Since downsizing homes in our move from Connecticut to North Carolina, organization and smart storage have become more important than ever. So when I remodeled our girls’ bathroom and our powder room, I organized them from top to bottom! Today I’m sharing 20 of my top bathroom storage ideas to help you organize the bathrooms in your home too! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
1. Add Storage Behind the Door
Let’s kick things off with the new storage solution that I added to my girls’ bathroom (I’m pretty excited about how much storage space it added!). I installed {this behind-the-door cabinet} that attaches to the back of the door using the door hinge pins. All that’s required to be able to install it in a bathroom or other space is at least 3.5″ of clearance between the center of each door hinge pin and the adjacent wall.
There’s a magnet at the top connecting it to the door so it opens and closes in unison with the door but is easily separated from the door when you need to grab something inside:
The behind-the-door cabinet that I installed is {this one} that’s painted white on the back, but there’s an option to have a full-length mirror on the back instead – you can find that option {here}. It’s one of my all-time favorite home organization ideas!
Another option for utilizing the space behind a bathroom door is to go with a hanging rack such as {this Elfa rack}:
I love that you can customize it with different sized bins that can be placed at any height along the hanging bar. Check out my post on back-of-door organizers for more details on the Elfa system and other door organizers.
2. Store Extra Rolls of TP In a Stylish Way
The most convenient place to store a few extra rolls of TP is next to the toilet. But it’s definitely not the most attractive solution. Unless… you have {this stylish rattan TP holder}! It holds three large rolls of toilet paper:
so it’s close at hand but looks so good too:
Check out my post on bathroom decor ideas for more stylish ways to freshen up your space!
3. Eliminate Bottle Clutter in Your Shower
It doesn’t take long for a shower to get cluttered with shampoo and conditioner bottles, body wash, shaving cream, and more. Eliminate the bottle clutter with {these shampoo, conditioner, and body wash dispensers} that mount on your shower wall:
I added them to our guest bathroom about a year ago and even though mounting is drill-free, they’ve stayed firmly mounted to our tile ever since!
4. Nail Polish Organizer
If you have a lot of nail polish bottles, keeping them in {this nail polish organizer} is so much better than in a drawer! It not only keeps them neat and organized, but it also allows you to see all of your colors at once. I have the 3-tier organizer, which is a perfect fit for the shallow top shelf of our bathroom vanity:
but it comes in 4- to 7-tier options too!
5. Use a Rolling Caddy So Everything’s Easy to Access
Having deep bathroom cabinets is great, but they can also turn into a bit of a black hole where everything stored in the back is hidden and forgotten. Using one of {these rolling caddies} totally changes that:
With wheels on the back of the caddy, it’s super simple to pull out so you can easily see and access anything stored in the back.
6. Go With Towel Hooks Instead of a Bar
Have limited space for hanging your towels? Use hooks instead of a towel bar! The only good wall for hanging towels in my girls’ bathroom is a narrow one that isn’t wide enough for a typical towel bar, but it fits two towels on hooks super easily. I used a pair of {these towel hooks} which are similar to {this pair} that I used in our master bathroom:
I had never used towel hooks until a few years ago because I was worried that my towels wouldn’t dry as well, but that actually didn’t end up being an issue – my towels are always dry by the next morning. And I love having the hooks in my girls’ bathroom since they actually USE them so their towels don’t end up on the floor like they often did when they had to hang them on a towel bar.
7. Max Out The Storage In Your Shower
If your shower doesn’t have any built-in niches or shelves for toiletries, there are lots of options for organizers that will add extra storage space including some surprisingly stylish ones! These are a few favorites:
Sources: 1. Bamboo storage rack | 2. Matte black shower shelves | 3. Caddy that hands from shower head | 4. Brushed gold shower shelf | 5. Acrylic shower caddy organizer | 6. Teak corner shelf | 7. Hanging shower caddy | 8. Wire shower basket
8. Swap Your Mirror For a Medicine Cabinet
Medicine cabinets are awesome for adding storage to a small bathroom! They can be mounted to the wall or recessed into it. I added this recessed mirrored medicine cabinet to the powder room in our old house, and you would never know that it was anything other than just a mirror:
Powder Room Sources: Annapakshi Indian Damask Wall Stencil (11.25″ x 15.5″) | Pedestal Sink | Sconces (Polished Nickel)
but there was a ton of great storage space inside! My husband used this bathroom to get ready in the morning before we did our bathroom addition, and having that medicine cabinet for all of his toiletries was a lifesaver.
