We are overhauling a lot of rooms in our home in effort to have things be more organized and tidy looking. One room in particular that I’ve been searching ideas for is our tiny master bathroom (actually, all our bathrooms are small)! There’s not a lot of room and not a lot of storage. So I’ve been looking on Pinterest for some DIY Small Bathroom Organizing Ideas and thought I’d share a few with you today!
This can feel downright indulgent in the bathroom, where there’s so much to corral and function often overrules form.
Here are some great small bathroom organizing ideas to help you maximize storage in your bathroom!
Bathroom Organization Ideas for Large and Small Baths
Bathroom organization is attainable for all baths regardless of their size. Small bathrooms might face more of a challenge because they need to pack a lot of utility into a tiny footprint. However, there are basic organizational principles every bath should follow.
Ideally, you need a space that can store toilet paper, towels, toothbrushes, and other everyday essentials while still looking nice and decluttered. We’ve collected several bathroom organizing ideas that address small bathroom storage, organizers for larger baths, and some tips and tricks to help you maximize any space.
Add a Shelving Unit Above the Toilet
Companies sell shelving units that are made to fit around standard sized toilets. Stylistically, these are pretty basic looking. However, another option is to build custom open shelves above the toilet for additional storage. Doing it yourself provides more of an opportunity to match the shelving with your style.
Use Cups or Mason Jars for Medicine Cabinet Storage
This medicine cabinet became much more functional with the addition of three mason jars. By storing items vertically inside a glass, you can make better use of the vertical space inside the cabinet. One bathroom organizing tip to consider is to try to keep like items together. For instance, one jar could be for dental care, one for razors, and another for miscellaneous creams and ointments.
Use a Label Maker to Beautify Basic Containers
Labeling isn’t just for function; it’s for style too. When you use streamlined containers with an attractive label, everything looks more appealing and put together. Experiment with a mix of containers, baskets, and apothecary jars that work well together. However, before you purchase any organizing products, sort through all your products and pick out categories first, so you don’t buy more than you need.
Change Out Shampoo Bottles to Cut Down on Clutter
Showers and tub surrounds are infamous for getting cluttered with multiple shampoos and soap bottles. One way to encourage a minimal approach to bath products is to coordinate your bottles. You’ll be so caught up keeping your bottles looking photo-ready that you will be less tempted to buy that extra bottle of body wash.
Add a Tiered Tray if You Have Extra Floor Space
Any bath with a little extra floor space could benefit from the addition of a tiered tray or tiered basket organizer. Some people use rolling carts for this purpose, but a tiered tray is an elegant and welcoming option. Stock the top two levels with items needed for bathing and store some extra toilet paper at the bottom. A smaller, two-level tiered tray would work well for storage on the bathroom counter.
Attach Everyday Makeup to the Wall
Think about the items that you reach for every day when you get ready in the bathroom. If you do your make up there, consider attaching some removable storage containers directly to the wall. You can either make a custom caddy or purchase ready-made organizers for this purpose. Just be aware that some stick-on organizers may damage the wall underneath, so you may be better off drilling a few small holes.
Keep Things Bright, White, and Open
Space can be tight in the bathroom, but one trick to make it at least feel larger is to keep the color scheme bright and white.
Even better? Install some open shelving. It helps you use — but still see — every extra inch of available space. So things seem extra roomy.
Tame Under-Sink Clutter with Baskets and Bins
To keep the cabinet underneath your sink from becoming a toiletries landfill, use baskets and storage containers to keep the space organized and satisfyingly symmetrical.
Clear containers with drawers make it easy to see (and get a hold of) what’s inside, plus they’re a cinch to stack — a great shortcut for making things look neat and tidy.
And if you’ve got some empty space below the cabinet itself, slide some baskets in down there too. It was just a floor. Now, it’s storage space.
Get Creative with Unused Space
Don’t have enough space to stash your unruly cluster of styling tools? Yes, you do. Converting the wasted space under the basin into a sneaky hidey-hole keeps them out of sight, but still within easy reach.
No one will ever suspect a thing.
Create Storage Out of Thin Air
Attach shelving to cabinet and closet doors, which is usually space that gets overlooked. Hanging wire baskets create extra storage out of thin air.
Plus, it helps make all those little bathroom items super easy to find.
Make the Tiny Stuff Easy to Find with Labels
A designated medicine bucket or shelf might be good in theory, but when you just need an aspirin, who has time to rifle through cold meds and Band-Aids (and cotton balls and sunscreen, and why are there chopsticks in here)?
Instead, cut down your search time by sorting things into smaller categories so everything is easy to find.
Build storage shelves into the space between studs
Fun fact: The space between wall studs is 16 inches, on average. You’re free to do whatever you please with those extra inches, but the best thing you could do is build a small recessed cabinet for bonus bathroom storage.
Want more awesome built-in storage ideas?
