Bathrooms are often one of the smallest spaces in the home yet they require lots of storage space for toiletries and accessories. It’s up to us to make the most out of the square footage we have available and to choose storage solutions that work. But how do we avoid a bathroom cabinet becoming a dumping ground for used up toothpaste tubes and our favourite product dupes?
We spoke to the experts who let us in on some of their best ideas for how to organize a bathroom that will make it easier to curate an uncluttered cabinet.
1. A routine review
The best way to keep on top of things in a bathroom is to regularly review what you’re storing within it. Ben Soreff from H2H Organizing says ‘the first step is to take everything out of your bathroom and review it. Most people tend to have small bathrooms without a lot of storage space’. He goes on to suggest that you should ‘consider putting all extra backup toiletries and medical items in the linen closet’.
The other thing to keep in mind is that toiletries have expiry dates. Shara Kay from SK Organizing says in order to keep on top of this we all need ‘a routine for reviewing and discarding expired toiletries at least a couple of times a year’ as part of organizing a bathroom cabinet.
2. Clear categories
Keep things straight forward and as streamlined as possible by grouping your bathroom products into different categories around your bathroom vanity. Shara explains that ‘items stored by category e.g hair, face, body, bath is the key to any organized bathroom cabinet’.
However, rather than just following a set of guidelines, you’ve got to make sure the categories work for you and your bathroom. ‘Quantity determines the category. If you only have one hair clip then you don't make a separate category for hair. I suggest only breaking out by family members if there is truly no overlap in products. We want to focus on how often we use the item to determine where it is going to live’, insists Ben.
3. Include transparent storage
There are lots of beautifully designed pots and containers that can be used to store things. However, they might not be the best option for a functional family bathroom. Ben explains ‘we want items to go in easy and come out easy. There is a difference between where things fit and where they belong. If everything is lined up but tight you simply can't access them. When it comes to storage solutions the only thing that matters is ease of use. For most bathroom storage, clear plastic bins work well by category. Take the whole bin out then put it back when done’.
Having storage that is transparent, whether it be made out of glass, resin or plastic is important for keeping your bathroom cabinet tidy and organized. Get creative and use a label maker to create your own personalised labels.
4. Use slide out drawers
Depending on how big your bathroom cabinet is, it may be quite deep which will require innovative storage solutions. ‘Some people have very deep closets in their bathroom but this can be tricky. Anything that is in the back and hard to reach might as well not exist. Slide-out drawers work well’, explains Ben.
‘As much as possible we want bathroom storage to use drawers for ease of use. the more bins that stack the more trouble you are setting yourself up for,' Ben adds. That's because if you want something from the bottom, you'll have to unpack the whole cabinet. At the base, try a pull-out organizer, like this mDesign style, pictured, available from Walmart.
If you’re currently in the process of designing your bathroom, it’s a good idea to include slide out drawers in your design to make your life easier.
5. Make the most with vertical storage
Homeowners that have small bathrooms should consider utilizing the vertical space that’s available and fit in their storage accordingly. Tall bathroom cabinets are a great solution to this. Shara suggests using ‘bins that stack to make use of vertical space’. This way, you shouldn’t need to take out all of your items if you need to reach for something.
Ben Soreff agrees with this and insists that ‘when storage is tight, you need to go vertical. Some modern bathrooms do not have a vanity favoring a stand-alone sink. A tall skinny corner shelf can fill that void’.
