Last night I got home from work so tired that I thought I could do nothing.

But after eating I had enough energy to deal with my very small medicine cabinet over the bathroom sink. It was easy enough: there wasn't much in it because there isn't space for much. I decided I don't need four combs, found Aspirin with an expiry date of 2012, and reorganized the band-aids.

Then I thought I'd just have a look at the cabinet under the sink....

Next thing I knew I was surrounded by stuff, all around me in the cramped little bathroom. I couldn't believe how much I had crammed in there.  Multiple canisters of Pledge, more hand lotion than I knew I had, large containers of shampoo, floor cleaning products, boot cleaning products, tea tree oil - a tiny bottle in a big box - and a manicure set.

I got rid of the extras and the unnecessary.  In the end, I made room for the big container of laundry soap I got at Costco.

I got a second wind.

Seems I have a huge excess of liquid hand soap. Most liquid hand soap is sold with a scent; I wanted the scent-free, so I got two bottles of pure soap from a health food store.  Then I found a good deal on huge (and I mean huge) containers of the same at Costco.

Found room for all that, too.

My cabinet door fell off its hinges.  I'm hoping the landlord will fix that today.

Of course, when I'd cleaned up all the debris, trashed the trash, and looked at the bathroom... It needed the floor to be cleaned and the bathmats to be laundered.  I washed both: one to go clean to the thrift store, one to keep.  I don't need two bath mats.

I begin to think 'decluttering' is a code word for 'endless housekeeping' but I know that's not quite true.  There will be an end to the tunnel.  The less I have, the easier it is to clean.

And you know... the bathroom doesn't look half bad.  I can't do anything about the ugly orange floral tile the place came with.  Despite that... the place doesn't look half bad.

And I still have my photos of James Bond and Q on the walls.

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