15 Tips to Organize a Small Bathroom

By Madison White on April 23, 2020

Most college students aren’t blessed with a large bathroom full of storage space and organizational options. Luckily, even if your bathroom is short on space, you can still make it into a neat and tidy oasis. With these tips, you’ll be able to transform your tiny bathroom into a space that feels more zen.

1. Use those cheap plastic drawer organizers

You’ve seen them. The ones that every elementary school teacher seems to have an abundance of. Those cheap plastic containers will go a really long way when it comes to bathroom storage. I know, they aren’t the prettiest, but they are cheap and easy to find. When you’re a college student living on a small budget who needs to organize their tiny bathroom, they might just be exactly what you need.

These containers are a lifesaver when it comes to organizing bathroom drawers. If your drawers are stuffed full and it takes you ages to find anything in them, then you need these. Not only do they keep things in place, but they make them easy to find. They also prevent them from rolling and piling up when you yank open the drawer. As a bonus, you can also take them out while you are using them. They can organize anything from makeup to hair accessories to small cleaning products. Of course, if you’re feeling fancy, go for a more stylish drawer organizer, but if you don’t really care, these will do the trick.

2. Roll towels and washcloths and store them upright

We can’t all be the most gifted folder ever, in fact, most of us aren’t really that good at it. When you have an assortment of towels, it can be a real pain to get them to stack in a neat manner that uses the right amount of space. When you have lumpy towels, you are losing out on crucial space, also stacking them on top of each other can make it hard when you need to pull one from the bottom. It inevitably messes up the whole stack.

An easy fix to this is to roll your towels and store them in an upright storage unit. This way, you will not be wasting vertical space with some inadequately folded towels. Get creative with this! You can use file holders or dividers or whatever else makes sense in your bathroom.

3. Try out a Lazy Susan

Think lazy susans are only for the kitchen? Think again! A lazy susan can be a game-changer in a tiny bathroom. Something some of us may be familiar with is needing to get a product from the back of the cabinet and ruining the layout of everything. It is a real hassle to have to move everything either to the side or completely out of the way just to find one item.

One way to help solve this problem is to input a lazy susan system either on your countertop or in your cabinet. Luckily, they can come in a variety of sizes from very small to large. You could use a small lazy susan for your facial products and a larger one for bath products like shampoo and conditioner.

4. Decant your products

Decanting is arguably one of the most popular trends lately in the organization world. If you don’t know what it means, decanting is putting things in other, more uniform containers like plain glass or plastic bottles. Of course, you can get creative with decorating your containers but lots of people like to keep it simple. One of the benefits of decanting is that it can reduce physical clutter, but also visual clutter. Most containers for things like shampoo and soap and everything else have gaudy, unappealing packaging that doesn’t look the best in a streamlined bathroom.

By decanting most of your products into similar containers, you can reduce this “visual noise” and make your bathroom look instantly more chic. Of course, be careful when doing this that you are choosing containers that will hold all of your products. You may also need to be crafty and find a funnel to help you move various liquid products.

5. Try out a floating shelf

Think your bathroom is too small for shelving? Think again! Almost every bathroom has enough space for a small floating shelf. These can be a huge help when it comes to storage because it utilizes vertical space that was previously being unused. Plus, it can be a handy place to reach for things whether you install it above your toilet or near your shower.

Besides just being great for storage, you can also use a floating shelf to decorate. This way, you won’t feel like you’re wasting valuable counter space with cute décor items.

6. Use trays

A simple organization trick is to place your items on a tray instead of directly onto a countertop. Not only does this make your items look more organized, but it also gives them a specific place to sit which means you’re more likely to keep things organized.

Additionally, trays make it easy to pick things up and move them when you use them. Trays are also great for storing things on somewhat curved surfaces like the top of your toilet. It can be easy for things to topple off of this surface, but a tray will keep them solidly in place.

7. Try a curved shelving unit under the sink

One problem with small bathrooms can sometimes be the under sink situation. While a sink with an exposed stand may look pretty, it can be a real hassle when it comes to storage and organization. Because of its curved nature, it can be very tricky to put anything underneath the sink without it looking automatically messy.

