I am proud to say that because of many years of doing FLYlady’s Swish & Swipe, our bathroom is (almost) always clean. We didnt have to clean or declutter or any of that stuff so our focus this week was more about how to embrace Simplicity, Frugality, Frivolity, and an Eco-Mentality in the bathroom. So here are Sofia’s Ideas on Bathroom Simplicity…
© Gabriel Blaj
1. Simplicity by color: We try to color-code everything around here. With so many of us, its just easier, and its fun! I tried to do the 1 towel per person thing, and that’s just not working. So, in addition to the set of luxurious white towels we already have, we are going to get bright colored towels, 1 for each of us, in our own color. Everything else in our bathroom is already color-coded – toothbrushes, body scrubbers, etc. It makes life easier, and more colorful. 
2. Frugality by spending: My attempt to embrace the frugal philosophy of stockpiling resulted in more products than I know what to do with. I’ve stopped buying toiletries all together. Turns out that my frugality came with side effects (more on that later, I’m sure) so now I am going back to the basics and sticking with multi-purpose, safe, healthy, green products. Dr. Bronner’s (sidebar) was a staple at our house for-like-ever! But foolishly, I thought we needed to do without, in order to save money. Now I realize that some things that seem “cheaper” can actually cost you more in the long run. And not even in terms of money, but in terms of your well-being. So I may be spending more per product, but I’ll be buying way less of them. Does that make sense?
© Rebecca Picard
3. Frivolity by caution: I’m a girl. And while I’m not a glitz & glamor & high-maintenance kinda gal, I do enjoy my bottles of potions! I don’t wear make-up everyday or have an extensive beauty regimen, but I go through phases where I take the time to pamper myself. Right now, I’m sooo not in one of those phases. So as I’m looking at the large amount of make-up I currently own but do not use (that I know I have to throw out because they have really harmful ingredients in them), I’m reminded that when it (especially) comes to the frivolous things, it is wise to use caution. If I can’t afford to buy the good stuff, I’ll have to make my own or just do without. And how much of the girly stuff do we actually use anyway, right? And to tell you the truth, I really do prefer making the fresh potions I mentioned here.
4. Eco-Mentality by routine: We’re already really good at the stuff you always hear about – turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, turn off the lights when you leave the room, take shorter showers, only wash your hair every few days, etc. Those things are habitual. We also have half of us set to bathe in the evenings, and the other half set to bathe as part of our morning routines. Aaahhh, sweet simplicity. Now we are furthering our commitment by making it routine to recycle our bathroom items. I don’t know about you, but for us, its easier to recycle in the kitchen, because that’s where the bins are. In the bathroom, its been easier to just toss things in the garbage. So now, we have a basket in each bathroom to corral the recyclables. Soon enough, that will become second nature to us too!
