i hung an over-the-door caddy on the towel bar on the wall opposite my shower head. these types of caddies are much wider than over-the-shower-head ones, so products don't look all congested. also, it doesn't get water stained from shower head drips or bathing splashes.

i'm not sure what kind of enclosure you have kate, but maybe you can try an over-the-door one and hang it on the inside of your bath?

I have been a huge fan of the vertical-tension-rod-in-the-corner with-shelves solution myself. It generally gives everyone space to put their own bathroom things while making sure they don't fall all over the tub and create messes. I'm also not sure puttig all that weight on the shower head is the best idea.

If you just have a few bottles of bathroom things, you could get a few humidity loving plants and put them on the other shelves as well.

I second Meg's suggestion of the tension-rod shelves. They're usually out of the way of the water so they're clean, require absolutely no drilling or "Getcha' when your lease is over" modifications, and offer an attractive (though not as attractive as the glass shelf) solution, especially compared to the over-the-shower-head caddies.

you may want to purchase clear shampoo/conditioner/soap bottles (ranging from those at the corner dollar store to the containter store) and just refill them. i've seen a friend use clear bottles that are like the ones hairdressers put color in. looks very simple and sharp. you'd be surprised what a difference that could make. good luck!

I third the recommendation of a tension-rod corner-caddy. We have 2 of the "Satin Nickel Finish Tension Rod Shower and Tub Caddy" from Bed, Bath & Beyond and they look clean and attractive in our shower and keep everything neat and organized. Here's the link to the ones we use: http://tinyurl.com/2bsokf

Years ago, a friend had someting in his shower that he lovingly called his "showeroo." It was a set of mesh pockets that hung from the curtain rings. I managed to find a smaller one at, of all places, a dollar store. It hangs inside the shower curtain and then it doesn't matter if you have the curtain open to either side or closed - unless you have a clear curtain.

ooh, he wasn't just being cute - a quick google on "showeroo" and I found it at: http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71787&PRODID=67

I use the Power Lock suction basket from The Container Store.
Easy to clean, easy on the eyes, and won't damage the tiles. Also, it stays on and doesn't 'slide' like some of the others I've used from other stores. They weren't kidding when they named it Power Lock!

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71787&PRODID=10012595&searchId=8170477&itemIndex=5

Holly

I really LOVE that showeroo thingie. I might even be able to make one myself.... Hmmmmm....

http://www.culturalrevolutionary.com/

I agree with the shower curtain with pockets, I have been using them for years. I have attached a link, but I have seen them other places also. Once you have a shower curtain up in front of it, you cannot see any of your products at all, and since the pockets are mesh, you do not get any gross buildup. And it does not matter if you keep the shower curtain open or closed, you will not see a thing!

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=101237&RN=382

I am really loving the shower mesh pocket solution. I also wanted to share the

I was trying to say:

I'm really loving the shower mesh pocket solution. I also wanted to share the SimpleHuman Shower Caddy solution.

Holly-

I had the Power Lock suction basket, and I could not for the life of get it to stay on the wall. I kept rehanging it and taking products out until finally all I had was a sponge and it still fell off. Usually in the middle of the night and the loud crashing noise would scare the crap out of me! : )

Not to mention that it has put numerous scratches in the porcelein of my brand new bathtub. Ugh!

Am I doing something wrong because many other people swear by these and they really would be the best solution for my own bathroom.

Hi - Kate (the OP) with the caddy question here.

Thanks for the suggestions - some great ideas.

I like the showeroo idea, and am even contemplating putting in a permanent shelf - Maxwell's slide show makes it look easy-ish!

Holly: I was wary of the suction basket as I thought that as soon as I turned my back it would leap off the wall (as most suction things do), but perhaps the power lock ones are worth considering.

The corner tension rod is a good idea, but I think it would encourage me to collect too many bottles - I don't really need so much shelf space.

Hmmmm lots of ideas to mull over! Thanks!

http://tinyurl.com/23eue5

This teak shower caddy was on one of the other AT sites (SF?) last week; better looking and longer lasting than plastic, but still a caddy.

If you want to stay away from having too much stuff on the shelves of a tension-rod corner unit, you can just use two of the shelves.
Mine has four shelves, one of which has an extended bar to hold a wash cloth, and they're all totally adjustable/removable.

I just wanted to confirm what Maxwell said and add my encouragement -

It's surprisingly easy to drill holes into tiles. I couldn't believe it. So scared that I would crack all the tile (and I rent, and hardly wanted to contemplate replacing that!). But I got a masonry bit that I think someone called a "diamond drill bit", and it worked really well. (Didn't know about using the masking tape, and it worked anyway. Though if I ever try this again, I'll be sure to tape the mark.)

I recommend the shelf option - mine is steel. So much better than any shower caddy. The only problem is that it doesn't have places to 'hang' stuff off of....

I am not in love with putting anything in pockets in a shower curtain, for all kinds of practical reasons. Not a great idea, for example, if your shower bar is a tension rod. But I also just don't think it's a good look. You can't see racks if the curtain is closed, either, so you might as well use them.

Tension rod corner shelves and things that stick up with suction cups are both questionable, because they do fall frequently. You basically have to check the suction once each week or so. Something backed up by Command adhesive or something like that would probably be better.

In the bathrooms in my house, we have two things. One is the standard shower-head caddy in white-coated wire. I feel that the coating helps make it less obtrusive than the same kind of thing in chrome. That's in the bathtub/shower. In the other bathroom, there is only a large shower stall, so we have the sort of wire corner caddy that's sold to be hung up with multiple suction cups (and thus doomed to fall). It's free-standing in a corner. I don't see any need to get something similar with a tension rod, which I could see sliding down the corner edge of the bathtub.

However, to someone looking to really get rid of all that kind of thing, what I suggest is one of those units you can buy at places like Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store. They are wall-mounted and usually have at least three pump reservoirs in them. You press a button on the front to get out your shampoo or conditioner, & a window shows you how much you have left. Sometimes these units are mounted with suction cups, but I think there are options to mount them a little more securely. There's plenty of room for shampoo, conditioner, and shower soap, and you can buy units with more than three reservoirs, or you could hang more than one unit.

I don't think the over-the-shower-head rack is "dorm-roomy" per se, anyway: that designation is reserved for the mighty Shower Bucket. ;)

We actually use the same type of shower caddy, but have it hanging from two of those 3M removable adhesive hooks on the wall. They work shockingly well - one side has fallen off one time since it has been up (about a year and a half).

For those with tub/shower combos...

I've recently starting using a wood shelf that spans across the tub. Pretty happy with it. Have it right up by the tub spout which doesn't seem to get in the way of showering or getting in/out.

Here's the one I use ($8) and also use the soap dish in the same series ($1!). Matches nicely with the other wood accents in my bath and are a nice depature from all the polished nickel...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80051298

How about a shower cabinet? (Like the one in the link below)

http://www.lawtrip.com/ShowerLocker/shower.html

Why don't you paint the tiles to unify the colour, buy a couple of equal soap dispenser bottles on the shower tray and done

Thanks for the tips. I just moved into a smaller place than I'm used to. I need a better way of keeping everything clean and in its place. I think one of these shower caddies would be perfect along with an a few garbage cans.