Bathroom Storage Ideas

May 16th, 2011

Is your bathroom a disaster area? I know mine used to be. Toiletries and make up all over the back of the sink. The medicine cabinet a mess of disorganized bottles, creams, and ointments. The cupboard under the sink crammed to the spilling point with toilet paper rolls and anything that wouldn’t fit elsewhere. Am I right?

Recently, though, I’ve gotten very excited about coming up with different bathroom storage ideas. Now, I’m not talking about major bathroom remodeling here. What I’m talking about can be accomplished with a simple visit to Lowe’s or Home Depot, along with a free afternoon and a little inspiration from Martha Stewart!

Bathroom Storage Ideas

One of the best bathroom storage ideas that I’ve come across recently involves, not remodeling, but simply rethinking your bathroom design. If you have room, you can put in recessed shelves that can tastefully store and display everything from your makeup to some decorative knick-knacks. And if you want to keep your toiletries out of sight, you can always put in recessed cupboards and cabinets.

If even that sounds like more work than you want to tackle, then start by thinking small. How can you maximize the space that you already have? One idea is to reorganize the space underneath your bathroom sink. Everyone has a cupboard down there, but most people just throw things in there until it’s an unorganized mess. Instead, have you considered getting a few small storage boxes and labeling them? If you make them all of one uniform size and shape, then you will also be able to stack them. Put the boxes containing items that you don’t use much toward the back, with the boxes containing more commonly used items toward the front for easy access.

Here’s another very simple idea: use the space behind the door. Your bathroom door probably has nothing behind. You can tastefully hang little cloth bags on the back of the bathroom door and store all kinds of things in there. I store soap, towels, medicines and more!

If you’ve got a little more time, money, and space to play with, then I highly encourage you to build or install a bathroom vanity. Even if you have an existing bathroom vanity, odds are that it’s old and isn’t maximizing your storage space. A great bathroom storage ideas is to put in a new one that has a wide array of drawers and cupboards. You’ll be amazed at the difference – you might even find that this is the only bathroom storage that you need!

Now, for a topic that many bathroom remodelers and redecorators cringe over. What to do with toilet paper? It looks terrible to simply hang it on a hook on the wall like most people do. There are other options! You can still hang it, but hang it on a recessed nook inside of the bathroom vanity. Many newer bathroom vanities make this possible. Alternately, you could put it into a little basket next to the toilet. The goal is to make is accessible for anyone using the toilet, while still keeping it from being too much in view and in sight.

You’re probably thinking that a bathroom storage project is going to cost you an arm and a let. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Prices are very reasonable for many bathroom storage solutions. If you’re simply buying some mounting hardware to hang decorative bags, or purchasing a few boxes to throw your toiletries and makeup in, then you can probably completely re-do the look of your bathroom for less than 75 dollar price point. Even if you’re feeling brave and want to replace your bathroom vanity and medicine cabinet, and maybe actually do a little remodeling, you’ll probably only spend around $400 to $50o if you do most of the work yourself.

Making More Space in Your Bathroom

July 13th, 2011

Well Organized BathroomBathroom storage ideas are something that many persons do not consider until they notice that their bathroom space is becoming quite cluttered. When you come home from a long day at work, the first thing that will most likely come to your mind is soaking in a nice bath. You will certainly not be pleased if you go into your bathroom and see all your towels and toiletries scattered all over the place.

There are many persons who want a stylish bathroom; however, what these persons do not know is that you need to organize the functional section of your bathroom, in order for it to be stylish. To help you with the process of organizing your bathroom, you will need to make use of some great bathroom storage ideas.

Listed below are some great bathroom storage ideas, which you can use to get your bathroom, organized:

  • Empty Your Space – The first thing you need to do is to empty your bathroom of all the toiletries and other items. Once you have cleared the bathroom of everything, you can now evaluate the space that you have available. You should also take the time to think about any shelf covering or painting that needs to be done.

 

  • Attack the Problem Areas – The best bathroom storage ideas will not work if you do not take the time to attack the problem areas.

 

    • Under Sink Areas – This is one of the most difficult spaces in the bathroom to organize; however, bathroom storage ideas that can help you with this area include: Pull Out Bins, Shelf Organizers, Shelf Expanders and Lazy Susans

 

    • Drawers – Your bathroom drawers can also be a very untidy area of your bathroom. Bathroom storage ideas for this area are: Drawer Dividers, Glasses, Bowls and other miscellaneous glassware.

