Organizing Your Bathroom: Tips For Maximizing Space

Between all the things you do in your bathroom, you spend a lot of time there throughout the year. If things are disorganized, you likely waste extra time trying to find items. Maximizing space in your bathroom helps you get organized, so you can do what you need to do and move on to other things.

Take everything out of your bathroom and start with a clean slate. Use vertical space, the area under the sink, and clever storage solutions to maximize every inch. Keep countertops clutter-free and collect smaller items in trays to make cleaning easier. Only display what you use every day, and look for multi-functional fixtures and furniture.

It doesn’t matter if your bathroom is the size of a small country; it can still be chaotic if it’s not organized well. But if you have a smaller bathroom, maximizing your space and keeping things tidy becomes even more essential. Here are practical tips for making your bathroom efficient, calm, and functional, whether it’s big or small.

10 Tips To Maximize Space In Your Bathroom

1. Start Fresh And Reset With A Clean Slate

It might seem like an unnecessary hassle, but taking everything out of your bathroom is a great way to start organizing it. Not only do you get a clearer picture of what you have and your available space, but you also get to deep clean without any obstacles.

Remove everything from countertops, drawers, closets, cabinets, shelving, and the tub and shower areas. Set it in another room or area to get it out of the bathroom. To keep things close at hand, use a folding table or something similar outside of the bathroom to place items.

To help speed the process along, as you remove items, put them together with similar things to make sorting easier later. Once everything is out of the bathroom, deep clean it from top to bottom, dusting and disinfecting all surfaces.

2. Only Keep The Essentials

After emptying and cleaning the bathroom, assess the items. Pare down excess. Forget about all the random collected samples piling up in the drawers and the half-filled bottles of shampoo you stopped using.

Get rid of duplicates or anything you no longer use. It’s time to take back more of your space, which also helps you feel calmer — always a plus for a bathroom vibe.

3. Evaluate Your Bathroom’s Vertical Space

Once you know what you’re keeping, it’s time to store it in a way that makes sense for you. Things that you use daily are best left within easy reach to avoid creating more clutter in the future. You also want to make your bathroom an efficient space, so you don’t waste time there.

Vertical space is often underutilized, so take stock of what’s available in your bathroom. Maximize what you can by adding floating shelves, over-the-toilet cabinets, hanging shelves in the shower or tub, etc. Over-the-door organizers, hooks, and towel rods are other ways to use vertical space.

A tension rod across the wall of the shower and a few S-hooks hold baskets and bins for soap, scrubbers, bottles, and more. Hang loofahs, bath brushes, and sponges on suction-cup hooks in the tub. Use over-the-door hooks for robes and towels, or a door organizer can hold spare toiletries, wash cloths, and make-up.

4. Maximize The Space Under The Bathroom Sink

If you need more space in your bathroom, take a look at your sink situation. Do you have a vanity or pedestal sink? If you have the latter, well, pedestal sinks are cute, but they offer no storage.

It’s worth swapping it out for a vanity with a sink if you have the room and the budget for it. Vanities with cabinets give you instant storage. If the space below the sink is open, a tension rod and curtain provide an extra place to hide items.

To make the most of inside cabinets and under the sink, use stackable bins, drawers, and baskets. Label containers so you can find things quickly (and make it easier for everyone else to find things and put them away).

5. Don’t Waste Deep Storage

If you have very deep cabinets or closets in your bathroom, it can be tricky to reach what’s in the back. However, choosing to keep everything at the front wastes a lot of space. Therefore, make sure to organize bathroom closets and similar areas effectively.

Make the most of the area in the back of deep cabinets and shelves with proper storage solutions like slide-outs, lazy Susans, and tiered shelves. Think outside the box when shopping for organizers. You can find great bathroom storage when you look for items designed for other spaces, like the kitchen or laundry room.

6. Keep Countertops Clutter-Free

Many people desire a calm, spa-like bathroom that helps them relax and unwind. If this is you, avoid clutter at all costs. Don’t store anything on your bathroom countertops except for your few daily essentials.

When possible, opt for wall-mounted dispensers and holders for things like hand soap and toothbrushes. Decant items you plan to keep on the vanity top into pretty bottles (i.e., mouthwash) so it doesn’t detract from your bathroom’s aesthetic.

Instead of keeping all your make-up, hair accessories, etc. out in the open, organize them into a cute caddy that tucks away into a cabinet. You can grab it when you need it and quickly put it away, making tidying up a breeze. Plus, uncluttered countertops are a lot easier to clean.

7. Look For Double-Duty Fixtures And Furniture

When choosing fixtures and items for your bathroom, sneak in storage wherever you can. This tip is especially vital in a small bathroom where every inch counts. You need as many places to keep things out of sight as possible if you want to maintain a clutter-free bathroom.

For example, instead of a regular mirror, look for one that hides a slim set of shelves for small toiletries and medicine. Do you need a small bench in the shower but don't have much room? Get a corner stool and shelf that offers a place to prop your foot and stash a few essentials. If you’re able to fit a small vanity stool, find one that features storage.

8. Be Smart About Shower And Tub Storage

Fit corner shelves into your tub or shower to maximize bathroom storage. A few S-hooks on the shower rod provide extra places to hang a few items. If you’re remodeling, consider adding a niche or two into the wall for built-in shelf space.

When planning organization in the tub or shower, make sure to keep things as open and clear as possible. It’s no fun showering when you knock bottles over constantly or have things hitting you every time you turn around.

Avoid blocking the water flow and only keep the items you’re currently using in the space. Store extra bottles, spares, back stock, and similar products elsewhere.

9. Look For Small Storage To Fit Small Items

Don’t toss a bunch of small things in a large container, you’ll only create headaches for yourself. When you need to find something, you’ll waste time digging through the bin. Instead, organize small things into smaller organizers.

Some examples are a pretty mason jar to hold cotton balls and another jar for cotton swabs. A divided tray holds bobby pins in one section, hair ties in another, and clips in another spot. 

Magnetic strips with detachable containers are a great way to store small things vertically. You can mount them on the wall or the back of cabinet doors.

10. Establish Daily Bathroom Tidying Routines

Organizing your bathroom isn’t a one-time deal. However, there are a few things you can do so you don’t have to completely overhaul the entire space again.

Set effective habits that help you maintain your newly organized bathroom. Implement a quick 5-minute tidy at the end of each day to put things away and wipe down surfaces. Store your items after each use, so they don’t build up into mountains of clutter.

Rotate through your backstock items before buying anything new. Finally, if you share the bathroom with others, make sure everyone is on board with the process and the plan.

An Organized Bathroom Makes Life Easier

When you can do what you need to do and get out of the bathroom quickly, that’s a good thing. Staying organized and making the most of the space in your bathroom helps you accomplish tasks and take care of business efficiently.

Utilize vertical storage, maximize every inch of space inside cabinets and under the sink, and use smart storage solutions. Don’t stress about it. You don’t have to tackle everything at once.

Instead, work through these tips gradually, one at a time, to stay focused and keep up your momentum. As you move through the process, you’ll start to see positive results and reap the rewards. The highlight of an organized bathroom is that it leads to a more functional and peaceful home.

Related Guides:

• Simple Tips To Make Your Bathroom Feel Like A Spa
• 5 Best Trough Sinks (for More Bathroom Functionality)
• Standard Bathroom Vanity Dimensions (with Photos)