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A constant in bathrooms everywhere is a shortage of storage. From cosmetics to hair-care products, to grooming equipment, shaving equipment, and washing accessories, there’s just a lack of space in most bathrooms.
Not to mention, you never have too many backup rolls of toilet paper or clean towels on hand.
This isn’t just a matter of not having what you need, where you need it, and when you need it. It also means there is perpetual clutter in the room—especially if the bathroom is regularly used by many people.
Thank goodness that there are lots of simple, smart, and even fun storage solutions.
20+ Good Storage Options To Cut Clutter In A Small Bathroom
In this article, we share over 30 good storage options to help cut the clutter in your small bathroom. Pick the ones that suit you, and get your bathroom organized and looking sharp.
A great tip when adding storage solutions in your small bathroom is to choose a wall that will vertically host your storage solutions and ensure you do not cramp up this space. For a sleek look, conceal items behind doors, in baskets and bins or just display them nicely if in open shelves.
To start your organizing journey so you can maximize the small amount of space you already have, start with height in mind! Simply visualize the areas of your bathroom that hold items but that have additional height that can benefit from adding multiple tiers.
For instance, in this small bathroom, the area underneath the sink houses the washer and dryer while a floating shelf is installed above to hold the canisters and a bathroom plant.
A towel is neatly folded over the vanity, another draped over a hook and other hand washing items displayed on the countertop.
1. Wall-Mount Wire Baskets
Wire baskets come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and can be spray painted any color to suit your preference. That means they’re ideal for customizing and including in your bathroom décor.
Once ready, use anchors and screws with flange washers to secure the baskets to the wall where you want them.
They make such great holders for odd-sized jars, bottles, and even rolled towels. However, they’re best when used with objects that have their own visual appeal.
2. Vanity or Shower Door Back
The back (inside) of vanity doors, cabinet doors, or shower doors is actually prime storage real estate that is often overlooked.
You’ll find a wealth of specialized over-the-door racks and holders meant to either hang from the top of the door or be screwed right to the inside of the door.
This type of storage combines accessibility and a hidden location that keeps visual clutter out of sight.
3. Door-Back Towel Storage
Keeping wet and dry towels organized and out of the way is a central challenge in a busy bathroom.
Answer that challenge by screwing large hooks to the back of the bathroom door, or attaching short towel bars that can be used to hold dry or wet towels.
In either case, make sure to install a doorstop or other door protector to stop the racks or hooks from damaging the wall when the door is flung open.
You May Also Like: How To Display & Hang Towels In The Bathroom
4. Shower Caddies & Shower Shelves
Hanging shower caddies are widely available in a range of colors and designs. But any of these make wonderful waterproof storage for cleaning products such as shampoo or bottled soap.
Simply hang the shower caddy over the shower door, inside the shower from the shower head with its hook and suction cups, or use a tension caddy that sits in the corner of your shower, giving you ample space to store all your toiletries.
You can also mount multiple shower shelves above the tub to hold more bath products.
5. Free-Standing Caddies
A slim freestanding bathroom caddy with tiered shelves that fits the tightest spaces but provides ample storage.
6. Use a Bathtub Caddy
Enjoy taking long baths while reading your book or watching a program on your tablet with a wooden bathtub caddy tray.
It is an all-in-one and elegant bathroom accessory designed to hold everything you need for your novel experience of bathing: a wine glass slot, a candle/cup slot, a phone tray, a book/gadget holder, and more.
7. Add a Shower Stool
A solid teak wood stool not only makes the shower a comfortable spot adding a spa-like accent for any bath setting. It also provides extra storage space for your bath products.
TIP: A solid teak wood that is naturally water resistant makes a natural bathroom accessory.
8. Wine Rack Towel Storage
Fun fact: A tightly rolled bath towel is about the same diameter as a bottle of wine. Take advantage of that odd coincidence by storing extra towels in your bathroom in a wine rack.
The wonderful thing about wine racks is that they come in all kinds of materials and styles.
You can hang a traditional wooden “honeycomb” from the wall, or use a standing metal wine rack for a more contemporary look where wall space is limited.
9. Maximize the Space Above & Underneath the Vanity
Small bathrooms often struggle with storage options. However, over-the-vanity and under-the-vanity storage ideas, will open up otherwise unused space.
Install a towel warmer or towel rail above the vanity and underneath, a bathroom basket can help hold your towels and other fabrics. A washer and dryer can also be put underneath a floating sink transforming your space into a multi-purpose zone.
10. Install Multiple Floating Shelves
A basket under your sink is great for holding products, but there is still a lot of headspace above the sink area, and even more space underneath.
Consider installing floating shelves in multiples, thus creating more space than you had before. One above can hold bathroom plants while the one below can provide a surface for holding towels.
