Jump Start January: Week 2: Day 3

Today, our single activity for Jump Start January is to declutter the bathroom cabinet, or bathroom shelves if you don’t have a cabinet.

The aim is to get this often-cluttered spot so it’s nice and hygenic, and so it’s easy to find things in a hurry. That’s ideal if you’re looking for, say, a first aid kit, or you’re trying to get out of the house on time in the morning. Do this declutter in a quick blitz and power through it, setting a timer to prevent yourself from getting sidetracked.

Here’s the declutter:

• Get everything out of the cabinet, and take everything off the top too.

• Give the cabinet a good scrub, and clean mirrors with glass cleaner or white vinegar and newspaper. Allow to dry.

• Go through medicines and first aid items, checking the use-by dates – BIN IT safely if it’s out of date or non-useful, away from children and pets. Put things on a shopping list if they truly need to be replaced.

• Go through toiletries. Bin everything that’s been opened and then not used for over two years. Get rid of things that you don’t really use/like – bin them or put into a box for charity donation or selling (perfumes and aftershaves often sell well on eBay).

• Check your toothbrush: is it time for a new one? If so, add it to the shopping list.

• Add in extra storage to group things together, so you can get to important items quickly. For example, get a box for first aid kit, a plastic tumbler for your toothbrush, and so on.

• Wipe bottles, tubes and jars if needed, and put the essentials back into the cabinet.

• Buy the items on your shopping list before the end of the week. Make any charity donations or sales listings before the end of the week too.

I did a declutter on my bathroom cabinet last year, but I’m going to do the same thing again this year because medicines regularly go out of date. I added a few plastic pots (saved from cotton bud packaging) to group things together last time, and the system is still working, so storage is helpful!

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