Bathrooms are quite possibly one of the most challenging spaces to organize, aren’t they? And yet, there are certain things that need to be stored in the bathroom.
But how? How do you do it? How do you find space for everything you need to store and make a small room feel a little bigger? Here are 15 simple ideas to help you think outside the box and organize your bathroom in a way that is not only functional, but beautiful and efficient!
#1 :: Create Storage Where There is None
If your bathroom is lacking in storage, don’t just place everything around the sink or on the back of the toilet. When you do this, it makes the room look messy and small. And, let’s face it, most bathrooms are small enough as it is!
Instead, look for a way you can add storage into the space you have. Perhaps you can get a plastic set of drawers to set next to the pedestal sink. Maybe you can find or build a rack that is designed to fit over the toilet and give you shelf space above the toilet. Maybe you can add shelving or a cabinet on the wall. Think outside the box a little on this one and see where you might be able to create some storage space where there was none.
#2 :: Subdivide Your Storage Space
Bathroom cabinets are wonderful things, capable of storing many items. Yet, at the same time, they can be horrible catch-all places where things get thrown in if there’s no organization to be seen!
One simple way to create more organization inside your bathroom cabinets is to add drawers or shelves. You can purchase these at your local store or if you’re handy, you can even build some custom shelving on your own. There are even specially designed drawer systems created to work around the pipes under your sink!
#3 :: Creative Shelving
When you start to get creative with your storage spaces, the only limit is your imagination! If you have extra towels you need to store, but don’t have any room for them, try adding a shelf above the bathroom door. Now, depending on the height of your bathroom ceiling, this may or may not solve your dilemma, but it’s worth getting out a tape measure to see!
The big idea is to add a shelf right above the door frame inside your bathroom. Once you have this shelf in place, you can fold your extra towels and place them on the shelf. On a side note, if you have colorful towels, pay attention to how you place them on the shelf. This towel storage spot might double as some eye-popping color appeal in your bathroom!
#4 :: Store Only Bathroom Items in the Bathroom
It can be tempting to store things anywhere you find room. But when you’re working with a bathroom – a small room to begin with – storing extra items in there can make the bathroom feel so much smaller!
There’s a simple solutions for this: Store only the items you use or will use in the bathroom in the bathroom. For example, if you dry your hair every morning, keeping your hair dryer in your bathroom makes perfect sense. If you find a sale on the bar soap you like, keeping the extra bars of soap in your bathroom cupboard makes sense because you’ll be using the soap in the bathroom. However, storing extra bed linens in your bathroom doesn’t make sense because you won’t be using the bed linens in the bathroom.
#5 :: Make It Look Pretty
Let’s face it, as wonderful as bathroom cupboards are sometimes your bathroom doesn’t have cupboards where you can store things. Sometimes your items need to be out where everyone can see them. So, what do you do when you want your bathroom items to be hidden, but you don’t have storage space with doors?
Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite storage solutions: Baskets and bins! These handy items come in all shapes and sizes so you can find the perfect one to fit your space. On top of that, bins and baskets come in all different patterns, colors, and designs so you can make a design statement even as you create hidden storage for all your items.
#6 :: Store Your Feminine Products Where You Need Them
Okay, how many times have you actually thought about where your feminine products are stored as opposed to where you are in your bathroom when you need them? It’s probably not high on your list of things to think about, right? But it’s something on the top of your thought process when you need them! Now if you have a drawer or a cupboard within close reach to store your products, that’s wonderful! Use that space!
But what if you don’t? What if there are no storage places nearby where you can easily store your feminine products? Well, think about getting a box or a basket or even a basket with a lid and fill it with the supplies you need. Then, you could place that box where it will be within your reach when you actually need the supplies inside! Brilliant, right?
Not sure where to place the box? Here are some suggestions: Place the box on a shelf mounted on the wall over the toilet. If you choose a pretty box, it will double as a decoration and storage! You could set your box on one of the shelves of a storage rack that fits over the toilet. Take a look at your space and see where you can place your box to make it work for you.
#7 :: Clean off the Counters
Now, don’t get too excited here. I’m not saying that you have to clean your bathroom counters every day! What I am saying is that you need to be very choosy about the things you leave on your bathroom counters! You see, when you have a lot of things on your bathroom counters, it starts to make the already small bathroom look much smaller. On top of that, it makes the room feel very messy!
So, clean off your counters! Take everything off and see how much more open your bathroom looks. Before you put any items back on your counter, ask yourself if this item has to be on the counter or if there’s another space where it can live. I’m not saying you can never have anything on your counters! (My toothbrush and hand soap live on my bathroom counter!) However, be very choosy before putting anything back on your counter.
#8 :: Toasty Tools
One of the challenges items to store in a bathroom are the tools that get toasty. I’m talking about flatirons, curling irons, hair dryers, you get the picture. So many times, these tools end up sitting on the bathroom counter to cool off before they get put away. But do they ever actually get put away? Or do they simply sit on the countertop and clutter it up?
