Under the Sink

Things are about to get really personal and a little more embarrassing for me here. It's one thing to confess my cluttered counter tops. It's a whole other thing to well, um, let you see under the sink in my bathroom. My best friends don't even see that part of my house.

This is where I brush my teeth, wash my face, put on make up, look at my wrinkles and wish I'd listened to my momma when she told me not to let my face get sunburned. It's also where Aster watches me fix my hair and pretends she's fixing hers. And where we talk about taking a bubble bath one day in that big tub I never use. It's a happy place.


Until I open those doors...

But before I do, it'll make me feel better if I tell you that our family moved into our house two and a half years ago to make room for our little girl to come home. And life has been non-stop ever since! I threw everything under that sink the weekend we moved in our house and have never gone back to rearrange it. Have mercy. What all is in there? That would be the question I was asked when I decided to embarrass my self further by sending this photo to my very organized friend, Glynnis Whitwer, asking for help. I'm hoping her suggestions will also inspire and equip you to tackle one of your trouble spots. Here' s what she wrote back to me (for you) so we both can benefit:

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I have a feeling Renee could come up with great ideas on how to organize the space under her sink. But I'm glad she asked for my help because I had fun thinking about how I would do it. I can’t wait to see what she does. In the meantime, here are some steps I would take if it were my sink.

Step 1: Pull everything out, except the plastic drawers on the right. I would buy or borrow a label machine to label each drawer.

Step 2: Reduce the number of items stored here.

• Throw away any product that is old.
• Remove items belonging somewhere else, like a medicine cabinet (rubbing alcohol, vitamins). If there’s room there, of course.
• Set aside items she doesn’t use any more, and put in a bag to give away to friends or a woman's shelter.
  

When I remember that it's good stewardship to pass things on to someone else, it helps me release my hold on things that I just couldn’t part with before, for whatever reason. When I picture someone enjoying it instead of it sitting under my cabinet or in my closet, I am able to give it away with joy.

Step 3: Sort like items. It’s always best to store similar items together. It's easier to find things and you aren't as likely to buy something you don’t need.

Step 4: Consider additional storage needs.

Renee has room to go vertical. I have two recommendations. One would be to purchase some shelving and baskets to store her products like these. I found wire shelving on Amazon that was $8-$22.00. It's found with kitchen organization products.


Then pick baskets that fit on top and underneath. I like the baskets below because of varying heights, because Renee has some tall products. Some baskets might just sit in front or to the side of the shelving.


However, using a vintage wire basket is also attractive, and she can see what’s inside.

The other idea is an under-the-counter shelf with pull-out drawers like one of these or a combo of both if she has room:

Renee has travel items that she uses occasionally. JJ has room under his sink, so I'd put them in a box with a lid on it in there and then JJ can use the top of the box for more storage.

I’ve got one more idea for Renee. I love lotions and think the bottles are often beautiful. I store all my lotions above my bathtub. Here’s a photo:



My philosophy on most bathroom items (except lotions, obviously) is to only keep one extra item of everything I use. I make myself use up products even when I'm tired of them. This gives me enough storage space. When I find a great deal on something, I stock up but store those extra products in a linen closet.

I hope this inspires you to organize a space in your home!

Grace & peace,
Glynnis Whitwer

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Why am I letting you see my mess and spending a week on this topic? Because I love reading your comments, praying for you, understanding how you feel, and the special bond we're forming in the midst of our messes. Also, inviting you into an area that needs work in my life/home motivates me to do something about it.

Some of you have said your messes are worse. Others have probably been surprised I let things get so cluttered. This is an area, like some of yours, that I've neglected while running 100 mph taking care of other people and projects. It's behind closed doors where no one sees, except me.

So, why hasn't it mattered enough take time to make it better for me? Good question.

The Lord's been showing me I need to take time to do things that matter to me. Things that will help my spirit to breathe . Things that will bring order to my heart which brings peace to my mind and my home. So, I'm committing again this week to set aside an hour or 2 for my trouble spot and tackle it one section at a time. Will you join me?

Click on the word "comment" and let me know your thoughts and if you want to, an area you want to work on. Accountability is amazing. The power of prayer even better.Today's give-away is the gift of sisterhood and prayer. Everybody who comments wins!!

I'd love to pray for you by name, so please include your first name, too. And will you take a minute to pray for the person that leaves a comment before you. See ya back here later this week with "after" photos and lessons learned from my cabinet clean-out.

A big "thank you" to Glynnis for taking so much time to help me and for sending such great suggestions and photos we can all use! Be sure to visit Glynnis' blog www.HerOrganizedLife.com for more ideas.