The 46 Best Hacks and Tricks for Organizing a Small Bathroom
A small bathroom is one of the most challenging places to get organized and keep ship-shape. You need to store so many kinds of things in a bathroom—many of them small and sometimes slippery. And because you use those things multiple times a day, it’s easy to end up with jumbled, messy spaces that don’t function well. It’s not a nice way to start or end your day.
The first step to bringing order to a disorganized small bathroom is making sure that every single item has a designated spot. This is especially challenging when you lack space, which affects everything from where to put your toothbrush and toothpaste to how you store towels and toilet paper rolls.
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The good news is that it’s time to get creative! Let go of the desire for sought-after storage spaces that you just don’t have, let go of any concepts about how things “should” be stored, and open yourself up to a slew of organizational problem-solvers. Below, you’ll find 45 brilliant bathroom storage ideas that will be useful for spaces of all shapes and sizes.
1. Install a medicine cabinet.
You may be surprised to learn how inexpensive and easy it is to install medicine cabinets. We love this option from Overstock that’s much more stylish than your grandmother’s medicine cabinet.
2. Make the most of your radiator.
This small bathroom inside a Brooklyn rental makes the most of storage space by housing several items on top of the radiator. The renter styled the products nicely to create a visual moment without having to buy shelving, furniture, or rolling storage.
3. Use containers to hide toiletries housed on open shelving.
While we love the open shelving look, it’s sometimes nicer to keep items streamlined in beautiful baskets or other containers. Case in point: the bathroom in a Brooklyn home that looks neat and tidy, thanks to a few woven baskets.
4. Try pegboards.
The owner of this 500-square foot Singapore apartment had to get creative with bathroom storage and brilliantly leaned on pegboards to create a home for toiletries without bringing in a piece of furniture. Be on the lookout for a pegboard that fits the amount of wall space you have to help you get organized in no time.
5. Turn a shelf into a vanity.
No under-sink storage for your beauty products? No problem. Follow the smart organization tip from this U.K. Victorian home and use any architectural details as sneaky storage. Snag a makeup organizer to make keeping your products in place a breeze.
6. Use a lazy susan in your bathroom cabinets to make them more efficient.
A spinning turntable is every organizer’s secret weapon, and it’s perfect for bringing order to your collection of jars and bottles. Choose turntables with a bit of a lip (or even a lazy susan with a backstop) to ensure that small bottles and jars don’t slide off. Place taller bottles in the center or at the edges so you’re able to see everything at once.
7. Assign drawer organizers to roommates or members of your family.
If more than one family member uses the same bathroom, keeping everyone’s supplies corralled in long drawer organizers will minimize the transfer of germs. Label each divider with a name to remind everyone to put their things back exactly where they belong.
8. Stretch a long tension rod across your shower to hang a caddy from.
Need more storage space in your shower? A sturdy tension rod and S-hooks give you an instant shower-length solution. Not only do you have room to place your shower tools and products, but the method allows for air circulation so your scrubbies and washcloths can dry between uses.
9. Hang products from a tension rod or towel bar with clip-on shower curtain rings.
Use photo- or curtain-clip hooks to suspend the personal care products you use in the shower, so you can store them right where they are needed. Hanging them means never having to clean in-shower shelves either.
10. Hang small plastic laundry baskets from waterproof adhesive hooks.
Tired of the messy look that comes from bath toys strewn across the tub or of shower corners overflowing with shampoo and conditioner? Confine and contain with strategically placed, inexpensive storage baskets that allow for airflow. Water-resistant Command hooks will keep them out of the way without damage.
11. Roll up washcloths and store them in an upright file sorter.
No more trying to keep washcloths from getting lost in the jumble of hand and body towels in the linen closet. No more tiny towers of awkwardly folded washcloths that end up looking like rags. This storage method of using an upright magazine-and-file sorter is as cute as it is effective.
12. Decant shampoo and other shower staples to visually reduce clutter.
There’s actual clutter, and we know you work hard to eliminate that from your bathroom. But then there’s visual clutter, the “noise” of colorful labels and different sized containers. To infuse your shower with the spa feeling you crave, dry decanting into eye-pleasing, uniform containers.