Hang baskets on the wall
As A Beautiful Mess discovered through this DIY project, wire baskets don’t have to sit on your floors or in your closets. In fact, they can make pretty excellent floating shelves for toilet paper and towels.
You just need a few screws, drywall anchors, and washers to anchor them in place. Oh, and a drill would also probably help.
Or hang a “wall of baskets”
“Wall of baskets” sounds like a project that could eat up your afternoon, but this Simply DIY 2 idea is actually quite easy.
First, hang two parallel towel bars. Next, cut some ribbon and thread it through your baskets, tying them to the secured bars.
Finally, take whatever bathroom supplies are crowding your cabinets and store them in your four new mini storage units.
Rope together a tower of buckets
This bathroom storage hack comes from Glamour, so the buckets in question are actually some pretty pastel IKEA FINTORP utensil holders. Once you’ve acquired those, just knot an all-purpose clothesline on the sides so there’s about eight inches between each bucket.
Double-knot the clothesline when you get to the last bucket and cut off the excess portion. Then, hang the finished bathroom storage solution from a simple hook on your wall or door, and toss in your hair straightener, hairspray, makeup brushes, hair brushes, and other beauty supplies.
DIY a hair tool organizer
As you already know from our guide to decluttering your bathroom, file organizers and PVC pipes can make excellent hair straightener holsters.
Janel from Nellie Bellie has another great solution for excessive hair tools with her DIY hair tool organizer. It’s essentially a vertical wood plank with aluminum slots, but you also get to customize this one with brightly colored duct tape.
Invest in a wrap-around shelf for your pedestal sink
Pedestal sinks look super sophisticated, but they barely have enough space to stash a bar of soap. To help your sink live up to its full potential, pick up a curved organizer like this tiered rolling organizer from Bed, Bath & Beyond or this custom-cut cabinet from Improvements.
Or dress your pedestal sink in a skirt, and hide baskets behind it
On the more DIY side, you could sew a skirt that matches your bathroom color scheme, attach it to your pedestal sink, and then stow a few storage bins underneath, where no one will ever see them.
Stick organizers to the inside of your medicine cabinet
For about $11, you can snap up a 3-pack of StickOnPods, which are small adhesive organizers designed to store Q-tips, nail polish, and more.
Attach the StickOnPods to your medicine cabinet door, and watch your bathroom storage space instantly increase while keeping your cosmetics neat and organized.
Convert bottle caps into toothbrush holders
Before you take out your recycling, save a 20L plastic bottle cap. Because once you’ve made a small notch in the cap with a boxcutter and slapped some velcro on its back, you have a new home for your toothbrush.
Over Toilet Shelf and Bar
I like this shelf, towel-bar combo from The Butlers. It looks elegant, but also is very functional!
Bathroom Mason Jar Organizer
Use your small bathroom’s wall space well with this DIY Mason jar organizer from DIY Playbook.
Interior Door Storage
I love this idea to use the back/inside of cabinet doors for storage from BHG. I found a similar cabinet organizer on Amazon.
DIY Under Cabinet Storage System
I also really like this custom DIY under cabinet storage system because the pipes in one of our bathrooms is set up strangely. This clever DIY is from Pretty Handy Girl featuring Pink Toes and Power Tools. I found a two tier sliding shelf on Amazon that would work great with this bathroom organizer system.
Wall Mounted Baskets
Wall mounted wicker window boxes or baskets would also be a great storage idea (plus they look awesome)! This smart organization solution is from Our Fifth House.
Hanging Wire Baskets
I also love the idea of hanging wire baskets on the wall like these from A Beautiful Mess. I found some similar wire baskets on Amazon.
DIY Bathroom Mason Jar Holders
Using small painted Mason jars to hold little bathroom items like cotton is such a cute idea! This great DIY is by Rusted Treasure (update- it looks like this blog has moved, but you could apply the steps in my marble storage jars DIY to make your own small painted Mason jars).
Hair Tool Organizer
This easy DIY can be customized to match the rest of your bathroom decor.
Hang Products From A Curtain Rod
Not enough space in your shower to store all your products? Add a curtain rod in your shower to hang shampoo, conditioner, and face wash.
Ladder Shelf
Add some farmhouse style to your bathroom space by leaning this homemade leaning shelf over the toilet.
Spice Racks
Use inexpensive spice racks to store all your daily products at an easy-to-reach level.
Towel Storage
Add some texture to your bathroom by organizing towels and other necessities in pretty baskets mounted on the wall.
Magazine Rack Wall
Simplify your space and remove clutter by mounting a magazine rack on your wall.
File Box Organizer
Place wall hooks on the side of your sink to hang up this file box, which is the perfect size for storing your go-to hair tools.
Stack Toilet Paper in a Basket
One of the most obvious places to keep extra toilet paper is on the back of the toilet. However, there are several ways to make this storage spot more attractive. To make this bathroom organization idea more blog-worthy, find a basket and stack a couple of rows of toilet paper inside.