11. Verticalize Your Vanity For Perfect Small-Item Storage
To increase storage within a small bathroom, pullout vertical drawers are an option offered by many vanity manufacturers.
They are ideal for all manner of small, loose items that seem to accumulate in a busy bathroom. The handy drawer puts cosmetics, small electronics, and much more within reach, but quickly out of sight when not in use
12. Hide Storage In Wall-Hung Units.
Look to wall-mounted cabinets for space-efficient storage in a small bathroom.
Such cabinets are even more effective if combining abundant storage space behind a mirrored front panel.
13. Conserve Floor Space With Wall-Mounted Units.
Add a wall-hung cabinet to a modest bathroom to create additional storage without taking up valuable floor space.
The easiest way to integrate a wall-hung unit like this into the design is to match it to the style of the vanity and mirror.
That is, ensuring all the pieces reflect a similar aesthetic, and small details such as the pulls convince the eye that these pieces are all part of a set—and an attractive set at that!
14. Save Space With Vertical Fixtures
Wall space is precious, especially in small bathrooms so follow the trend toward tall, narrow bathroom cabinets to make the most of available space in a small bathroom.
You can choose a unit that is mounted between wall and floor or one that stands free but takes up a minimal footprint. The cabinet can be open or with mirrored doors that spun to either side for added convenience and access.
Such tall cabinets with shelves on the inside make the unit incredibly useful for storing just about anything you might need in the bathroom.
You can also customize such tall storage spaces and have them accommodate your washer and dryer, that way, you’ll have a laundry room within your small bathroom!
15. Store Everything in a Hutch
You can turn to an all-in-one bathroom hutch to provide all the storage a bathroom could need.
16. Use the Wall as a Built-in Shelf.
As this ultra-modern bathroom shows, you can literally build in a shelving substitute.
If you’re tiling an entire wall, like the wall behind a bathtub, above the toilet or in the shower, it’s not hard to frame in a stepped knee wall in front of the main wall, creating a ledge that is much longer and stronger than most wall-mounted shelves.
Although this ledge is used to hold towels and other light items, it could just as easily be used to store heavier things. It also functions as a wet wall to conceal the tub plumbing if behind a tub.
17. Combo Vanities are Stylish Space Savers.
Settle on a great solution for your half-bath by choosing a wall-mounted vanity and mirror combination.
This beautiful example shows how space-efficient a combination unit can be while still providing plenty of style.
A sophisticated white vessel sink paired with a chic and simple faucet sits atop a dark wood unit featuring a single cabinet and tall, narrow mirror.
The mirror serves any bathroom well, reflecting an image that includes torso and some lower body, and the entire unit fits in a space narrower than what a toilet would require.
18. Look for a Vanity with Varied Types of Storage.
Find a multifaceted vanity such as this and you may start to expand your notion of what should be stored in the bathroom.
The central column of drawers provides the opportunity to store what might normally be kept in a bedroom or walk-in closet.
This is especially true of a master bath, where the bulk of the dressing is done in the bathroom.
You can keep jewelry or accessories in these drawers and free up room in your dresser or even use it to store abundant supplies such as bars of soap.
Tip…
Use Retractable Racks To Make Vanities More Useful
Make any vanity even more useful with slideout storage racks.
These can hold all kinds of items, and the wire construction is easy to clean in the event of a spill (although you can find solid, slide-out drawers as well).
Some vanities and bathroom cabinets come equipped with these types of storage features, but you can easily retrofit your existing under-sink or cabinet areas with trays on runners like this one.
19. Fix Wall-Hung Sinks, Bidets & Toilets
Wall-hung sanitary ware is the perfect choice for small bathrooms.
Not only does it help make the space appear larger, but it also makes it easier to clean the bathroom floor as there are no awkward corners to attract dirt.
Smaller models are ideal if you need to locate the wall carrier below a window, and those with shallow depths mean they can be installed in a studded wall or in front of a solid wall and then concealed.
Toilet flushing can be activated electronically or manually via wall actuation plates, or pneumatically with an Air Button. (Pneumatic activation means that the button does not need to be attached directly to the cistern so it can be located in a more convenient location)
Tip…
Install sanitary items in corner spaces.
When space is tight, making the most of corners is a priority. A corner installation set enables you to exploit the area.
20. Use Concealed Faucets & Thermostats
Go for a faucet collection that includes a choice of concealed fittings for the bathroom sink, bath, and shower.
Wall-mounted faucets, featuring concealed bodies, are ideal for use with small vessel sinks, while concealed faucets in the shower don’t encroach on the showering area due to their shallow profiles.
*Disclaimer: The photos are courtesy of Marina_Ky on Instagram
