apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

ikea grundthal shelves in their kitchen section also make good towel racks. they come in varying lengths I Could see 2 looking good above your existing rack.

I second the Ikea shelf idea... I have the Container Store cubes for floor storage and they are handy but they are big and would look bulky on your wall I think

what about those over the door hooks? They have pretty stylish options. It's a cheap solution if you don't have the wallspace to drill holes.

Target! "Polder Shelf/Towel Rack" for $24.99...

Maybe.............

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2550018&navAction=jump&navCount=2

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1291029&navAction=jump&navCount=11


Or could you put a shelf above your bathroom door?? Like this one:

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1650013&navAction=jump&navCount=13

I read somewhere that the sprays from a toilet flush can reach up to 6ft high due to the pressure flush/water conservation systems. Skeevy huh?

I have a simple shelf from Home Depot mounted on decorative brackets above my door inside the bathroom. It holds my spare towels and a basket containing extra toiletries, toilet paper, etc. It's hardly noticeable, and regardless the basket keeps things neat.

You could try to find a modern-looking etagere for over the toilet. I don't have a link (sorry!) but I know that they do exist!

My bathroom has exactly the same layout. I don't know if you particularly want to have shelves on the wall but what I did was, I got a basket that fits above the toilet and placed the towels in it. I am very happy with it.
Kinda this idea:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/471301/2/istockphoto_471301_towels_in_a_basket.jpg

coco, the solution to that is simply to close the lid before flushing.

I say reclaim all of that wasted space that the trash can is using. That is such a prime spot for storage. Consider an under sink mounted trashcan.

The spray from flushing has been documented at radii up to 45 meters in all directions. Wall do not stop, but merely channel, the stream under doors and around corners. In small apartments it is common to find the particulate on dinnerware, table and kitchen counter surfaces. Flushing is like swabbing your home in toilet water.

just clear off the stuff on the counter and stacked fresh, rolled towels right there. simple.

I'm always suprised to find that people don't close the lid before they flush.

rick-- do you not flush?

lol @ 212gretchen... especially if you weren't being facetious. :-D

And alexis: I don't know anyone who does. (not that I follow my friends into the bathroom...)

I find the feel of clean towels just above a stinky toilet not so appealing at all. If you really must put them there, be it in a closed cabinet. You know, it is advised to close the pot, not for nothing.
Good luck with your bathroom.

Clean towels on top of a toilet? That does not sound appealing to me. If you really have to, then I'd say find a closed cabinet. Feels a little yucky, poo under the towels.

My towels are mounted on an open rack over the toilet. They have not yet turned brown.

I prefered open shelving to maximise air circulation and minimise mold.

Can you keep them in cabinet under your sink? It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like there could be room there. If it's a bit dirty, or you're worried about water dripping from the pipes, you can use either plastic bins, or plastic under bed storage bags to keep them dry.

either way I feel your pain! My bathroom is so small there's only room for a handtowel. We have to carry our bath towels back & forth from the bedroom (although I suppose that does keep them safe from toilet spray!)

Sometimes it's more important to just NOT think about the spraying streams of "particulate", close the lid, put the towels on a high shelf, and get on with life.

I mean, just imagine the TOOTHbrushes!

Just google hotel towel rack and you'll find numerous suppliers. We bought an 18" variety, which took some doing to find, but we had a narrow space. Can't remember where we got it [sorry], but we like it a lot. Here's a link to a 24" model. Keep in mind, the overall width is slightly wider than 24", which is the width of the shelf itself.

Good luck!

Okay, here's an 18" version of the hotel towel rack available on Amazon.

Note that the wall mount actually makes it 19-1/2" wide.

Try an etagere (apparently what they call those cabinet/shelf things that stand above your toilet)-- http://tinyurl.com/38zvmn

Just google "hotel shelf" or "train rack" and you will get several options. Try this:

http://www.bizrate.com/bathaccessories/bath-furniture--bath-shelf/bath-hardware--towel-bar/products__att288357--288369-__att288358--288381-__start--30.html

There is a company called Ginger that sells to the trade but also to retail stores. You can do the search by supplier for your area and then call the store to see if they have the product you want. If not, they can probably order it for you.

http://www.gingerco.com/catalog.asp?type=cat&cat=198

Pottery Barn also carries some.
http://www.potterybarn.com/shop--bth--bthfix--bthfixgls--index.shtml

what about heated open towel rack on the door wall, high above. I bought a heated towel rack and have it outside the bathroom... love it.
Or, build/buy an enclosed horizontal box over the door.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Train Rack was the crucial term I was missing in my searches. I think the Sutton Train Rack from restoration hardware is going to look perfectly!

"the solution to that is simply to close the lid before flushing."

Unless your toilet has a gasket that offers a tight seal, closing the lid will not eliminate fecal water spray. Clean towels stacked out in the open are no longer "clean" after a flush. I have a small closet in a hall close to the bathroom where I keep my clean towels, but if I had to keep extra towels in the bathroom, I would use a wall-mounted cabinet that closed tightly.

I am no germ-phobe, but experiments I did in college definitely impacted how I store items in the bathroom.

Experiments in college and not a germ-phobe? Thou dost protest too much. Methinks americans "germ" crazy.

Rick, you are awesome. Thank you!

Have you thought about mounting a small shelf above the door for towels?