4 days ago
19 editor- and expert-approved bathroom organizers that'll practically double your storage space, starting at $6
Bathroom organizer quick picks
To declutter your under-sink cabinet: Delamu 2-Tier Multipurpose Bathroom Cabinet Organizer
A drill-free solution that creates storage out of thin air: Oxo Good Grips StrongHold Suction Cup
If you could use more drawer space: The Container Store Like-It Modular Short Medium Drawer
A sleek storage cart that matches any aesthetic: Yamazaki Tower Rolling Slim Storage Cart It's not hard to tell when you're in desperate need of a bathroom organizer or two. For me, that became clear when I found myself calculating where I'd store new toiletries after every Walgreens trip: the medicine cabinet that was already jam-packed with skin care or the ledge above my toilet teeming with sunscreens and dental products? It didn't help that my bathroom doesn't have a lot of built-in storage. Luckily, I write about home products for a living, so I was able to call on coworkers for advice about the best rolling carts, tiered organizers and storage bins.
My bathroom feels much more organized now, but if you could use suggestions for the right storage solutions for yours, it's good that you're here. I talked to four home organization experts and asked my colleagues here at CNN Underscored about their top product recommendations. You'll find all their picks on this list, which is conveniently separated into subcategories to help you whip all your bathroom's problem areas into shape.
Vtopmart Plastic Drawer Organizers, Set of 25
A 25-piece drawer organizer set that frequently goes on sale for under $20? I'm sold. This pick comes highly recommended by two of the organization experts I spoke with. Emily Mass, the owner of Spaces by Emily, said the plastic inserts are easy to take in and out of drawers for cleaning. Jennifer Martin, the owner of Spruce Organizing Co, also likes that the trays can be arranged to fit most drawer sizes and that each one has a nonslip bottom.
The Container Store Luxe Acrylic Stacking Drawers, Set of 5
If you're on a mission to rid your bathroom drawers of junk, Laura Kinsella, the founder of Urban Organyze, has a foolproof system. 'Toss expired products and items you never reach for, and separate duplicates to get a clearer picture of your everyday essentials,' she said. From there, you can group similar items by category, keeping regularly used products in your most accessible drawers. She recommends using this modular insert set, which will keep those items organized in the long run.
Sterilite 6-Quart Stacking Drawers, 6-Pack
When it comes to organizing the space under your bathroom sink, it's all about bins. Updates writer Ellen McAlpine likes this set of six, which you can snag for about $40, depending on where you shop. 'I keep these storage bins under my sink to create organization in a space that was otherwise underutilized,' she said. 'They stack easily on top of one another, and I've managed to fit six in the small space to organize my products and even keep a back stock of things in my tiny NYC apartment.'
The Container Store Everything Organizer Small Drawer
Similar to the Sterilite bins, these clear drawers are miracle workers when it comes to keeping a cabinet in good shape. Mass, who is partnered with The Container Store, prefers them for lesser-used items. For her clients, those are typically bath accessories, first aid supplies, extra soap and certain hot hair tools. 'Clear drawers like these can be helpful so you can see what's inside each one more easily,' she said.
iDesign Affixx Plastic Wall Mount Organizer
Although this bin is meant to be mounted to a wall, home and gifts editor Amina Lake Patel likes it for the inside of a cabinet door. She has two up, calling them game changers for hair products and other essentials she likes to keep within easy reach. 'I also have this bigger one that's ideal for taller products,' she said. 'I've had to reattach them with new adhesive once or twice over the past three years, but I have no ventilation in my bathroom, so that's expected.' Kinsella also recommends this adhesive organizer.
Sevenblue 2-Tier Under-Sink Organizers, 3-Pack
'The beauty products and cleaning supplies under my bathroom sinks were really starting to pile up haphazardly, so I knew I needed a solution, stat,' said contributing editor Marissa Miller. 'What makes these two-tier organizers a total treat is that they feature drawers, so I don't need to reach too deeply into a cavernous cabinet that's rife with sharp grooming supplies.' Miller also likes the hanging hooks and cups, which are good for storing sponges and other small items.
The Container Store Everything Organizer Medium Short Bin Organizer
Sometimes, your medicine cabinet can use some help. Kinsella likes this short bin for that, though you'll want to measure your cabinet's ledges before purchasing to make sure it'll fit. She also likes this deep version for regular cabinets. The bins are nice for storing smaller essentials, like makeup and skin care.