Our exact medicine cabinet is no longer available (it was from Restoration Hardware) but here are some other pretty options (many come in several finish options):
Medicine Cabinet Sources: 1. Arched medicine cabinet | 2. Metal framed medicine cabinet | 3. Curved edge medicine cabinet | 4. Oak framed medicine cabinet | 5. White wall mount medicine cabinet | 6. Rectangular metal edged mirror | 7. Wire-brushed oak medicine cabinet | 8. Round recessed medicine cabinet
Want to see other pretty bathroom mirror options? Check out my post on bathroom mirror ideas.
9. Roll in a Narrow Storage Cart
Smart storage is all about making use of space that would normally be wasted, including the narrow space to the side of your toilet. I came across {this narrow rolling bathroom cart} that’s perfect for storing toilet paper, cleaning products, and other bathroom items in even the narrowest of spaces:
If you’re using it for items like your toilet brush and cleaners that aren’t the prettiest things to have to look at every day, you can simply flip it around so that the open side is against the wall:
10. Add Storage Above The Toilet
The blank space above your toilet is the perfect spot for hanging art, but in a small bathroom, you might want to use it for storage space too. You can add a wall mounted shelving unit similar to the one I added in our last home (my exact shelving unit is no longer available but {these shelves} are super similar):
Shelf Sources: Brass wall shelf (similar) | Rose print – 11 x 14 | Hello Sweet Cheeks – printable | Brass frame | Rattan TP holder | Llama planter (similar)
Or place a series of floating wood shelves above the toilet such a smaller version of {these floating oak shelves in our bathroom}:
Shelf sources (from top to bottom): White woven basket (medium) | Kumquat tree | Gray & white striped planter (holding plant) | Colorful moth art print | White wood frame | Pair of decorative stacked boxes – no longer available | Glass canister (1 gallon size) | Bath bombs | Belly basket with tassel | Favorite bath towels | Lidded basket as hamper
Another option is to add a simple storage cabinet such as {this mirrored wall cabinet} that I mounted above the toilet in my girls’ bathroom in our old house:
or a more high-end option such as {this beautiful arched wall storage cabinet}.
11. Fill Wasted Floor Space with a Freestanding Storage Piece
Have a small empty corner or other bit of wasted floor space in your bathroom? Consider adding a stylish storage piece such as {this ladder with basket storage}:
If you love the look but don’t have enough floor space in your bathroom for it, check out {this over-the-toilet ladder with baskets} that’s another great option:
I also love {this white storage cabinet} and {this mango wood storage cabinet} as bathroom storage pieces.
12. Double Deck Your Under-Sink Storage
In most bathrooms there’s a lot of wasted space in the cabinets under the sink so if you don’t have a shelf inside, tiered storage is key for making use of it. Before remodeling my girls’ bathroom, I used {this 2-tier under sink organizer} that effectively doubles the amount of storage space for the zillions of cosmetics that they have:
It’s slim enough to fit in pretty much any cabinet and just the right depth to fit in front of the sink plumbing. It includes screws to screw it to the bottom of the cabinet to keep it from tipping over, but I found it doesn’t need to be screwed down if you’re only opening one drawer at a time.
13. Hide a Hinged Tip-Out Tray
Most bathroom cabinets have dummy panels in front of the sink(s) – if you’re able to remove them, consider retrofitting them with {these hinged tip-out trays}. They’re perfect for holding hair bands or a toothbrush and toothpaste:
We had them in my girls’ bathroom and loved having this small extra bit of storage space. It definitely helped a bit with the bathroom countertop clutter!