 

    • Medicine Cabinet – In order to organize your medicine cabinet, you need to store only the medications that you currently use. Get rid of all medications that you no longer use, or that are expired.

 

    • Linen Closet – There are a number of bathroom storage ideas that you can use to organize your linen closet. The easiest of these ideas is to add more shelves.

 

  • Look for Additional Space – Bathroom storage ideas enable you to add style to your bathroom by being creative. Places that you can look for additional space in your bathroom are: around the tub, the bathroom door, above the toilet, over the windows and doors and an empty wall.

 

Under Tub Storage

June 6th, 2011

I’ve been brainstorming some new bathroom storage ideas, and I think I’ve come up with a doozy that you’ll really flip for. This idea came about when my wife was after me to create even MORE bathroom storage than what I’ve already made as my weekend project this past week. I’ve already put hooks for storage on the back of the bathroom door, installed a medicine cabinet, organized the space underneath the sink, and put in cupboards on the wall. But my wife needed still more space for some new hair accessories that she bought.

Tub and Shower

I spent at least an hour just standing there and pondering where in the world I could add storage, since I’ve already done so much. And then I realized that my only choices at this point were to either make some storage space under the floor, or underneath the tub. While the floor is a possible option in the future, I decided that this time around, I’d tackle the tub project for this bathroom storage idea.

So here’s what I did. Keep in mind that I’m a fairly experienced handyman, and that you should know what you’re doing before you go cutting up your tub! I knew that between the tub and the outside of the tub/shower enclosure, there is some extra space. Not a lot, but enough to put in some small drawers for odds and ends.

So I carefully cut into the tub with a dremel, after doing the proper measurements. I made rectangular, 4 inch by 4 inch cuts. I then installed tracks for drawers to slide in and out on. I then put together custom made drawers out in my garage workshop. I didn’t have a lot of room, so I could only make them about 4 inches deep! I fit them to the rails/tracks, and voila! My wife now had small drawers cut right into the tub and painted to match the tub, which, while not huge, provide her enough room to store odds and ends such as hair ties and Q-tips.

A few caveats here: You could easily ruin your tub by embarking on this project improperly. Many tubs have only a few inches of clearances when you cut into them. If you cut too far, then you’ll be cutting into the interior of the tub, and could potentially lose water and cause major damage to the floor underneath. You also will want to wear a mask or respirator, as some tubs are made of fiberglass or other materials that can cause lung damage  if inhaled – you WILL be making a powder which will fly into the air, and could be hazardous.

Other than that, I highly recommend that you try this! It’s one of the coolest bathroom storage ideas that I’ve come up with in awhile if I do say so myself. If you decide to tackle it, take some pictures and shoot me and email, and then I’ll put it up here on the site! That’s it for today. Take care, and I’ll have another post up for you soon.

Best Bathroom Storage Ideas

May 16th, 2011

Many people are in a hurry. They don’t have time to wade through endless lists of the “top 537 best bathroom storage ideas”. Many who come to this website are working moms who have 16 spare minutes a week and just want to set aside 4 of those minutes to create some extra space in their bathrooms. This is post is for you…

Best Bathroom Storage Ideas

I’ve put together a brief list of 5 ways that you can create extra bathroom storage space in a hurry. None of these ideas should take you more than a single Saturday afternoon, and some will only take a few minutes!

My first idea that I’d like to present to you is the idea of creating storage space on the back of your bathroom door. Now, I’ve touched on this before, in a previous post, but I truly think that this is one of the best bathroom storage ideas out there. When you first hear this idea, it might not make a lot of sense. After all, you probably don’t really have any spare room on the other side of your bathroom door right? Wrong! The thing is, you have a lot of vertical space. Just not a lot of horizontal space. And you need to maximize that vertical space. If you just want to implement an idea that’s going to take 5 minutes, then hang some hooks at the top of the door to hang your towels. When you have a little more time to spare, maybe an hour or two, stop at Target or another store with a lot of home furnishing supplies. Pick yourself up some cute mesh bags. Now, hang a bunch of hooks on the back of the door, evenly spaced. Then, secure the mesh bags to the hooks. And presto! You’ve got storage for toiletries, wash cloths, and more!

