How to Organize Your Bathroom Storage

Find out which items to keep in a medicine cabinet or drawer and which to store on an open shelf

Laura Gaskill 9 January 2021

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More

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Once you’ve cleared out all of the unloved and unwanted bath and beauty products, it’s time to organize what’s left. By taking the time to arrange your bath products and supplies carefully, your mornings will run more smoothly and your bathroom will be a fresher, tidier place. To help bring order to the space, we’ll look at the storage and organizing tools that are really helpful, and how to use them.

Brian Patterson Designs, Inc.

Open Shelves or Medicine Cabinets

If your bathroom includes a medicine cabinet or open shelves above the sink, consider this prime real estate. The products you keep here should be true daily essentials.

Good for: Favorite everyday products like moisturizer, shaving cream and toothpaste. Use open shelves for your prettiest containers.

Not recommended: Store medications that could be damaged in the room’s warm, humid conditions, extras and rarely used products elsewhere.

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Pouches

Zippered pouches offer a great way to keep like items together in an easy-to-grab container. A pretty print looks good on open shelves.

Good for: Makeup, skin care products, hairbrushes and accessories.

Not recommended: Anything that will spill or leak.

Small trays. Keep an assortment of bottles and jars visually contained on a small tray; it’s easily lifted for cleaning.

Good for: Leak-prone bottles and perfumes.

Marissa Cramer Interiors

Glass Jars

Glass apothecary jars can make attractive storage for supplies like cotton balls and Q-Tips.

When to decant: If your bathroom is short on closed storage (cabinets and drawers), removing products from their original packaging can help keep open shelves from looking cluttered.

When not to decant: If you don’t really need to keep these items on an open shelf, or if you know you won’t want to keep up with transferring new product into the jars, skip them.

Evolution Design Build Group

Baskets

Woven, fabric or fabric-lined baskets are attractive storage options for open shelving in the bath.

Good for: Larger baskets can hold bath towels; smaller baskets can hold hand towels, wash cloths or hair-styling tools.

Not recommended: Don’t put woven or fabric baskets under the sink or any other spot where they may be damaged by water.

Browse wicker and rattan baskets on Houzz

Flexible Drawer Organizers

Adjustable or modular drawer organizers made from a wipeable material are ideal for keeping bathroom drawers neat and tidy. To get the right fit, snap a photo of what you have in your drawers (and measure) before buying organizers.

Good for: Any toiletries and supplies you use regularly.

Organization & Relocation

Labeled Bins Organized by Need

Clear, wipeable, labeled bins can keep extra supplies and less-often used products organized so you can find them easily.

Good for: Bulky bath and beauty products, nail polishes and extras of all sorts. Put like items together, and label the bin clearly (“Hair care"). Under the sink, you could also use a bin to corral cleaning supplies. And if stored outside the bathroom, this can also work for medications.

Cohesively Curated

Hamper

A good laundry hamper makes it easy to keep damp towels off the floor. Make sure it’s small enough that it doesn’t make walking through the space a challenge.

Good for: Tossing towels and dirty clothes; choose a lidded model if you want to hide the contents.

Not recommended: If your bathroom is truly tiny or the laundry is nearby, there’s no need for a hamper.

Marissa Cramer Interiors

Putting It All Together

Think about using your space in a way that makes sense for your daily life, within your aesthetic.

Keep frequently used items near where you use them, and attractive containers on open shelves. Extra items and those used less often don’t need to take up valuable real estate near your sink or tub, so store these in a cabinet or hall closet.

Jenny Martin Design

Tell us: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to bathroom storage? Share it in the Comments.

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Joan Bollet

I remodeled the only bathroom a few years ago - and accounted for storage - but since then a couple of bulkier items have been added. ie the water pic and an electric toothbrush set up. Its a case of now what? Don't like seeing them on my previously uncluttered counter. but don't have an alternate space. I would like to tell planners to allow a bit more flexibility for life style changes.

10 Likes 10 January 2021 at 6:44p.m.