The real Cost of Bathroom Chaos

By Carolyn Verhoef from Organising Outside the Box

There are new and startling facts about what the real cost of bathroom chaos is to your health, our planet and your bank balance.

Why is there chaos in the bathroom anyway?

Well, I’ve been thinking about that a lot. So, I’ve done some digging into what the real costs of not staying organised in the bathroom could be.

For most households stock piling of personal care and beauty products in the bathroom is just the norm. Products we use in the bathroom are expensive! It stands to reason then when they’re discounted, we can get carried away, buying much more than we need.

But this could be costing you much more than you realise!!!

I was amazed to find these facts which really puts the bathroom cupboard into perspective. Firstly, as a large proportion of our weekly grocery bill and secondly are we really using this much in the bathroom or are we seeing most of it go down the drain – literally?

Australians spend around $13.4 billion per year on Personal Care an average of $29 per week, making it the second highest cost in the Australian household. What I found alarming is that when you compare these figures with other regular spending the bathroom organising just doesn’t seem to be given the attention this big price tag deserve. (from ASIC Money Smart Australian Spending Habits)

Organise your vanity with Acrylic Organisers and Like-it Bricks

4 mistakes that increase the real cost of bathroom chaos

Not sure what is in the bathroom cupboard leading to an impulse buy just in case we run out!
Stock piling when things are on sale, a false sense of saving!
Don’t know how to store the products so they last longer, bathrooms are a hot and moist environment havens for bacteria and germs.
All the above leading to products expiring or going off before being used.

I don’t know about you, but I have a new appreciation for what I buy for my bathroom, and it has definitely been raised as an important investment worth spending some time on to get better organised.

Take Control of the Bathroom Chaos!

Before you start organising your bathroom cupboards look at your past buying habits. How do you do that? Well, it’s easy, take a look in your cupboard and see what products are out of date or simply things you just don’t like to use.

**Remember, be kind to yourself, there’s no judgement here and you don’t need to feel guilty about the items that have gone to waste.

You may have discovered that buying that moisturiser in bulk just went to waste or the make up you kept for back up stock got buried up the back of the drawer and has dried out.

Personal care & cosmetic products do expire and go off in the hot and moist environment of the bathroom, so it’s important not to over buy wasting your money and the planets resources.

Time to declutter these and make a new buying habit that cuts the cost of bathroom chaos.

Unseen Health Costs of Bathroom Chaos

An unseen cost to being disorganised is the cost of being sick. These unseen health costs of bathroom chaos could be the cause of missing out on things you want to do due to illness and not forgetting the cost of treatments to get back to full health.

Tips for keeping those germs in check in the bathroom

Organise the families towels for best health

Colour code or label towels for each family member. When wiping your face in a towel you could be leaving a lot more than water on the towel, this is a very easy way for colds & flus to transfer to others in the household.
Towels need to be washed at above 60 degrees Celsius to kill bacteria, viruses and dust mites. Consider using vinegar and/or Water-Soluble Eucalyptus oil or Tea Tree oil to kill bacteria in your wash. I use a tablespoon in the fabric conditioner slot of my machine in each wash.
Storing and hanging towels after use is another way to spread germs and moulds. Keep towels hanging separately on a rail and not hooks to keep moulds away and germs transferring to other towels.

SEE ALL TOWEL STORAGE

Toothbrush storage is important for staying healthy too

Store in an airy quick drying place, the bathroom cabinet may not be suitable if not enough air circulates.
Don’t store on the sink where washing of hands can contaminate your brush and especially if your toilet is in the same location.
Store family toothbrushes separately especially when sick, germs will transfer just by toothbrushes touching. Even using the same tube of toothpaste can transfer germs.
Put your toothbrush in the dishwasher occasionally to kill germs or wash in antibacterial mouth wash regularly.
I would recommend the Joseph Stainless Steel EasyStore Toothbrush Holder from Howards . Avoid plastic as it can harbour germs.

Yamazaki Ceramic Toothbrush Stand

Joseph Joseph Stainless Steel EasyStore Toothbrush Holder

Tooletries The George Toothbrush holder

SEE ALL TOOTHBRUSH HOLDERS

Organise make up for health and save hundreds of dollars

Make up kept organised away from moist, warm areas will limit bacteria and moulds that can form. This can lead to some unpleasant skin reactions. Recommended storage temp for makeup storage is 8-12 degrees Celsius.
If you’ve been sick you can kill some bacteria in your lipsticks by leaving them in the freezer overnight. Check with your brand manufacturer first to ensure you don’t ruin your favourite lipstick
Eye creams, liquid eyeliners and mascaras are highest risk to spoil only use for 3mths to avoid contamination. After sampling eye make up for contamination scientist found that 67% contained potentially harmful levels of micro-organisms strains all common in bacterial skin infections! Scary!!
Howards stackable clear organisers are a favourite of mine for organising make up and easily makes it portable while the bathroom is steamy or simply keep looking beautiful on your dresser.
A recent study by Journal of Cosmetic Science found that 70% of women used expired cosmetic products – mostly eye makeup. Be aware all cosmetics and personal care products have a use by date. Skin care is also at risk from high temperatures to spoil and grow moulds in the bathroom. Be most careful of storing natural products away from moisture, heat and light to avoid nasty moulds that will cause skin irritations.

Linus Modular Drawer Organisers

Like-it Bricks Stackable Organisers

SEE ALL VANITY & DRAWER STORAGE

So, it really does show us we can have many more reasons to organise our bathroom items than just to save us money and time.

I hope this helps you get that bathroom chaos sorted and improves the health of your whole family.

Carolyn Verhoef ACC, COC, is an Expert Accredited Professional Organiser and owner of Outside the Box Organisation Solutions

My approach to your home and life is with a holistic view, after all you want a “Whole Life” not only parts that work, right?

Personality, lifestyle, learning style, neurological diversity, innate strengths, family dynamics and other influences all play a part in how you do all that you do. Which is why you need a unique approach.

I take the whole of life into the picture to declutter, set up organising systems and the ongoing management of your space and time. As a result, together we’ll create a life that fits.

We’ve been bring solutions to people across the globe via virtual organising coaching for many years and in person in Perth Western Australia. Also Australia’s only combined Certified Organising Coach and Expert Accredited Professional Organiser.

Carolyn is als o an accredited Expert member of the Institute of Professional Organisers (IOPO)- An Expert Accreditation means I’ve served 2000hrs with clients and attended over 170hrs of Professional Development.

www.outsidetheboxsolutions.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/OrganisingOutsideTheBox @OrganisingOutsideTheBox

https://www.instagram.com/outside_the_box_solutions/ @outside_the_box_solutions