Asked on Jun 24, 2015
Desperate for help
by
Jennifer
+15
So I've interested my life away - decided to ask the knowledgeable. This bathroom is TINY and I'm losing my mind with this countertop clutter. Any in bathroom storage ideas?BTW the second pic is what it looked like when we bought the house. Also- any ideas on that tiling and light fixtures for updates/Improvements/modernizing!
18 answers
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Do not Hate me if I admit to thinking "Wow her bathroom is Huge compared to mine, sadly, True" So as the only woman in household of five growing sons and a 6'4" husband room for anything at anytime was a prized accomplishment. Especially in a small 7 person bathroom. Jenifer to maintain my sanity under these circumstances I had to get creative real quick. I went as high I the ceilings allowed me. I had cabinets circle the entire bathroom ceiling they went down about two feet for storage of items like towels extra soaps shampoos and the such. Yes I even labeled the cabinets. First big accomplishment. Then I went with hooks on the mirror for everything anything that could be hung. Even if an item does not seem hangable it just maybe if you use inexpensive tie backs. Falt shelving also gives you free new surface space that you need while using but can be put back when done. Compartmented sections under your sink are another critical space under used. Put in a shelf on each side wall to double the space underneath. Also please consider using the back of your bathroom doors, for all kinds of possible space-saving concepts. Look as much and as long as you can on here this site will show you so many various ideas you'll not only be relieved but you'll have so many new ideas. I sincerely wish you the very best. All women deserve at least a moment or two of personal time in the bathroom. Claim it and then keep it.
Suzette Trimmer
on Jun 24, 2015
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A few suggestions as I see it...our master bath vanity is just like yours, two sinks, long mirror. We took down the old single light fixture and replaced it with two separate new fixtures with type of lantern look, not just the bulbs screwed in. You can find many styles of these at Home Depot/Lowes. For more storage, I found a tall cabinet which we placed on the center top of the counter painted it to match the painted cabinets below & this holds all the smaller items, toothpaste, meds, shaving stuff, etc. and gets them off the counter. We also framed the mirror to finish it, just with some lumber framing from Home Depot, my husband installed it, was not difficult...hope this helps with some ideas you could use for your space! Good Luck!!
Jan Loehr
on Jun 24, 2015
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Get a behind the toilet shelf and then put baskets on it to hold the little stuff. I keep my make up in a basket by itself. Those shelves are like $25 a Walmart. Baskets are less expensive at Dollar General. Replace your towel bar with a decorative hook somewhere besides over the toilet.
Eileen Meadows
on Jun 24, 2015
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Try using the 3 tiered hanging baskets to hold brushes & the such. Anything to get stuff up & off the counter.
Mary Lanker
on Jun 24, 2015
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We just re-did our small bathroom last year with a goal of adding lots more storage. I would get rid of the large mirror and install 2 medicine cabinet with mirrors and inside storage. You can replace the lighting when you do that too, to 2 separate over the vanity lights or even something between the mirrors (like this https://www.pinterest.com/pin/279786195576739031/). I would also get rid of the towel bar over the toilet, or move it closer to the shower, and add a full over-the-john cabinet. We put one in our bathroom, and I'm in love <3.
Michelle
on Jun 24, 2015
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When we remodeled I used this as a reference. It has three medicine cabinets and in between sink storage. http://www.danielskitchenbath.com/bathroom%20vanities%20212.jpg
Tonia
on Jun 25, 2015
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You seem to have a lot of wall space on the left wall beside the mirror. How about cutting a large rectangle into the sheetrock and then framing out a big bathroom shelf unit ? It could be real cute if you invest into some storage baskets for all the little junk.
Heliane Ripley
on Jun 25, 2015
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I would do something like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/127578601920245702/
Katrina Warren
on Jun 25, 2015
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Like Michelle's idea as you have a good sized vanity.
Marion Nesbitt
on Jun 25, 2015
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Since it would appear you have a good sized vanity with quite a bit of closed storage, at least compared to a lot people, I'm going to guess you have an organizational problem rather than a storage problem. What do you have stored in the 2 deep drawers, 1 smaller drawer and underneath each sink?! What non-bathroom, non-essentials can you clean out, move to another location or throw away from those drawers and cabinets to make room for the stuff you use every day but isn't pretty enough to be sitting out on the counter on display? I see lots of makeup and hair care products. I would put the makeup in the top middle drawer. A drawer divider would help keep it organized within the drawer. Hair care products would probably fit into the deeper middle drawer. I see a can of Pledge or glass cleaner and what looks to be a box of magic cleaning sponges. Why are those sitting out? They definitely need to be underneath one the sinks with other cleaning products! Neatly folded towels and extra toilet paper could go under the other sink. I think I see at least FOUR candles taking up precious counter space but they are multiplied by the mirror so it looks like even more! I'm not sure that divided box thing between the sinks is helping you out any. It's just another place to throw stuff that should be put away, out of sight. Some purging and organizing to make the most use of the closed storage you do have would do wonders to clean up the clutter. Remember too, the mirror is going to visually double whatever you have sitting on the counter. Just 4 items will look like 8 so you need to drastically edit what you leave sitting out. Then, once you find hidden homes for all this stuff, you need to train yourself to put it back into its home after you use it. It only takes a second more to put something away than it does to lay it down where it doesn't belong. Putting it away immediately also saves time cleaning it up later, and saves your sanity if you hate looking at clutter. If you find you need more storage, it does appear you have plenty of room for an over-the toilet cabinet, as others have suggested but, again, unless you put things behind closed doors or into baskets, functional, non-pretty stuff shoved willy-nilly onto open shelves is just going to add to the sense of clutter.
