help organize (I found a lot of cute ideas on Pinterest). Begin the "third S- Shine". I like to start "Shining" from the top to the bottom. I will begin getting the cobwebs out of the corners and work down to the window sill.

• Wednesday~Continue Shining. Countertops, toilet, sinks, tub and then floor will be deep cleaned. I will be giving hints and tips to get rid of the soap scum, get streak-free mirrors and other problem areas I come across. I will begin painting my bathroom after the area is clean. Part of shining, is doing the things you have been meaning to do, but never made time for. No better time than the present.  

•  Thursday~By Thursday, I should be able to put everything back in it's new place and label its home, so everyone knows where everything goes. The "fourth S ~ Standardize" should be finished today.

•  Friday~Today, "fifth S - Sustain". My husband and I will agree where everything will go and agree to put everything back where we got it from. 

I am still working on my closet at the same time. I am almost finished. I have one more tote of things I am deciding on. Does this item go back in my closet or not? Finished pictures coming soon.

Day 7 ~ Day of Rest

   I have accomplished alot this week. I was able to stick to the schedule, for the most part, and get a few steps closer to an organized life.
   My husband was able to finish one side of the closet and will move onto the other side when his schedule allows.
   This week, I will start working on the Master Bathroom. My room has piles and totes that need to go into the closet, so I will get to that later. I am going to start with the first S ~ Sort, on my bathroom, Monday.
    If your bathroom or closet are already the way you like, make an inventory of your items and label where you would like everything put back if someone "borrows" them. You can also branch off on your own to your cluttered areas and apply the 5s System. It repeats through your whole house.
   I have some great ideas for the bathroom. Storage ideas, tips on cleaning and organizing your Master Bathroom. Set a time to work at least 15-20 minutes on "Sorting" your bathroom. You can do anything, for 15 minutes.

Day 6 ~ Clutter Challenge

   Last night, we were still "visualizing our closet". What it came down to was, what do we want to go back into our closet. We want our clothes, our shoes, bags, etc. Items I don't want to come back to the closet are sheets and blankets for our bed, books or movies, board games, pictures or wrapping paper and probably a few other items I can't think of at the time.
  Well, we had a plan for our closet and went shopping this morning. We went to our local hardware stores for our options. There were very nice, wooden units with shelves, poles and drawers that were a little more than we wanted to spend ($800). The next choice was piecing our closet together a la carte. Every shelf, track, pole and drawer built out just the way we want it ($500). Again, too much for our wallet. Our third choice was a metal closet unit ($159), we would need 2, but it was closer to our price range. It was very sturdy and held a lot of weight, but I wasn't real happy with metal look. I prefer a wooden look in my closet, even though it's just my husband and I that see it. Our last choice was to use what we have and just add more storage using cubical organizers. That is what we decided on. We are going to stack cubical organizers (espresso wood) on both sides of the closet and add the hanging poles, we already have, to the organizer. It cost about $200, which was in our budget. It should meet the needs of our closet, but we can tweak it if we have to.