The scary places under the bathroom sink!

Is the cabinet under your bathroom sink a dark scary place? Does stuff fall out every time you open the door? Do you have no idea what is under there? Has stuff been lost in there?

Here are some tips to make that cabinet usable again. It is a great storage space if used properly.

1. Take everything out.
2. Clean the cabinet (and the items you pull out). No one wants to pull out a roll of toilet paper that has dust bunnies or dirt on it! Yuck!
3. If the bottom of the cabinet is nasty (i.e. spilled shampoo that won't come up, warped plywood from a leak 10 years ago), put down a nice liner. If you use a light colored liner, it keeps the space in there from looking so dark and scary. Liners are also easier to wipe clean than the particle board that is typically in there.
4. Throw away any items that are past their prime or will never be used. There is no point in holding on to a half-empty (or half-full, however you look at things) bottle of lotion that you don't like and that you will not use. Let it go.
5. Group the rest of the items into categories that work for you (i.e. hair products, lotions, first aid products, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc.) Remember that the items in this cabinet should only be things to be used in the bathroom.
6. Try to contain the categories in baskets or bins. I really like the "itso" bins from Target. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. They also have straight sides and bottoms. Baskets look nice, but a lot of times, things like shampoo bottles, will tip over because the bottoms are not flat. I also prefer the plastic bins for this space since there is always the potential for water to get in there, and baskets would definitely get damaged by this. (Save the baskets for dry areas!)
7. In the containers, put the most used items in the front, where you can reach them easily.
8. If space is limited, get some wire shelves that fit in there. This will almost double your space!

Now that things are grouped together and contained, you will know where they are, and know how much you have. This should keep you from duplicating items, or running out of items when you need them!

Don't be afraid of the cabinet under the sink! Use it to its full potential!