Next idea: Are you a handyman/woman? Do you have a spouse who is? This idea is a little more involved, and might take up a Saturday afternoon. But it’ll give you so much space, you probably won’t be able to fill it. Here goes: You can actually make storage space in the floor. I saw this on a Home Living show on television. Most floors have a lot of empty space beneath them. You cut a hole in the floor, and put a door with a recessed handle on it. Then, not only do you have a huge storage cubby, but you’ve got a spot where you could potentially hide things from your kids. Winning!

Bathroom storage idea 3: Put hooks in the shower. Not evil hooks that are going to kill someone. Hooks that you can hang stuff on. It’s often possible to find hooks that will simply suction to the shower so that you don’t have to damage the shower enclosure by putting holes in it. Hang 8 to 10 hooks, and then start hanging bathroom items that won’t be damaged when they get wet!

Fourth idea: Build cabinets. It’s going to cut into the square footage of your bathroom a bit, but the amount of storage space that you gain will be worth it. You’ll lose maybe 2 square feet of space. But cabinets can go all the way to the ceiling. So the 2 sq. ft. that you lose will be more than made up for by the potentially 50 cubic feet of storage space that you gain. Winning!

Finally, my fifth idea of the day. This one is a bit outside the box. Hang things from the ceiling. You heard me right. You don’t want to go overboard or it will look weird. However, many people hang pots and pans from the ceiling in their kitchen. You can do the same thing in your bathroom. It needs to be tastefully done of course, and you probably won’t want to hang your toilet paper there, but it could be a great spot to hang towels!

I hope that these tips were helpful. If you have more bathroom storage ideas, leave me a comment!

Storage Ideas for Your Bathroom

May 16th, 2011

So if you’ve found your way to this website, it’s probably safe to assume that you are in need of some bathroom storage ideas? Right? In that case, get ready to get your socks rocked right off your feet, because I’m about to drop knowledge on some awesome ways that you can organize the storage in your bathroom in a single afternoon.

Best Bathroom Storage Ideas

Why does it seem like there is less storage area in your bathroom than in any other part of your house? Two reasons. First, because bathrooms are small! There really IS less storage area! And second, because there are so many things that need to be stored in the bathroom. Whether it’s towels, shampoo, soap, makeup, or Q-Tips, there are tons of bathroom toiletries and accessories that you need to worry about. In today’s post, I’ll be discussing the three main areas of the bathroom that get underutilized. These are the walls, the back of the bathroom door, and the space above the toilet. These should give you some pretty awesome bathroom storage ideas that you can then take away and make your own.

Bathroom Storage Idea #1: The Walls

Throughout most of your house, you probably think of the walls in decorative, rather than in functional terms. That’s because, in the rest of your house, space isn’t at the premium that it is in your bathroom. But let’s think about ways to make the walls into a storage solution. First off, if you don’t have a medicine cabinet, get one. Medicine cabinets are a great way to kill two birds with one stone and get you some additional storage space quick. Next, install a couple of towel holders. Not the cheap kind that only hold one towel – make sure you put in good ones. Finally, if you have room and your budget allows for it, install some shelves that you can put boxes and toiletries on.

Bathroom Storage Idea #2: The Back of the Bathroom Door

You might have seen someone that you know who uses the back of their bedroom door to store their shoe collection. Well, I bet you never thought of doing the same thing with your bathroom door. But you can! One option is just to put some towel hooks on the door. This can be done for only a few dollars and for a few minutes of your time with a screwdriver or a drill. Another option is to install bags or cubby type spaces similar to what people oftentimes do with their shoes on their bedroom doors like I mentioned before.

Bathroom Storage Idea #3: The Space Above the Toilet

Wait a minute, you’re probably saying. Above the toilet is just a wall with a cheesy picture. How do I store anything there? Take that crappy picture down first of all. Then, install shelves or cabinets in it’s place! One solution is to simply install an over toilet vanity that sits right on the floor. Another is to put in recessed cabinets or shelves if your bathroom is small. Finally, a third choice would be to just put in traditional shelves which you can probably get at Lowe’s for $15.

And that’s it! These are the top 3 bathroom storage ideas that I’ve been able to find online (which happen to be ones that I’ve used on my own as well!) Let me know if you end up using any of these suggestions?