One solution to this problem is to find a curved shelving unit that will fit under and around your sink. This can be a great use for storing things like products, towels, toilet paper and much more.

8. Use those suction cup holders

Suction cup holders may seem like something you’d only see in a child’s bathtub, but they can be very handy when it comes to organizing a small bathroom. You can get them in a variety of different sizes for different things that need to be placed up and off the shelf and counter space that you have.

These can be especially helpful in the shower for storing things like soap and haircare products. They can also be attached to places like the mirror so that you can store things like toothbrushes or handsoap off of the countertop.

9. Get a storage system for under the sink

If you’re someone that is blessed with a cabinet under the sink, make sure you are getting the best use out of it. Often, under-sink storage can easily turn into a jumbled mess. It is way too easy just to toss things in there and let a big pile of junk take over. However, a big pile of junk isn’t exactly the best way to make use of this crucial space.

One problem with under-sink storage is only using the bottom of it. There is only so much room you can utilize if you are just putting things in. There is often a whole lot of vertical space that gets wasted because of this system.

Try adding some small shelving units to amplify your usage of the space and help you keep it more organized. Additionally, a cabinet door is a great place to install some extra holders to keep some of the smaller things in place and at an easy reaching distance.

10. Get a shower caddy

Even if you don’t have a lot of bath products, the shelves in your shower are still probably a bit crowded. Nobody likes it when you’re in the middle of a shower and you only just bump something and all your things go tumbling down.

A great way to solve this, and create extra space, is to get a shower caddy that hangs over the showerhead. You can get any type of caddy from simple to multi-shelved. Some people might be fine with some clear plastic while others might want to splurge for a nice wire caddy.

11. Mount things on your mirror

Do you have a giant mirror that is great for getting ready but terrible for your wall space? Don’t count all that space out as unusable just yet. There are plenty of ways that you can attach small organizers right to your mirror!

These can be great for little things that you use every day or that are frequently getting lost. Things like toothbrushes and razors are great items to attach to your mirror.

12. Put magnetic strips in your cabinet drawers

Losing track of little things like tweezers and bobby pins can be a real pain. An easy way to keep these things from getting lost and flying around your drawers is to insert magnetic strips to the sides of your drawers. Lots of times, people use these in their kitchens to help organize their knife drawers, but that doesn’t have to be their only use!

By installing these magnetic strips, these small metallic items will stick to them and you can find them easily. Plus, they keep them from getting all over the place and causing a huge mess!

13. Hang an organizer over the back of the door

This article has talked a lot about wall space and cabinet space but don’t forget about door space! The back of your bathroom door is a crucial spot for organization. To make the most of it, try getting some sort of organizer for the back of your bathroom door. This could be a simple hook system or something more elaborate with shelving and pockets.

These types of organizers are especially handy for hanging up towels after they’ve been used or storing a robe that you like to wear after showering. Instead of throwing your towel over the curtain rod, hang it on the door hook. It will make your bathroom look a whole lot tidier!

14. Use your extra towel rod space

Speaking of towels, if you are the only person using a bathroom, you may have noticed that you have a little bit of extra space on your towel rack. What can you do with that? Turns out, lots of different things. Try getting some hooks that will hang on your towel rack and attach other bathroom items to them. Or you could try out an organizer that latches over the top and can store some items. These are great options so that you aren’t wasting precious space when you’re only using your towel rod for one towel, or if you hang it somewhere else and aren’t using the rod at all.

15. Store makeup brushes upright

If you’re someone that uses makeup brushes, they can be difficult to store correctly. Sometimes they get shoved into a drawer and roll around, taking up valuable space and leaving a mess in their wake. An important organizing tip for makeup brushes is to always store them upright. Try finding a container that fits with your décor whether it be a jar, vase, or other container. If you find that you don’t like the way they sit in it, try filling it with small beads or rocks to help situate them correctly.

Conclusion

All of these tips may or may not be for you depending on your style of living and how your bathroom is laid out. Whatever ones you decide to try should give you a better way to organize your items and help your small bathroom feel a little less claustrophobic. These easy tricks can go a long way in making your bathroom a space that you love to be in rather than a space that you absolutely dread walking into.

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