Delamu 2-Tier Multipurpose Bathroom Cabinet Organizer
Martin said most people store makeup, hair products, skin care and cleaning supplies under the sink. 'I recommend separating these by keeping the cleaning supplies on one side and personal care on the other,' she said. 'To maximize vertical space under the sink, I love these two-tier pullouts by Delamu.' Specifically, Martin suggests storing small items like cosmetics on the top tier and tall items like shampoo and bottles of lotion on the bottom tier.
Smartake Corner Shower Caddies, 2-Pack
Don't forget to organize your shower! Patel has owned these adhesive corner caddies for three years and said they haven't moved since she installed them. 'These extra-deep shower caddies take up practically no space in my shower because they fit right into the corners, but they hold so much,' she said. If you wanted to, you could also pick up a set of caddies for the kitchen to house cooking ingredients.
Oxo Good Grips StrongHold Suction Cup
Basically everyone on our team is a fan of Oxo. My favorite item from the brand? This convenient little cup, which I've had adhered to the outside of my glass shower door for almost a year. I have very little counter space, so this cup holds my toothpaste, toothbrush and tongue scraper close to the sink. I love that the cup attaches via suction, not a sticky strip that can be hard to peel off the glass later on.
Calmootey 3-Tier Rolling Utility Cart
'A slim rolling cart like this one can store everything from extra paper products and hair tools to shampoo overflow and, of course, towels,' Martin said. 'It even has a small drawer for personal items.' You can shop the cart in four colors and three sizes. Plus, its bottom shelves are perforated, letting water run off to prevent mold.
Yamazaki Tower Rolling Slim Storage Cart
Yamazaki makes some of the sleekest and chicest home organizers, and this bestselling cart is no exception. 'It's incredibly slim, so it can fit in tiny bathrooms,' said Kai Burkhardt, our outdoors, sustainable living and pets editor. 'It can help you keep random odds and ends organized.' Really, you could use this cart in any room of your home.
Muji Polypropylene Stocker
This cart from Muji doesn't have open shelves, so it's good for storing products that you want to protect from humidity. Cynthia Kienzle, the founder of The Clutter Whisperer of NYC, also noted that it's opaque, which keeps clutter hidden. She also recommends the cart for its slim design, which can typically fit in the narrow space between a sink and toilet.
Wayfair Red Barrel Studio Arhavi Bathroom Storage Cabinet
If you don't have a proper linen cabinet, try this spacious Wayfair unit. 'This one takes time to assemble and is not the most robust, but it looks gorgeous and adds a splash of color in an otherwise plain-looking bathroom,' testing and updates writer Michelle Rae Uy said. 'It offers plenty of storage without taking up a lot of space in my tiny bathroom. I love it!' At $120, the cabinet is a bargain, especially for this size.
The Container Store Like-It Modular Short Medium Drawer
Mass believes every bathroom would benefit from having a few stackable drawers like these. 'Whether they are under the sink in cabinets or next to your standalone sink, a drawer is the best way to store by category, as well as stack things, to utilize every inch of your bathroom space,' the professional organizer said. She likes this drawer because it works well for deeper cabinets.
The Container Store Elfa Utility Wall-Mounted Rack
There's no harm in using the bathroom door to create new storage spots. All you need is an over-the-door or mounted organizer, which is where this wire number comes in. Kienzle likes its uniform white baskets, which are available in wire and mesh. But 'it's important to curate the items you want to put in the baskets so that they don't spill out and look messy,' she said. This wall-mounted rack is also an editor favorite. Patel has two installed inside the doors of the closets outside her bathroom and uses them to store everything from extra sunscreen to bathroom cleaning supplies.
The Container Store Everything Organizer Narrow Tall Drawer
People who struggle to find a viable organizer because their bathroom plumbing creates an obstacle should make smart use of vertical space. To do so, Kinsella recommends picking up a couple of these tall and narrow drawers, which are made from recycled PET plastic. 'These narrow drawer organizers maximize vertical space and allow you to separate toiletry items of all sizes, be it hair care products, skin care, feminine products, styling tools and more,' she said.
Kohler CLC Aluminum Two-Door Medicine Cabinet
Before I moved into my current apartment, I had forgotten how important a medicine cabinet could be. If you don't have one or if yours doesn't offer enough storage space, Kienzle recommends putting up this two-door version. She prefers a medicine cabinet that's not recessed and that is totally enclosed (so no open shelving). This one checks both boxes, and its beveled edges serve as an elegant design detail.
