Bathroom Storage; what do you have, how do you use it

15 years ago

OK, demolition starts next week and I am agonizing over bathroom storage. For better or worse, the agonizing will end soon.

We have never had storage in bathroom beyond (small) vanity and medicine cabinet, so we don't know what we are missing. We have always had hall closet for extra towels, etc. The only downside we have experienced is when a towel is removed for laundry, not replaced, and discovery occurs after stepping out of the shower.

Soooo, assuming a hall closet...how much in bath storage do we really need/want? For people with lots of storage, do you really love it...what do you use it for?

thank you,

John

Featured Answer

sweeby

15 years ago

I think organization is at least as important as sheer storage space.

Spread all your bathroom junk out on the floor or bed and pretend you're at a garage sale and that you have to 'buy' anything you want to keep (and not at a too-good-to-pass-ip price). If you don't care enough about it to buy it back now, then throw it away! TOSS those 10-year old lotions and potions! Failed make-up experiments? Throw 'em away! Perfumes and after shaves that aren't your style? Toss 'em! Curlers, straighteners and personal appliances that are no longer being used -- Goodwill 'em. The sheer volume of 'bathroom garbage' may dismay you; but you may also be pleasantly surprised by the 'good stuff' you rediscover simply by tossing the carp.

Then sort and group the rest into baskets and bins that are just large enough for what's in them. Storage containers that can be stacked to fully utilize the vertical space will make the most of shelves, and see-through containers and big labels are wonderful! Then put the seldom-used stuff on the hard-to-reach shelves and the used-everyday stuff in the easiest-to-access areas.

How much storage space do I have? One small medicine cabinet and an 18" wide by full-height closet. Between those two spaces, I have everything I use plus soap, shampoo, toothcare and deoderant for the entire family.

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Comments (11)

gbsim1
15 years ago
I don't think you can ever have too much storage.

Going mentally through our drawers and cabinets: first aid stuff, big packs of toilet paper, extra Kleenex, a drawer for brushes/combs/hair stuff, a plastic box of fingernail polish etc; extra bathmats and towels; space heater; travel bags of personal care stuff ready for trips; extra shampoo, toothpaste etc; clippers for DH beard; hot rollers; cleaning supplies; wastebasket is in the cabinet under the sink.
monicakm_gw
15 years ago
You can never have too much bathroom storage. I have a linen closet (about 3'x3') and a wider, more shallow closet (maybe 6'x2.5'). Both were there before the remodel but DH built a stack of shelves down one side of the wider closet,leaving about 2 feet of hanging space. Also have a cabinet above the toilet and, of course, vanity storage.
Linen closet

Wider closet

Inside of wider closet. To the left (can't see it because of the door) is a wall outlet about waist high. My broom vac is plugged in and handy, cordless phone and radio. Cleaning supplies, medical supplies and yes, my cookbook collection. There's just no other place for them! (lol)
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ladycfp
15 years ago
I have storage in my vanity, medicine chest/mirror, a linen chest, decorative columns and the spacesaver over my toilet. I went from practically none to never having to leave the room for anything I might need in there. Here are the pieces I used- all from Home Decorators online.

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Spacesaver

Linen Chest

These columns on either side of tub have a swinging door that reveals shelves inside I stash bubble bath and soap in them.
john90505
Original Author
15 years ago
Reading the responses and looking at what we have in our limited space, there is a lot of stuff that could be disposed of (yes, 10 year old lotions). Given linin storage in the hall closet, what do we really NEED in the master bath?

couple of sets of extra towels, TP, cleaning supplies, toiletries/cosmetics, hair dryer, medicines, robes/PJ's. Can't think of anything else.

We will have a 36x30 mirrored medicine cabinet and a 5' x 36" vanity in the master bath for storage of the above. Plus robe hooks/towel racks.

Please save me if I am going down the wrong path, but I think we are in decent shape.
jjaazzy
15 years ago
Never ever too much storage! I had 1 18x24x96 pantry, 1 30" sink base, 1 12x12x30 hung on wall 1 36x12x30 over toilet 1 tiny medicine cabinet. The 18" wide 24" deep pantry had shelves made with the wire racks, don't do this. You must have solid roll out shelves, bathrooms are full of little bottles and they all fall over on the racks. Plus when you are reaching in for something thatÂs 2ft back your elbow takes everything out, very aggravating, for a temp fix on the wire rack issue I put a large tile sample on shelf. I like to segregate all my stuff, everyone here does their own hair, so all the products and supplies for that I keep on one shelf, all stuff for colds in one spot, I have a first aid section, shallow drawer for makeup, deep drawer under for hair care products. Once you start thinking about it the list goes on and on. I have designed the new bathroom with a ton of storage that works well. I am also going to try and put the electric toothbrushes with chargers plugged in, into the cabinet so nothing is on the counter. Maybe a stack of fresh rolled white washcloths, like they do on some cruise ships. Love that! This is a great thread, I get to see others organization tips and tricks.
sweeby
15 years ago
"Given linin storage in the hall closet, what do we really NEED in the master bath?
couple of sets of extra towels, TP, cleaning supplies, toiletries/cosmetics, hair dryer, medicines, robes/PJ's. Can't think of anything else."

Exactly!

Clear plastic shoe-storage boxes are THE BEST for bathroom stuff. Leave the lids on for storage small things, and lids off for larger items. Plus, being able to *stack* them really gets the milage out of your space.
bluekitobsessed
15 years ago
It depends a lot on how many bathrooms you have and who uses them. I'm remodeling a powder bath, which will become my mom's bath when she moves in in a couple of weeks. As a powder/guest bath, all it really needed was room for toilet paper (acckkk! there is a special level of hell reserved for people who use the last bit of TP and don't replace it!) and soap/shampoo; of course it filled up with more than that, but none of that was really needed. As my mom's bathroom, it will need more.
clarosietoo
15 years ago
Sorry for reviving an old topic, but this is almost exactly what I was looking for on this board. I live alone in a 2-bath home. My hall bath is 5x7; the linen closet is just a couple of steps away. I'm taking out a 36" vanity that was too big and replacing with 28" console sink (open with bottom shelf) thus losing my storage. I was going to put in a medicine cabinet for a little storage, but now I really just want a mirror and small shelf. I'm thinking to give each guest (I usually just have 1 or 2 at a time) a small basket to hold their items when they're in the bathroom. My mom stays with me a couple of weeks at a time, a few times a year so that surely won't be a major problem. At resale, I could add a wall unit over the toilet if the lack of in-room storage was selling a problem.

I'm glad I came here because this gives me some support for doing what I want, not just what I think I'm supposed to do.

I'm also thinking to have the contractor do less now rather than more. I can take down a mirror and add a wall mount medicine cabinet easier than I can do the reverse. If can always add more to the room if needed.
arleneb
15 years ago
My last house had these shelves built in at the entrance to the walk-in shower. They held towels, washcloths, shampoo, extra soap, and shower cleaning supplies. It worked so well that we're reproducing it in the new house.

Wish I'd straightened the towels before taking the picture!!

We also had His and Hers towers at each end of the vanity -- we're doing that again, too.
goldengirl327
15 years ago
We have double vanities with side drawers and storage under the sinks, but my best decision was including a closet in our master bath similar to the one with double doors posted by monicakm. I have all of my sheets and towels as well as first aid supplies and additional toiletries stored in there. I was also able to fit two hampers on the floor of this closet -- one for whites and one for the other clothes.