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Not only should your bathroom be a clean place, it should be an organized place.  You typically spend over an hour each day in your bathroom, so make it a pleasant experience!

On average, we spend about four hours each week in our bathrooms, taking care of hygiene and grooming chores, and sometimes just spending some quiet time alone.

If you can no longer find the things you need in your bathroom, or if it's become messy enough to cause you frustration or stress, it's time to get this very important space organized. Use these steps to make the job quick and easy:

CLEAN UP

1. Start by sorting and purging. Taking one cabinet, one drawer, and one shelf at a time, discard products you no longer use, toss those almost-empty containers, and dispose of medications whose expiration dates have passed.

2. Also get rid of worn-out towels and other linens, appliances that don't work or that you haven't used for at least a year, and items that are so dirty that you don't want to bother to clean them up.

3. As you find still-useful items that you just don't want or need, put them in a bag or box to donate: clean linens, small appliances that work, unopened soaps or other products. If you're planning to redecorate after you reorganize, this is a great time to get rid of items that will not match your new color scheme or design.

4. Put aside the items you have decided to keep to be organized. Now, give the bathroom a thorough cleaning and disinfection.

GET ORGANIZED

1. Sort through the items you've set aside, putting like things together: soap and other bathing products, shampoo and other hair products, first aid items, medicines, towels, paper products, sanitary items, cleaning products, etc. Organize each category of items together on its own shelf or in its own drawer, preferably close to the space where you use the items (dental items near the sink, for example).

2. Minimize countertop clutter by storing as much as you can in drawers or on shelves. Use attractive containers to organize and display those items you decide must live on bathroom counters: toothbrushes, current toothpaste tube or pump, box of tissues, cup or cup dispenser, soap pump or dish, etc.

3. If your bathroom doesn't have enough built-in storage, find space saving organizers to help keep your space clutter-free: over-the-toilet shelving, hooks for corded items like hair dryers, over-the-showerhead carryalls for soaps and shampoos, over-door racks for towels or robes, clear plastic bins for under-counter storage.

Make it a habit to spend a few minutes to tidy your bathroom each day so that it never becomes cluttered again.

Often the smallest spaces in the house, bathrooms can be the sourceof the most safety hazards: drowning, falling, poisoning, burns, andelectrical shock.  For Bathroom Safety Month, take a look around eachof your bathrooms, and make a list of changes you might need to make toprotect yourself and your family.  Organize your bathrooms to focus onprevention:

Drowning

• Supervise young children at all times when using the sink or tub.
• Keep children no farther than arm's length when washing or bathing.
• Prevent children's head bumps in the tub by covering the water spout with a soft cover.

Falling

• You don't have to be an older adult to take advantage of grabbars.  Install one each by the bathtub, shower, and toilet to help allfamily members stay balanced on slippery surfaces.
• Add non-skid strips or mat in the bathtub and shower.
• Each bath rug should have a non-skid back or non-skid pad to prevent slipping.
• Keep floors clean and dry by cleaning up frequently.
• Use nightlights in the hallway leading to the bathroom as well as in the room itself.

Poisoning

• Examine all products that you keep in your bathroom todetermine which are poisons for children or adults.  This includes make-up, hair products, soaps, and bath products. 
  
• On cleaningproducts, note warnings on the labels like "Caution," "Warning,""Danger," and "Keep out of reach of children."
  
• Keep products in their original containers so that you are aware oftheir true contents and can find and read warning labels easily.
• Protect your children from poisonous products by keeping them in a locked cabinet out of reach.
• If you have children, or if children visit you frequently, use child safety caps on all medicines.

Burns/Fires

• Set your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scalding.
• If there are smokers in your home, provide them with large, deep ashtrays.
  
• Put water on cigarette butts before throwing them away to assure that remaining hot embers do not start a fire.
• If you burn candles in the bathroom, extinguish them before leaving the room.
• Keep burning cigarettes and candles away from any cloth blinds or curtains in the room.Electical shock

Electrical shock

• Keep all electrical appliances - hair dryers, shavers, curling irons - away from water.Unplug all electrical applicances when you're not using them.
• Protect children from electric shock by using outlet covers.
• If your bathroom doesn't already have a Ground Fault CircuitInterrupter, have one installed.  It protects you from shock when watercomes in contact with electricity.

By systematically looking for and correcting potential hazardsin your bathroom, you can prevent accidents - and potential tragedies - before they happen. 

For more information about bathroom safety hazardsand how to prevent them, link to the Home Safety Council.  Share your bathroom safety tips here.