13. Use a free-standing wardrobe or hutch to instead of a linen closet.
No linen closet? No problem. Add a cute hutch to your bathroom—or any area nearby—to store paper products, towels, and more. This piece will not only allow you to infuse more personality into your space but will create all sorts of new storage opportunities.
14. Install a “no tools,” “no drill” floating shelf for small extras.
Drilling holes for a shelf feels permanent and, if you’re renting, might not be allowed. But this no-holes floating shelf gives you damage-free extra storage. It’s affixed with an adhesive strip and supports up to 15 pounds so you can set cosmetics, personal care products, or your favorite decor up and out of the way.
15. The walls beside the vanity are the perfect place for a shelf.
A shelf next to the vanity keeps things off the counters, which gives the entire bathroom an organized look but still keeps daily essentials within reach. And it’s deeper than the shelves of built-in medicine cabinets, so you can stop wishing you had one!
16. Incorporate a tray to unify small essentials.
Another organizing classic, putting small objects on a decorative tray makes your left-out essentials look purposefully placed. Small products and tools are conveniently on-hand but look like a curated collection that’s meant to be there.
17. Bring cabinet organizers onto the counters.
Sometimes you need to store bulkier items on the surface of your counter. For an eye-pleasing yet utilitarian solution, bring your cabinet organizers out in the open so you can save in-cabinet space for things you’d rather keep behind closed doors, like toilet paper and cleaning supplies.
18. Add a curved shelving unit to a pedestal sink.
Pedestal sinks are pretty but sorely lacking in storage potential. This curved shelving unit fits seamlessly into the space beneath your sink and makes it possible to store necessities where they’ll be used.
19. Use a suction-cup sponge holder on your backsplash or mirror to keep small items close by.
Again, kitchen organization products solve bathroom storage conundrums. Unobtrusive sponge holders keep small items that are easily lost, like toiletries, handy so you can use them up before they expire.
20. Hang plastic baskets on the inside of cabinet doors.
The insides of your cabinet doors are rife with storage possibilities. Hanging dollar store baskets from them means you can keep small items like essential oil bottles, razors, and feminine products from junking up drawers or getting lost in cavernous cabinets.
21. Use an under-sink organizer that adjusts to accommodate your plumbing and maximize space.
Under-sink organizers are specifically made to make the most of the space beneath your sink. By going vertical, this expandable under-sink organizer allows you to stack cleaning supplies or bulkier bathroom items without having to dig or shuffle for them.
22. Hang a tension rod inside a cabinet to drape towels, hang spray bottles, or hang virtually anything with S-hooks.
A tension rod spanning the cabinet under the sink means a place to hang your makeup-removing cloths and much more.The magic of this hack is its versatility as it makes use of vertical “airspace.”
23. Hang a shower organizer from the same hooks as your shower curtain.
You can hang more than just the shower curtain from the shower curtain rod. Make the very same hooks do double duty by adding a small shower pocket organizer on the inside of the curtain to get your necessities off the tub ledges or shower floor.
24. Store hair tools in a countertop organizer if you don’t have cabinet or drawer space.
Hair tools strewn on the counter can look messy. Consider investing in a countertop appliance holder that will keep you organized and ready for whatever event comes your way.
25. Hang a caddy over the shower head to make space out of thin air.
This shower caddy is definitely more structurally interesting and appealing than your standard hanging shower unit. Set product bottles and bars of soap on the shelves and hang loofahs, scrubbers, and razors from hooks.
26. Or, get a shower caddy that can mount on glass.
If you’d rather leave your shower faucet area free and you have a glass shower door, this shower caddy provides discrete and ample storage space for your shower necessities. A combination of hooks and shelves makes it versatile enough to meet your specific personal needs.
27. Mount organizers directly on your mirror, if you have no wall space.
Make use of a routinely overlooked storage-mounting surface with this toiletry organizer that grips onto your mirror glass without adhesives. You’ll get that tidy look of having a clean counter even if you have no wall space to speak of.
28. Or, try a suction-cup organizer on your tile.
Create your own in-shower storage cubbies for next-level organization. Say goodbye to rusty bobby pins on the side of the tub or soggy hair ties strewn about the shower. The TISKEN line from IKEA makes the “place for everything” philosophy a reality in your bathing zone.