Use a Free Standing Cabinet for Linen Storage
If you have a bathroom with enough floor space, consider adding a freestanding piece of furniture for additional storage. This extra cabinet can be a new piece like you see here, or you could also repurpose an old sideboard, armoire, or dresser.
Use Clear Bins to Organize Underneath the Sink
To maximize the space under the sink, find some clear plastic bins in varying sizes to organize products into groupings. Label each bin with categories like skincare, hair care, dental care, etc. If you don’t have shelves under your sink, find bins that are stackable or purchase a unit with drawers.
Divide Vanity Drawers Into Sections
Opening a bathroom vanity drawer that looks like a junk drawer is not a fun experience. Instead, purchase drawer dividers and group like items together. The drawer you see here stores items that are used every day and any excess products are stored under the sink. Remember, no two drawers will look alike. Curate your vanity drawer with commonly used products that make sense for your family.
Create a Place for Dirty and Clean Towels
Bathrooms are easier to keep clean and organized when there’s a spot for everything. If possible, designate a small spot for a hamper, so clothes and wet towels don’t end up in a pile on the floor. To save space, roll some clean towels and keep them on top of the hamper.
Use a Lazy Susan in a Bathroom Cabinet
A turntable or a lazy Susan works well for storing lots of products that you want to access often. Instead of needing to reach over something, you can simply turn the base of the stand. If you have multiple types of items to store, add more than one turntable if space allows.
Lean a Ladder for Towel Storage in a Modern Bathroom
One of the most straightforward ways to hang towels in a bathroom is to add some hooks to the wall. However, many designers are incorporating ladders into modern bathrooms for hanging towel storage. You could also use hooks and hang baskets from the ladder to store rolled up washcloths and other toiletries.
Store Items on the Inside of a Cabinet Door
After you put everything away under the sink, chances are there is still some wasted space on the back of the door. To take advantage of this space, attach clear bins to the door and store items you use often. Label each bin and add dates to items that have an expiration date.
Spruce Things Up with Symmetry
Aaaahhh, that tranquil feeling that symmetry can bring. It’s a classy touch that can also be instantly calming and super satisfying.
Achieve that visceral sense of calm by using matching towels (or alternating colors), repeating textures in storage baskets, or arranging ornaments like candles in neat rows.
Splurge on Built-Ins in the Shower
Wading through bottles every time you step into the shower?
Nix the awkward rack hanging from the shower head and give your feet some breathing room by springing for some built-in shelves (with their own greenery, if you’re really feeling fancy).
You can even make it a double …
Install a divided box above your sink
If the picture ledge is too slim for your bathroom storage needs, take a cue from Itsy Bits and Pieces and spring for a more substantial slotted box.
Make a magnetic makeup storage board
Cosmetics can easily dominate your entire medicine cabinet. But thanks to these instructions from Allie Grace, you can easily dominate DIY-ing a magnetic makeup storage board with just an old picture frame, a metal sheet, fabric of your choice, and a few other common supplies that you probably already have at home.
Install a second shower rod in your shower
Don’t have any ledge space for shampoo?
By installing another tension rod inside your shower and then adding hooks, you’ve suddenly got storage space for loofahs, caddies, and even shower caps.
Build a recessed shelf in your shower wall
Provided you’re not afraid to get down with a circular saw, carving out a recessed shelf in your shower for storing soap and other toiletries is a very attainable goal. Here’s a handy visual guide from Apartment Therapy.
Suction cup shaving cream, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner to your shower wall
Out of all the DIY bathroom hacks on this list, this one may be the cheapest and easiest. All you have to do is:
1. Lace hair ties through and around suction cups.
2. Stick the suction cups on your shower’s wall.
3. Slip your shaving cream, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner through the hair ties.
Clearly, it’s called a “dollar store craft” for a reason.
DIY a razor holster and attach it to your shower caddy
Don’t you just hate it when your razor slips off your shower caddy, lies on the floor, and endangers your feet?
Here’s how to give your razor a designated and safe storage spot:
1. Cut a piece of 1-inch-diameter PVC pipe into a 3-inch long piece.
2. Cut two ⅛-inch wide notches into the pipe.
3. Strap the pipe to your shower caddy’s side by fastening plastic tie straps around the pipe’s notches.
Store shower and beauty products on a cake stand
Has your cake stand been collecting dust because you only bake cakes a few times a year?
Repurpose it into a stylish storage stand for your shower accessories or the hair products you’ve got lying around your sink, just like Cosmopolitan did here.
Even though small bathrooms are easier to keep clean than larger ones, there may be things you’re forgetting to clean. Click the link to see if you’re cleaning everything that you should!
I hope you’re as inspired by these small bathroom organizing ideas as I am! I’ll be sharing more organizing ideas for your home as we go through each of our rooms!