Here’s a simple, hidden solution for you: Get some PVC pipe from your local hardware store that’s large enough to hold the barrel of your curling iron or hair dryer. Attach the PVC pipe to the inside of your bathroom cupboard door. Now, whenever you’re done using your curling iron or hair dryer, you can simply unplug it, place it into the PVC pipe, and close the cabinet door. A simple way to keep your toasty tools hidden while they’re cooling off.
#9 :: Bobby Pins
Do you ever look in your bathroom drawer for a bobby pin and can’t find one? It seems to me that you can either find a ton of bobby pins all over the place or you can only find 1 or 2 that are absolutely buried underneath a bunch of other things in the drawer.
So, how do you keep your bobby pins all together in a spot where you’ll actually be able to find them when you want them? Try putting a magnet strip along the side wall of your bathroom drawer. You can find magnet strips with a sticky back or you can use double-sided tape to hold the magnet strip in place. Now, all you have to do is let the magnet hold your bobby pins together and out of the way. And the best part of all is that you’ll be able to find your bobby pins when you want them!
#10 :: Fold Them to Fit
How do you fold your towels? Have you ever thought about this? Have you ever wondered why you fold your towels the way that you do? Chances are you fold your towels in the way you were taught. Now, before you start thinking that there’s some magic way to fold towels, there isn’t! There is no one way to fold towels that is better or more effective than any other way.
But did you realize that how you fold your towels can either steal storage space from you or gain your storage space? It’s true! When you have a shelf where you want your towels to live, make sure to fold your towels to allow them to fit the best on the shelf or in the space you have for them. Even if this means learning how to fold towels a different way! If you’re feeling really adventurous, you could experiment with rolling your towels to fit in the storage space you have…
#11 :: The Towel Rack
Since we’re on the subject of towels, what do you do with the ones that are currently in use? You know, those towels that have been used and need to hang up to dry, but they have another use or two before they need to be washed. Where do you put them?
One of the best things you can put in your bathroom is a towel rack. If you have the wall space, this could be a traditional towel bar or it could be a series of hooks that you place on the wall. If you’re low on wall space, you can find towel racks that secure to the back of the bathroom door or even one that hangs over the door secured by hooks on the top of the door. No matter which style of towel rack you choose, somehow, in some way, make sure you can get those towels off the floor so they don’t start to smell and mold! You’ll not only save yourself from smelly towels, but your bathroom will look a lot neater when the towels are no longer taking up floor space!
#12 :: Individual Buckets
When you have multiple children who each want their own supplies to get ready for the day and get ready for bed, it can be a challenge figuring out where to put them. So what do you do? How do you keep each child’s toiletries separate and yet contained?
One of my favorite ways to give each child their own space and yet keep everything organized is to use buckets. Now, because you’re working with bathroom supplies, I highly recommend using plastic buckets! Now, these can be rectangles that fit on a shelf. They can be actual round buckets that hang on the wall in some way. They can be any shape you choose in any color you like. The key here is to make sure the buckets are big enough to hold all of your child’s toiletries and that the buckets fit in the storage space you have available in your bathroom.
#13 :: Only Keep the Stuff You Need
Have you noticed that bathrooms tend to be some of the smallest rooms in the house? And yet, they are rooms that are frequented quite often by every member of your family! So why is it that the bathrooms start to be a catch-all for storing random items?
Do you want to know one of the biggest secrets for organizing your bathroom? Only store the things you use in your bathroom! Get everything else out of there!
You see, when you only keep the things you need, the things you actually use in the bathroom, you’ll have less to organize. And when you have less to organize, you’ll find that you have a fair amount of storage space just waiting to be used.
#14 :: Lose the Boxes
Have you ever noticed how much room boxes claim? I’m talking about the boxes that makeup or feminine products or other bathroom supplies come in. They can really eat your space if you let them! One simple thing you can do to find more space in your bathroom is to take things out of the boxes they come in.
This is especially true if you buy your items bulk! Get rid of the packaging and simply store the thing you need (such as deodorant or toothpaste). But be careful of this one! If you don’t have a way to contain the smaller things (like feminine products) once you take them out of their boxes, you could be creating more chaos for yourself later on!
A Final Thought
Your bathroom can be one of the trickiest and most challenging rooms in your house to organize. Between “furniture” that cannot be moved, limited space, and oddly shaped storage places, it has the potential to make you throw up your hands and give up!
But don’t give up! Instead, get creative! Think outside the box and you just might be surprised what amazing solutions you come up with.
If you’re looking for more simple and creative solutions to organizing your space, check out my Organizing Tips and Tricks Guide. It’ll walk you through how to organize 5 tricky spots in your space. And best of all? I want to give it to you. All you need to do to claim your free gift is to tell me in the form below where to send it!
Additional Resources:
- 20 Secrets to be More Organized
- How to Organize the Mess: A Step by Step Guide
- Quick, Simple Tricks to Stay on Top of Cleaning
- 5 Reasons Why Your Organizational System is Not Working
Elizabeth Tatham, founder of Inspiration in the Everyday, is a homeschooling momma of 5 who loves helping other homeschooling mommas create a unique homeschooling adventure your kids will love…without the overwhelm! Join in on the journey with 7 simple steps to make your homeschooling day go faster, easier, and with less tears here.