Concierge In Action: Bathroom Organization
In the course of our busiest NYC concierge days, days spent in a whirlwind of to-do-list-crossin’ and deadline-beating-errand-running we find ourselves in the throes of strange and wonderful herculean tasks: Get a Uhaul-sized load of pool floaties out to the Hamptons before sunrise. Reunite our client with his favorite beanbag chair before his flight lands in Colorado. Re-install a 600 piece chandelier in its new home in the exact order it hung in back in its old digs. We love these sorts of “mission impossible” concierge service tasks. Spoiler alert: we always choose to accept the mission. Sometimes, though, our concierge clients call for humbler asks, more mundane wrangling, only under the timeline of regaining the sanity of a tidy space. Spoiler alert: we always accept those missions too. Perhaps not as glamorous as an inflatable flamingo delivery, yet no less crucial: bathroom organization.
Why is it, New York City, that while you require your citizens to always be as glamorous as possible at all times, you also render them with only enough optimized bathroom storage space for an extra roll of TP (if they’re lucky?). Alas, NYC. We will take your concierge challenge and answer this existential dilemma like true New York Fashionistas: 1) clean 2) purge 3) go shopping. Ha. Here’s how to do it the deVivre way.
1) Clean- remove everything from drawers, counters, bags, and boxes and give everything a good scrub + wipe down.
2) Purge- go through every last thing, check expiration dates, and really narrow it down to what you actually use… you may need to be a little ruthless! If you have stacks of samples or dregs of containers you can’t bear to part with just yet we recommend setting these aside in their own separate space (a ziploc labeled with a “use by date” is a sure-fire reminder to revisit the stuff again… you can hit snooze on it if you really need to but, honestly, if you haven’t used that travel-sized lotion after your next vacay it’s probably time to say adieu, even if it is La Mer). Keeping these odds and ends separate ensures that they stay top of mind—and not “bottom of old Sephora bag”, where they usually tend to collect.
3) Invest in storage containers- it can be as simple as old shoe boxes if you label them, but we do find that clear containers make storage more streamlined. Our favorite go-to? Lucite trays and boxes. They add a little bit of lovely glamour to any bathroom setup, and as a bonus, you can actually see what you have so you don’t waste money purchasing extras when you already have q-tips/backups of your fave red lipstick on hand. Plus, if you can see it you’ll be empowered to keep the deVivre-organization-sparkle going long after we’ve left your bathroom spotlessly clean and smelling of lavender and magic.
It’s as easy as that. The hard part? Finding the time to do it! If you’re feeling inspired to do a little de-clutter of your own, give us a call. We’re at the ready (WITH lucite boxes and thoroughly WITHOUT judgment as to the state of your toilette).