Stori Audrey Stackable Plastic Bins, 2-Pack
For general storage, Martin recommends these stackable bins. She's used them to corral everything from medicine and nail supplies to dental products and travel-sized items, and she said they're the perfect size for most bathroom essentials. Martin also recommends labeling your bins. 'These small and beautifully color coded labels by Starliboo fit perfectly on the drawers to help you remember where everything goes,' she said. Choosing bathroom organizers can be tricky given all the different options. One strategy you can use is to identify the messiest part of your bathroom and start by organizing it with one or two storage solutions. Mass said she most often sees people struggle to keep the area under their bathroom sink organized. 'The pipes, along with the vertical space, make it hard to create a functional storage solution,' she said. 'It's also hard to create clear categories for your stuff in the cabinet if you don't have the right organizers for the space.'
Our editors and experts recommend both tiered organizers and bins for this space, though you'll want to measure the area first before buying any of the options on our list.
In addition to the under-sink cabinet, Kinsella said counters typically become messy quickly. 'Countertops become cluttered with daily essentials,' she said. 'The solution is to designate homes for daily essentials versus backup supplies.' The essentials can stay on your counter, but products you don't reach for regularly can go under the sink. For the latter, Kinsella recommends using stackable drawers and adhesive organizers, which you can apply to the inside of cabinet doors.
Although adding shelving to interior cabinet doors is a smart idea, Kienzle is against wall shelving, even if it's just for decorative purposes, because it usually ends up making the bathroom look cluttered. Instead, she recommends rolling carts and adding a medicine cabinet if your bathroom doesn't already have one.
The following FAQs have been answered by professional home organizers Cynthia Kienzle, Laura Kinsella, Jennifer Martin and Emily Mass.
How should you organize bathroom cabinets?
How should you organize bathroom cabinets?
The biggest tip Kinsella has for decluttering bathroom cabinets is removing the bulky packaging from the products you store there. After that, she said you should group items by use (e.g., cleaning products, backup supplies and your most-reached-for toiletries) inside labeled bins.
'Place frequently used items in front, with bulk supplies in the back or higher up,' Kinsella said. 'When everything has a home, there is no question where things go.'
How should you organize bathroom drawers?
How should you organize bathroom drawers?
Bathroom drawers tend to get disorganized quickly because they're where people usually keep their most-used items, like skin care and contact lenses. Martin recommends using clear drawer separator trays, which not only keep items within the same product category grouped together but make drawers easier to clean. She said that people tend to throw random items into drawers to keep counters clear, so you could even dedicate one organizer slot to miscellaneous things.
A helpful tip from Mass is to designate one drawer as your 'daily' drawer. 'This drawer has things like toothpaste, a hairbrush or comb, daily serums, deodorant, hair ties or anything else you might consider the basics for everyday getting ready,' she said.
How should you organize the space under the bathroom sink?
How should you organize the space under the bathroom sink?
Every under-sink cabinet has different dimensions, so before you buy organizers, measure yours carefully and make sure they're going to fit around plumbing. From there, Kienzle said you should only store certain items in the cabinet to avoid clutter. 'I believe only toilet paper, bath/hand soaps, cleaning supplies, [hot hair tools] and hair brushes should be stored in a cabinet under the sink,' she said.
Out of these items, Kienzle recommends only storing the hot hair tools and hairbrushes in a container. 'A shoe storage plastic container with no lid would probably be sufficient,' she said. For the other items, 'you can always put a couple matching shallow baskets on the floor under the cabinet to contain items,' she added.
That said, Martin and a couple of our editors also like using two-tier under-sink organizers to declutter this area, so think about what works best for your needs.
For this article, we consulted the following home organization experts to gain their professional insights.
Cynthia Kienzle, home and office organizer, and founder of The Clutter Whisperer of NYC
Laura Kinsella, home organizer and founder of Urban Organyze
Jennifer Martin, owner of Spruce Organizing Co and cofounder of the American Society of Professional Organizers
Emily Mass, professional organizer and owner of Spaces by Emily
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this article, associate home and gifts editor Nikol Slatinska talked to home organization experts to round up the best bathroom organizers that increase storage space.
