Five efficient bathroom-storage solutions

  • By Stephanie Snay Angie’s List
  • Tuesday, March 17, 2015 2:23pm
  • Life

Six in the morning on a Monday — your alarm goes off. After rolling over and pressing snooze more times than you’d like to admit, you spring out of bed and run to your messy bathroom, knowing you have less than 20 minutes to get ready.

You spend the first five minutes searching for the hairbrush. Frustrated and behind schedule, you realize you can no longer wait to find a storage solution for the clutter.

Professional organizers say maximizing the space in your bathroom makes it more efficient and leads to happier mornings. “It saves you time,” says Tammy Atchison, owner of The Busy Corner in Houston. “If you have storage solutions and a routine, then you aren’t scattered to find things.”

For better bathroom storage, follow these five organization tips.

1. Discard unused items

“First, you have to touch everything and make sure you need everything that you have,” says Tova Diamond, owner of Everything Has a Place in Nevada City, California.

Go through the medicine cabinet. Properly dispose of any expired medications. Do you have six types of shampoo? Recycle the bottles, or give them to a friend. Getting rid of unused toiletries provides more space to store what you really need.

2. Containerize your goods

Diamond recommends using containers to organize your bathroom accessories.

She says to use different sizes to fit different items. They can be cardboard, metal or plastic. “You can pick and choose depending on your aesthetic preference and price range,” she adds.

Save money by using what you already have, such as the boxes your checks come in, Diamond says.

3. Use drawer dividers

“Drawer dividers are the most important purchase anyone can make for their bathroom,” says Diana Luck, a professional organizer in Portland, Oregon. Use them to help keep your bathroom items compartmentalized.

She adds that everything used daily should have a place on the counter. Neitra Blair, owner of Organizing Lifestyles in Houston recommends keeping makeup used daily in a small three-tiered plastic container. Anything not used daily should be stowed in its own space in a drawer or cupboard.

4. Utilize space throughout the bathroom

Susan Stewart, owner of Perfectly Placed Organization &Design, in Phoenix and St. Louis, recommends over-the-door baskets to make use of the back of the cabinet door. Custom shelves or narrow sliding baskets fit around plumbing fixtures below the sink.

Blair says there are great products for hanging hair dryers and curling irons on cabinet doors or attaching them to walls.

You can also make use of the wall space by attaching containers to the wall for towels or other bathroom accoutrements.

5. Think outside the box

In small bathrooms without ample built-in storage, Stewart recommends over-the-door shoe holders with clear pockets to hold hair accessories. She says it’s especially helpful to do this when there are multiple children in the household.

A lazy Susan is often associated with the kitchen, but Stewart says they can be great in bathroom cabinets for bottles that stand upright.

Stephanie Snay is a writer for Angie’s List, www.angieslist.com, a resource for consumer reviews.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.