14. Divide Up Your Bathroom Drawers
Dividing up your bathroom drawers keeps everything in its place and maximizes your storage space. {This vanity} that we have in our girls’ bathroom came with dividers in one of the shallow drawers that make it so easy to store bathroom essentials in an organized way:
If your bathroom vanity or cabinet doesn’t come with dividers, shallow desk organizers such as {these} would do the trick!
15. Add Over-the-Door Cabinet Storage
There are lots of options for adding storage to the back of your bathroom cabinet doors that are as simple as slipping an organizer over the top of them. In my girls’ old bathroom, they had this over-the-cabinet door organizer that holds extra brushes plus their flat iron and hair dryer:
I found this particular organizer at Marshall’s, but {this organizer} is a similar online option.
16. Swap Out Your Pedestal Sink for a Small Vanity
If you’re tight on storage space in a small bathroom with a pedestal sink, consider swapping it out for a small vanity. That’s exactly what I did in our guest bathroom, replacing this pedestal sink:
with this small gray vanity:
Not only did it give our guests a lot more countertop space, but the vanity drawers provided space to store extra rolls of toilet paper and toiletries, and the lower shelf is perfect for storing towels.
My exact vanity is no longer available, but {this gray vanity} is very similar (I swapped out {these knobs} on mine). These are some other small space vanities I love, most of which are available in multiple colors:
Vanity Sources: 1. 26″ Wood vanity with caning (26″) | 2. Gray vanity with shelf (24″) | 3. White vanity with arched base (30″) | 4. Blue vanity with gold hardware (24″ or 30″) | 5. Vintage green vanity with shelf (24″) | 6. White vanity with bottom drawer (30″) | 7. Wood vanity with black hardware (24″) | 8. Light gray two door vanity (30″) | 9. Gray vanity with slatted shelf (24″) | 10. Blue louvered door vanity (30″) | 11. Modern wood vanity (26″) | 12. White vanity with metal-capped legs (20″)
17. Go to the Wall For Towel Storage
If you don’t have a linen closet, don’t waste the precious space in your bathroom vanity with towel storage. Instead, take it to the wall! A wall-mount towel rack has a boutique hotel vibe when filled with rolled towels:
{This wall mount rack} is a similar option that comes in three finishes.
18. Take Advantage of the Top of Your Tank
Want a simple idea for storing a few extra rolls of TP where they’re easy to grab? Take advantage of the space on the top of your toilet tank by adding {this woven tank basket}:
You could also add a lidded box or basket to the top your toilet tank such as {this one} that allows you to store items other than toilet paper too:
Want more ideas for making use of the space on your toilet tank? Check out my post on toilet tank decor ideas!
Another option is an over-the-tank toilet paper roll holder such as {this TP rack}:
19. See It All With Spinners
Rotating racks and turntables are great solutions for storing things in bathroom cabinets and linen closets. A simple spin allows you to see everything rather than having to rummage through what’s in the front to see things in the back. You can organize your makeup in a rotating makeup organizer like {this organizer} that’s similar to the one I used in our teeny bathroom before we remodeled:
For larger toiletries and cosmetics such as shampoo bottles, hair spray, etc., a simple turntable such as {this one} will do the trick.
If you have a mix of smaller and larger items to store, a divided turntable like {this “Crazy Susan”} that I use in our bathroom vanity works beautifully!
I love that it has three removable bins that you can easily pull out and place on your vanity top! I kept all of my “get ready for bed” toiletries in one of the bins that I can easily grab from the cabinet at night so I have everything I need at hand:
20. Store Spray Bottles Where They’re Easy to Grab!
Want an easy spot to keep bathroom cleaners hidden away but still easy to grab when you need them? Attach a few of {these spray bottle hangers} to the inside of a bathroom cabinet door like I did in our kitchen (see {this kitchen remodel post} for kitchen sources):
I wasn’t sure if they would hold the weight of heavy spray bottles over time, but I had them on the back of our kitchen cabinet for over a year before we moved and they all stayed in place!
And with that… my small bathroom storage post is a wrap! If you want to see the details on the bathrooms we’ve most recently remodeled, you’ll find them here:
Our Master Bathroom Remodel Before & After
Do you have any other bathroom storage tips to share? Leave them in the comments below!
XO,
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