Bathroom Organizing
This article is about bathroom organizing. Bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house. This is the place where you get ready in the morning to go about your day. So keeping it organized will save you a lot of time and frustration. Your mood will affect a lot of people.
If you haven’t read my article on tips yet, I strongly suggest you read it before you begin organizing any of the rooms. That article will help you get through these tasks a whole lot easier and help you keep your results once you are done.
Bathroom organizing is not as involved as organizing your kitchen or office. It still can be a considerable amount of work. So have realistic goals and split tasks into small chunks, so you can complete them in a reasonable amount of time and make progress. Set time limits (1 to 2 hour maximum) for each session of work. Do what you can in that time limit. Then, wait for the next day or weekend. Don’t overwork and leave yourself exhausted. That is counterproductive. Also look at what you have accomplished and enjoy it. Let your accomplishments, however small, inspire and motivate you.
Your first task should be clearing items in open areas as explained in article Home Organization Tips (When you begin). Separate them into five categories and appropriately arrange them as explained in that article. You could categorize “Keep Here” items further – cleaning supplies and toiletries for example. However, this is not really important since a bathroom does not usually have as many items as a kitchen or an office.
Basic things you need in a bathroom are toilet tissues, towels, a soap dispenser, air freshener, wastebasket, toilet bowl brush, something to clean the counter, sink and tub with (like a sponge or microfiber cloth), 3 cleaning products (Toilet bowl cleaner, multi surface bathroom cleaner and glass cleaner), a roll of paper towel, cleaning gloves and plastic bags.
I use plastic grocery bags to line the wastebasket – it works great, saves money and is a good way to reuse plastic bags. I recycle plastic bags I cannot reuse, like the ones with holes, at the grocery store. Some of the grocery stores have a recycle bin specifically for plastic bags. Storing plastic grocery bags in a tall container like antibacterial wipes container will save space, look uncluttered and save you some money (no need to buy a separate storage container). Bathroom organizing doesn’t have to be expensive.
If assigning decorative towels that match your other accessories like soap dish, tumbler, and tooth brush and paste holder for a bathroom, it is good to have at least 2 of them. That way if one is in the wash, you have another one for use.
Always keep an extra roll of bath tissue outside, where everybody can see - like on top of the toilet tank. If storing in a decorative box or container, label it. That way your guests don’t have to search for it.
You can always put decorative accessories if you have space, but keep it to a minimum like fresh flowers or candles. In the case of bathroom organizing, less is more.
Powder Room or Half Bath
Powder rooms are usually small. You don’t need too many things in this room. So it is one of the easiest rooms to organize.
If you have a sink base cabinet, that is more than enough space to keep the basic things. Store hand towels in a plastic box or tote. You can do the same for cleaning supplies. If other bathrooms in the house have limited storage, you can keep the cleaning supplies in a plastic storage caddy in the powder room instead. This will free up space in other bathrooms. The handle of the caddy makes it easier to carry supplies to other bathrooms.
In case of your sink base has open shelf, store cleaning products in a decorative storage box or tote with a lid. Using a box or tote of the same color as your sink base will make it “disappear”, creating a clean, seamless and uncluttered look.
If you have a pedestal sink and would like to store cleaning supplies in the room, use a decorative storage box or tote with a lid in the same color as your wall and keep it under the sink or between the wall and the toilet.
Or if space permits, place storage furniture like a small cabinet with door(s) or a narrow bookshelf. You can usually get good furniture items in a furniture outlet center.
Or try the scratch and dent section of the furniture store.
Full and Three Quarter Bathrooms
Organizing bathroom in this case depends on the size of the room, number of people using it and also the amount of storage you have.
If you are storing cleaning supplies in the powder room then you have more space to work with here. Otherwise depending on the space, store only the basic cleaning supplies that are mentioned earlier in this article.
If you have sink base storage, keep cleaning supplies in a single row in the middle of the cabinet and in front of the drainpipe. By doing so you can have deep and tall storage on both sides of the drainpipe. Keep items like hair dryer and curling iron in a box. Also keep one or two extra bath and hand towels, and washcloths in a box or tote. Stack these boxes on the sides of the sink base cabinet. If using boxes or totes without a lid, you won’t be able to stack them. Then store one on each end.
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If you have drawers in the sink base cabinet, store smaller items such as hair dryer, curling iron and washcloths in shallow drawers. Use deeper drawers for bath and hand towels. In case the drawers are not tall enough for stacking folded towels, roll them.
If you have shelves instead of drawers, roll and store towels in a deep basket on the shelves. This will make it easier to access towels in the back.
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Reuse baby wipes or similar containers to group hair accessories, perfumes, nail polish, cosmetics etc.
If you have a linen closet in the bathroom, storage cabinet or sink base storage, group like items together and keep them in boxes or totes before putting them on the shelves or in the drawers. You can also designate drawers or shelves for specific group of items like towels, toiletries and cosmetics. Always store daily or often used items at eye level and in the front when keeping them in the linen closet or storage cabinet.
You can keep hamper(s) in the bottom shelf, which is usually the floor.
Additional towels, cleaning products, toiletries, paper towels and bath tissues can be stored in the outside linen closet.
Depending on your needs, use a shower caddy (with one or two tiers) or a tension pole shower caddy (or both) for bath supplies like shampoos, conditioners, soap, body wash etc.
If you don’t have a linen closet and are also limited in both space and storage in the bathroom, consider a “bathroom space saver” (a piece of furniture with shelves that fits over the toilet tank) for your bathroom organizing needs. This is very economical and provides storage without taking up any floor space in the bathroom. This is also universal, meaning you can take it with you and reuse it if you have to move.
Otherwise you can install a wall cabinet above your toilet. This is also an economical bathroom organizing solution, but requires you to be handy.
A medicine cabinet is great not only for medicines but for extra storage of items like toothpastes and brushes, soaps, cotton balls, contact lenses and solution, hair and face care products and cosmetics. If you are handy or know someone who is, consider installing one if you don’t already have one.
Specifics for Main/Family Bathroom
If more than one person is using this bathroom, designate a tote or basket filled with personal care products they use everyday like tooth brush, floss, hair, face and body care supplies etc. for each person. Assign a different color for each person or label them if using same colored totes or baskets. They can store these totes on the sink base cabinet if space permits. If not keep it in their rooms or the linen closet.
In case you need space to hang more than 2 towels, consider hooks instead of a towel bar.Over the door hooks can also be purchased for this purpose.
If guests are going to be using this bathroom as well, using decorative translucent boxes or totes will provide discrete storage.
Keep things like soap, cotton balls and towels in clear containers or boxes, so your guest(s) can easily locate them. Label them if using decorative boxes or containers.
Specifics for Master Bathroom
Since discrete storage is not an issue in this room, an over the door shoe organizer with clear pockets a good option. These organizers have 16 or 24 pockets (4 each in one row) and are very economical. You can use the pockets to store daily use items within easy reach.
Once you finish organizing, you are going to like it. In fact, bathroom organizing gives the highest return for your efforts. You will get to enjoy it everyday. Remember to maintain your results!
