Ideas for Organizational Storage in Small Bathrooms

Shelving

• The unused space on your walls gives you a storage option when you install shelving. Measure the available space on the wall to find a shelf that fits. Choose a space such as the area above the toilet or around the windows that won't interfere with the bathroom door or other functions in the bathroom. Selecting one large wall unit with several shelves or individual shelves will allow you to hang it at different heights.

Built-ins

• If your bathroom has small nooks or recessed areas, use those to your advantage to create built-in storage areas. Build basic shelves that run across the nook, and add doors to the shelves if you want to hide the items you're storing. Depending on what is behind the walls, another option is to make a cutout between two studs, and make a shallow built-in area on the wall for storing bottles and other small items.

Wheeled Carts

• Wheeled carts offer a functional option for small spaces. The wheels allow you to easily move the cart around the bathroom when you need to use it. When not in use, wheel the cart to a corner or other dead space in the room. Test out the cart first to ensure that it is steady with wheels that turn easily.

Organizers

• Organizing tools keep your existing linen closets and shelving better organized. Baskets are inexpensive and decorative options for organizing bathroom essentials. Choose baskets in various sizes to accommodate things like extra toiletries, towels, cosmetics and toilet paper. In your linen closets or drawers, use wooden dividers to keep the contents separated based on the types of items. For example, in a drawer you might add a divider to separate hand towels and washcloths.

Tips

• Go through all of the items you currently have stored in the bathroom to ensure they need to be there. If you don't regularly use any items, discard them or move them to another area of the home. Cut down on items that you have multiples of, such as hairbrushes or curling irons. A color-coding system is an option for organizing items belonging to specific family members. For example, place baskets in different colors inside the linen closet. Each person has a different colored basket to store her toiletries to keep them organized.