29. Use ladder-style shelving that is deeper at the bottom and shallower at the top.
A tapered shelf feels less bulky than a standard shelving unit. This is important in a small space where you can’t afford to overcrowd it with furniture, yet a piece like this still offers significant storage opportunities.
30. Put a magnetic knife strip inside your drawers or cabinets to keep small, metal items organized.
We love this creative idea stolen from the kitchen. Mounting a magnetic knife strip on the inside of a drawer to keep tiny metal bathroom items that are prone to get lost visible and accessible.
31. Use a hanging closet organizer to store linens or other bathroom staples.
Hanging closet organizers supply instant shelves with zero tools or assembly. Store towels, linens, or toilet paper in them to keep essentials close without overloading cabinets or closets.
32. Hang an organizer over the back of the door.
The back of the bathroom door can be for so much more than just a towel hook. Drastically increase your bathroom storage with this over-the-door storage unit that will help support your skin care obsession.
33. Create extra “counter” space with a bathtub caddy.
If you’re taking a bath, this bathtub caddy is the perfect place to drop your book and bath oils. Even if you’re not a bath person, a caddy like this can offer extra surface space in a small bathroom. Use it to store your skincare, toothbrush, or anything else you don’t have room for on the vanity.
34. Don’t waste the space over your toilet.
The space over your toilet is just waiting to become useful. Set baskets on the tank to hold washcloths and turn a shelf on the wall into a perch for perfume, hairspray, or a canister holding hairbrushes. And don’t forget a humidity-loving trailing plant.
35. P.S. You can also hang shelves high above the toilet.
If you’d rather keep a bit of empty space over the toilet or you get the sensation that you’re going to hit your head on a too-low shelf, go higher. If you have a sturdy toilet seat, it can serve as a built-in step stool so you can reach what’s on it. Try this beauty for extra-high storage.
36. Consider every inch and nook of wall space as a place to hang shelves.
Get creative and view any bit of empty wall as a potential spot for hanging shelves and adding coveted storage space. Plus, it will create a new space for designing a beautiful display.
37. Don’t overlook any space when you’re looking for room for a shelving unit.
You can probably find something to fit any area, like the space between the sink and the tub. Don’t be afraid to turn it in an unexpected way, either. Try this narrow shelf tower to make the most of odd spaces.
38. Fit a thin rolling shelf in the space next to the toilet.
A narrow rolling shelf keeps reading material exactly where you want it. Having wheels means you can place it next to the toilet, pull it out, grab what you need, and slide it back in place without taking up prime real estate.
39. If you don’t like the look of shelves crowding the toilet, consider a basket with a lid.
Open shelves near the toilet might not be your thing. In that case, consider a basket with a lid. It’s perfect for holding extra towels or even your toilet paper refills.
40. Corral items on a tray or basket on top of the toilet.
A tray or basket is always the answer when it comes to making small items look pulled together. The space on the back of the toilet is yet another perfect example of creating storage space without taking up more room.
41. Hang shelves above the door.
For fixed extra bathroom storage of items that aren’t daily necessities, consider mounting shelves above the door. It’s a completely unobtrusive spot, allowing you to keep your bathroom airy while still alleviating the woes of limited bathroom storage.
42. Double up your shower curtain with a tension rod.
An extra tension rod spread just below your shower rod opens a whole new world of bathroom storage possibilities. Hang towels or wet bathing suits to dry, or keep your bathing tools suspended from hooks.
43. Add a tiered tray to your counter or floor.
A tiered tray is the perfect marriage of a small shelving unit and a stylish storage effect. Plus, it uses vertical space and keeps small bathroom items contained and close at hand.
44. Keep a rolling cart near the bathroom.
Opt for a rolling utility cart and you won’t have to think too hard about the optimal placement for extra storage. Roll the cart and its contents to wherever you need to go, whether it’s to the mirror to do your hair or near your tub to have a soak.
45. Hang baskets from towel bars.
Extra towel bar space makes a perfect basket holder that doesn’t require any extra installation. A towel-bar bathroom storage caddy takes advantage of this unused portion of hardware and is perfect for holding shampoo, conditioner, or lotion.
46. Use a vase with marbles or vase filler for makeup brushes.
The thing about adding glass bead filler to a vase is not only that it turns makeup brush storage into a bouquet, but it also makes a satisfying sound when you poke your brushes back into them.