{"id":3123,"date":"2014-03-30T07:49:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-30T11:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.susanvogt.net\/blog\/?p=3123"},"modified":"2014-07-17T16:38:49","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T20:38:49","slug":"a-drawer-a-day-wk-4-bathroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.susanvogt.net\/blog\/a-drawer-a-day-wk-4-bathroom\/","title":{"rendered":"A Drawer A Day: Wk 4-Bathroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

I knew this was going to be a tough week because it involved our upstairs bathroom \u2013 especially the closet shelf that held medical supplies. Once a visitor opened the door and said, \u201cHey, you\u2019ve got a whole pharmacy here!\u201d Now technically this closet isn\u2019t a drawer but it held many things that I knew needed to be cleaned out so I decided to redefine the four shelves as \u201cdrawer imposters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Days<\/a>

Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

First, let\u2019s start with the easy part. I finished up our 4th<\/sup> bedroom which is for guests but still holds some family members\u2019 stored stuff. I picked out some things to give away\u00a0that I thought were no brainers. Several were vetoed by family members who shall remain anonymous since it would be embarrassing to out them as still wanting to keep Dashboard Confession<\/i> t-shirts that no longer fit and various other frayed t-shirts. I reorganized some stuff and threw away miscellaneous old papers. I consigned the t-shirts to the \u201cWait\u201d pile which means wait till I can persuade the hoarders to release the t-shirts.<\/p>\n

Now the challenge \u2013 the bathroom<\/strong>. Several shelves were relatively easy. Does anyone polish shoes anymore \u2013 other than in airports? I found some red and blue shoe polish. Neither Jim nor I own any red or blue shoes. I reviewed all of my sheets, blankets, and towels. Even though last year I gave away quite a few, and \u00a0even accounting for an extra sheet set for each bed, I still had an embarrassing amount to give away. I\u2019m pleased to give the twin size sheets to our local Catholic Worker House.<\/p>\n

\"Days<\/a>Pause for Vogt mattress rant:<\/i><\/strong> Part of my reluctance to give more sheets away earlier was my annoyance at the mattress\/sheet industrial complex who I am convinced changed the height of mattresses just to sell more mattresses and sheets to fit them. (That\u2019s why I saved more fitted sheets than I need lest I no longer be able to buy ones to fit our mattresses. Mattress manufacturers<\/a> used to recommend buying a new mattress every 8-10 years. Now they are saying every 5-7 years. Jim and I have had our current mattress for 42 years \u2013 since our wedding. Before you gasp in horror, I must say that I have no trouble sleeping, the mattress feels comfortable, and it was a good quality mattress to start with. I\u2019m sure some people would benefit from replacing their mattress more frequently than this but, barring bed bugs, I take this 5-7 year advice with a big grain of salt. End of tirade.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The “Health Shelf”
Before<\/p><\/div>\n

Then I got to the \u201cHealth Shelf<\/strong>.\u201d I knew this would be a challenge since I was going to have to check prescription expiration dates on medications that were so old that I could barely read them. How much baby powder does one need if you no longer have any babies? (even after invoking the visiting grandchild clause). Yup, somebody may get lice again, but would a 20 year old dab of the remaining Nix<\/em> do the trick? We had lots of old laxatives and anti-acids in many forms, some of them discolored when I opened the containers \u2013 and I\u2019ve never had a problem with constipation or gas. Finally, I still had lots of shampoo, conditioners, lotions, etc. that I bring home from hotels. At least I know I can give them to our local Mary Magdalene House that offers showers and toiletries to the homeless.<\/p>\n

Interesting find:<\/strong> I found a small acupuncture kit that a visiting Korean left with us probably a decade or so ago. She showed us how to use it and it still has most of the supplies in it. Unfortunately, the directions are all in Korean, my memory of Korean script has deteriorated, and I don\u2019t have a current use for it \u2013 even if I could find a Korean translator. I hate to throw it away, but I suppose there\u2019s no reason to keep it. It doesn\u2019t seem quite right to take a partially used kit to our local Korean restaurant or Korean Christian congregation.<\/p>\n

WEEK 4 RESULTS:
\n10 Drawers reviewed 3 of which were empty.
\n1 Drawer had t-shirts that have to be put in the WAIT pile
\n6 Drawers and shelves had things to Give Away or Throw Away<\/p>\n

\u00a0Give-Aways<\/span><\/p>\n