How to Organize Bathroom Cabinets

Keeping your bathroom cabinets neat and orderly can be a challenge. And given the importance of the morning preparation that commonly starts the average day, knowing where to find things is a huge help. Luckily, by following a few simple organization tips, you can take charge of the messy state of your bathroom cabinets and keep your belongings as accessible as possible.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Getting Rid of the Clutter

1
Remove all items from your counters and cabinets. Place them in a single pile. This will give you a general idea of the volume and inventory of items in the cabinets.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Throw away items you're positive you don't need as you go.
2
Discard or donate unused or old items. Throw any old, unused, or expired items into a trash bag. Keep an eye out for empty product containers or products that may have mildew forming, such as old shampoo and perfume bottles. Try and find things that you can do away with, including items that may still be in good condition, but you rarely or never use. Give away these items to people who can use them.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Keep all of your essentials, like toothbrushes and hand soap, on the counter while you clean.
- If you can't find willing friends to take your old items, drop them off at a local charity.
3
Group the items you want to keep by category. The categories may differ depending on the variety of products that you own, but some examples are:^{[3]XResearch source}
- Facial skin care
- Body care
- Bath
- Hair care
- Makeup
- Medicines
- Oral care
- Nail care
- Shaving
- Perfumes
4
Obtain clear storage containers that will fit in your cabinets. Measure the space in your cabinets and the space that your items will take up in containers. This way, when you go shopping you can be sure that your items will fit into the containers, and the containers will fit in the cabinets. Container types may include plastic baskets, clear plastic containers with lids, or wicker baskets.^{[4]XResearch source}
- You can also look for other kinds of containers around your home that you can re-purpose and use in your bathroom, such as metal cans, magazine holders, and see-through plastic orange juice containers.
5
Fill each container with like items. For the items that you need to grab easily when you're on-the-go, see-through containers come in handy. Use lidded containers for smaller items that tend to create a clutter. Open-top containers are best for items like toothbrushes that fit vertically into containers (they don't have to be see-though).^{[5]XResearch source}
- Your local department store should have plenty of see-though container selection to choose from.
- Stick to acrylic plastic containers. Glass works too, but limit them to holding items you won't need in a hurry to minimize the chances of them breaking.
6
Label each container based on its category. Once you begin segregating your products, you're going to need labels to distinguish them. Adhesive labels work best for solid plastic, metal, or glass containers.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Standard tag labels work best for wicker baskets
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Making the Most of Your Space

1
Remove drawers for easy access to toiletries. If your bathroom has a vanity-style base cabinet, remove the fronts to create open shelves. Now, you can fill up the space with trays, baskets, or plastic containers that provide easier access to your toiletries. Label the containers to make things easier to find.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Purchase labels and tag each container with different categories, like "Hair Spray," "Bath and Shower," and "Scrubs and Sponges."
2
Insert a pullout shelf underneath your bathroom sink. Purchase a two-tiered rollout shelf from a local home hardware store. The region under your sink often turns into a cluttered mess, but a pullout shelf can really help you make the most of the space by giving it some organization.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Try and find one with a narrow top shelf so that it easily glides by the plumbing.
- A wide bottom shelf is ideal because it leaves room for tall items like brushes, straighteners, and cleaning products.
- Purchase some adhesive lights to light up every corner.
3
Hang a magnetic knife holder and adhesive containers onto the door. A knife holder can help you use your cabinet door to maximize space by providing room for bobby pins and metal nail tools. Apply adhesives (such as command strips) to the back of the knife holder and stick it to one side of the cabinet door. Stick your adhesive containers on the other side of the door and use them to hold smaller items like makeup and nail polish.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Be careful if you attach scissors and trimmers onto your magnet holder, especially when you're opening the cabinet door.
4
Divide your smaller items into a party dip tray for organization. Place the trays into your drawers next to your towels and other small items. This is a cheap and simple way to get your lotions, lips balms, and other small essentials organized—even just one try per drawer is enough to make a difference.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Put a liner on the bottom of the drawer if you want to spice things up. For example, a herringbone liner makes a great match for a white party dip tray. Experiment with different kinds of colors and combinations.
5
Place a spinning turntable into your deep cabinets for easy access. Also known as a Lazy Susan, these can make hard-to-reach items more accessible. Place some glass jars onto the turntable and label them with their contents. Cotton swabs, bath salts, cleaning wipes, and other products that come in bulk amounts are ideal for jars.^{[11]XResearch source}
- Cut out labels from a decal sheet and spell out the categories using adhesive letters.
Although these containers work for any kind of product, they're ideal for items that you don't want to display, like extra tissue paper stock. You can label each one by fixing paper tag labels to each basket with string.^{[12]XResearch source}
7
Install an extra curtain rod for towels. Position it under your current curtain rod and give yourself 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) of space in-between. This is a prefect way avoid wet towels cluttering up your bathroom.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Mount the towel bar behind the curtain so that your towels can drip-dry into the tub.
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Expert Q&A

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Question
Do I need organizing containers to declutter?
Christel Ferguson
Professional Organizer
Christel Ferguson is the owner of Space to Love, a decluttering and organization service. Christel is certified in Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design & Landscape and has been a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) for over five years.
Christel Ferguson
Professional Organizer
Expert Answer
Declutter first and buy organizers second. If you purchase organizers before you declutter, you might find they don't fit the space or that you don't need them after all. You could end up with more organizers than you have use for because you got rid of more products than you expected.
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Things You'll Need

Measuring tape
Containers (plastic, metal, glass, wicker, etc.)
Sliding shelves
Adhesive lights
Magnetic knife holder
Adhesive containers
Party dip tray
Drawer liners
Decal sheet
Adhesive labels
Spinner tray (also called a Lazy Susan)
Towel bar

Tips

It takes conscious effort to maintain the orderly state of your bathroom cabinets. Make an effort to return your items to their proper places after use.
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