Tuesday, October 9, 2012

37 Quick Tip: Get a Grip on your Toothbrush

About two years ago we added a tall cabinet to our itty bitty bathroom, since we had limited counter space and a linen closet far far away.  Then, we added a door a year later, to conceal all the contents and use it as the perfect place to keep the kid's toothbrushes away from all the germs that swirl around a bathroom each day...

The toothbrushes have been haphazardly stored in a cup with their toothpaste behind the cabinet door.  Little did I know that was still bad.  The toothbrushes should be stored in a divided holder or away from one another, since the germs like to go from toothbrush head to toothbrush head.  Ew.  A perfect way for all of the boys to get sick, when only one comes home with a cold.

A while back I featured one of my favorite bathroom shots from BHG, and it was a great way to store toothbrushes for those with limited counter or cabinet space.


Many of you were equally in love and excited about the picture, but we all seemed to have a hard time finding out just what those fantastic toiletry clips were.  I then promised you that if I ever figured out where to snag those wonderful holders, I would let you know as I was interested in finding them as well!

Today I am excited to report, that I found them on Amazon, and they are actually intended for holding pens and pencils, so they might also be available at office supply stores or even big box stores!


We put the toothbrushes at a level that all the boys can easily reach, so no more mixing up toothbrushes!  Wahoo!


We also use toothbrushes that are numbered {since everything for the boys is labeled by number}, which also helps reduce any opportunity of mix-ups.  And tea light holders make great holders for floss and other smaller bathroom items.

Oh happy day!  Sometimes, it's all about the quick little things!

37 comments:

  1. Love it when you can repurpose stuff for a job around the house! Office supplies have so many uses!

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  2. That is actually really clever! Especially using numbers to label them. We always have to make sure the toothbrushes are different colours to not get mixed up!!!
    xx

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  3. Great tips! I was wondering where you got the jar that the little ladybug brush is in.

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  4. thanks for sharing. this is a great tip and i will be getting me some of those;)!!

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  5. Good idea! If they are designed to hold pens, I've seen them at Walmart.

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  7. I love this idea. I'd been thinking about this just a few weeks ago and I never got around to shopping for them myself. So this is perfect! Thank you.

    I have to ask though, does anyone know if storing your toothbrushes in the cabinet is safe? Does it promote mold/mildew growth?

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  8. What a fantastic idea!

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  9. Where did you find those toothbrushes?!? Love them!

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  10. Super cute! I love this idea! Thank you for posting, and your bathroom storage looks so very chic!

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  11. That is brilliant. I have one of those sitting on my desk right now just waiting for a job to do!!! I love this! Thanks for sharing this.

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  12. Great product! I was wondering how your boys knew which toothbrush was theirs, then I realised you had them numbered - cute.

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  13. Excellent! Pen holders! Who would have guessed???? Great!

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  14. Your toothbrush holders are called "cord drops" at bluelounge.com They have more colors and are $9.95 for six. http://www.bluelounge.com/products/cabledrop/

    CT Granny

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    Replies
    1. the cord drops are different then what she has. they are for cables and the opening is too skinny for a toothbrush..

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  15. I think it's better to store them in a drawer or cabinet rather than out in the open. When the toilet is flushed there is a 6' radius for the spray from the flush. I learned that somewhere this year - can't remember the source but mine went into a drawer post haste!

    Barbara H.

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    1. I learned this in microbiology lab a very, very long time ago. My toothbrushes have been behind a closed cabinet ever since!

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  16. I'm chuckling now -- we have the same colorful flossers in our cabinet. Ours are in a shot glass :) I remember thinking, "if only I had a tiny little glass..." and then having a lightbulb go off. Our days of using shot glasses for anything else are long gone!

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  17. I have a pile of these already ... unfortunately, I can't figure out a place to put them where the kids could reach them AND they're behind a door to protect them from the flying flush phenomenon ... so I haven't attached them anywhere. *mope*

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  18. That's a great idea! I typically keep mine in conventional tooth brush holders, but they definitely take up some space on the vanity.

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  19. We have four kiddos, and inevitably we have toothbrushes that are the same color. So, I use those little itty bitty elastic ponytail tail holders that my daughter has. I slide a different color on each toothbrush. Each kid has a different color towel, and I have used those colors for each kid on various things (toothbrush identifiers, totes for odds/ends that need to go to their room.)

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  20. oh my gosh. this solves my toothbrush dilemma! we have such a small bathroom and i was dreading getting a toothbrush holder. thank you for sharing!!

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  21. Oh, I am so buying a set of these! Thank you! They are also available on the Duck Brand website: http://duckbrand.alice.com/products/?tag_id=945

    And, for toothbrush labeling, might I suggest ToothBands: http://www.onsgear.com/?id=27&item=76

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  22. wish i could find them in white like the BHG picture! My bathroom is white... all white! Love the idea :-) You're containers are adorable. Hadn't thought about doing that... going to have to keep my eyes open for the perfect pieces

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    1. I browsed around Amazon using Jen's link and found these in white! I also have a white bathroom! :-) Enjoy!!

      http://www.amazon.com/Lounge-CD-WH-CableDrop-Management-16-Inch/dp/B004K2YBQI/ref=pd_cp_e_3

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    2. These are the white toothbrush holders I use (also from Amazon): http://www.amazon.com/Hang-Away-Universal-Toothbrush-Holder/dp/B003YIEE52/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1348445134&sr=1-1

      Here's a link showing what they look like in my bathroom: http://www.prettyorganized.com/?p=61

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  23. You can also try www.stickonpods.com. They have clear holders meant for the medicine cabinet. I think there are ones for toothbrushes, nail polish, and then just a general use one.

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    1. Ooh, I use those for my makeup storage and I absolutely love them! Just posted about it today -- go figure :)

      http://www.prettyorganized.com/?page_id=142

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  24. Love the toothbrushes-- did you number them yourself, of did you find them already numbered? They don't seem to look like a conventional drug store tooth brush.

    I am in L-O-V-E with the cord drops as toothbrush holders. I have been wanting to replace my medicine cabinet for some time, as it is old, out-of-date, and really lacks any great storage. I would love to be able to do this!

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  25. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those numbered wooden toothbrushes!! So cool!! We did something similar with our toothbrush storage, but I stuck it on the inside door of the medicine cabinet. http://www.prettyorganized.com/?p=61

    Love having them up off the counter!! Awesome post --as always!

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  26. That just made me ridiculously happy for such a small thing. Not only good for toothbrushes around here, but perfect for all those razors for my three "men". I could also really use one to keep a pen right next to the shopping list that is magnetized to the fridge. Right now the pen is in the pen holder by the phone across the room - not very conducive to getting teen boys to write down when they use the last of something.

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  27. I love these clips, I use them for holding my charger cords neatly and got them from our local discount store really cheap. I never thought to use them for toiletries but they are perfect and I'll be grabbing another set this week just for that purpose.

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  28. Hello, where did you get the white lace containers? I saw them by your kitchen window also!

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    1. Hi DeeDee!

      The planters were from IKEA a few years ago.

      xo!

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