Shari
on Jun 25, 2015
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I agree with others who have said to replace the large mirror with medicine cabinets which can contain your small bottles and such. It looks like you have drawers between your 2 sinks. If this is the case, use small baskets in these to divide & organize your items by category. For example: bathroom tools like scissors, nail files, clippers in one basket; eye pencils, eyebrow items, mascara in another; blushers & shadows in another, etc. This keeps items at your fingertips & everything has a place to go back to when finished. One tip for this: Go through your products and only put what you use everyday in these drawers. Extras or rarely used items can go in a basket on a shelf. I put these seldom used items in mesh bags (for breathability) organized by category also. That way, when I do need them I don't have to dig through a whole basket. Under your sinks, if you have just one large opening, install a shelf the full width & length of your cabinet. Don't just split the space in half, instead: 1. get a basket that takes up most of the width & length of your cabinet 2.place your tall items like hairspray cans & shampoo bottles in the basket & put it in your cabinet. 3. Measure where your shelf should go that will allow you to easily slide out the basket containing your tall items . 4. The shelf you install can then contain another large basket to hold smaller or shorter items--perhaps your hair dryer & curling irons. 5. Use baskets within these baskets to again divide the space & keep things from falling over. If you have the ability, have someone build you inserts to slide down into these baskets that will let you stand each item in a different slot. My hubby built some for me & it changed my life (or at least my morning routine). Being able to reach in a grab just the right item, use it, & then put it back is amazing. Do the same thing for the other sink area based on what needs to go there. Rolling your towels and placing them in a basket makes it easier to get out one without messing up the whole stack. Take down your towel rack above the toilet and put in a towel hanger that goes on your door. I have included a pic. No tools needed to install these, they just use your door pins. This will give you space for 4 towels or a few towels & washcloths. Use the space above the toilet for shelves all the way to the ceiling. Use baskets to hold everything from cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper to seldom used makeup and extra towels. Also, cough & cold meds, bandaging supplies & the like can go in these baskets. Save your vanity space for only those items that you use every single day. You can also add a shelf above the bathroom door. It's high enough that you can put a deeper shelf to hold larger items that you don't need every day. You can also put a second pole beside your shower curtain and use clear shoe bags to hold bath supplies that clutter up the tub area. All the things I have suggested are the things I have done to add organization to my own small master bath. Best of luck!
Debi53
on Jun 25, 2015
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Ikea sells a very narrow cabinet that is wonderful for this kind of storage. It comes in differing colors and sizes....I have one and I love it (so does everyone else!) http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80147526/#/20226183
Lise Cool
on Jun 27, 2015
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the cleaning items could be placed in a basket and stored under the sink. Dedicate drawer space for makeup and toiletries. Toilet paper under the sink. You need to discipline yourselk to putting things away.
Pat
on Jun 29, 2015
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I agree with others that you have plenty of storage but lack organization. It's more about training yourself to put away items after using them. Baskets can make a huge difference. Otherwise get a vertical mini cabinets of drawers that can sit between the two sinks (or under the sink). Get holders that hang inside your lower cabinet doors to hold your hair dryer/irons and hair products.
C
on Jun 29, 2015
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You do not have a tiny bathroom. Others have given you lots of great suggestions. There are tons of options. Here are a few more. 1-You could put a shallow, WIDE, closed storage tower between your 2 sinks, something like this measured for your space: http://www.bhg.com/bathroom/storage/storage-solutions/bathroom-storage-ideas1/#page=22 or these...See the ones that sit on the bathroom counter between the sinks. I would go wide but shallow: http://foter.com/explore/bathroom-tower-cabinets 2-You can either put the tower in front of the existing mirror, or as others have suggested, flank it on either side with medicine cabinets. 3- You could also put a closed storage unit over your toilet: 4-These ones do not need to be drilled into the wall:http://www.wayfair.com/Zenith-Products-25.5-x-65.25-Over-The-Toilet-Canbinet-9923-ZTH1134.html http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bathroom-Cabinet-Over-the-Toilet-Wood-Towels-Soap-Storage-Organize-Shelf-Shelves-/252007291528 5-or a wall cabinet: http://www.lowes.com/pd_155965-66150-20H+VTT25_1z0tnlb__?productId=3257030&pl=1 6- or shallow shelves with baskets like this: http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/06/reader-redesign-1k-goes-a-long-way/
B. Enne
on Jun 30, 2015
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I don't know what under the sinks look like. If you can reorganize some of that space and keep items used less often under there. And replace the large mirror with one or two medicine cabinets. Then put up shelved around the medicine cabinets for your items that you use daily. So then you don't have it on the countertop.
Orchidmg
on Jul 01, 2015
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I believe I would replace the light fixture with 2 individual ones, frame the mirror with crown molding, and place a lazy susan cabinet/shelves between the two sinks. Storage cabinet or shelves over the toilet/with towel rack underneath... hey don't worry...not everybody is as organized as some, my counter top has things setting in baskets that I only use once a month, but it's there when I want it. I hate to open drawers
Ginger the farm gal
on Jul 04, 2015
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Remove the mirror and install medicine cabinets. Home depot has nice surface mount options that I used.
Cecilia Luck
on Jun 30, 2016
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