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Organizing

25 Bathroom Organizers

  • Towel Bar Trio
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    Towel Bar Trio

    Few bathrooms have enough places to hang towels. Stacking towel bars behind closed doors is a great way to remedy the shortage and use space efficiently.

    Bar How-To

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    Bathroom Organizer

    Combs, brushes, and toothpaste take up considerable space when laid horizontally on a shelf. Flat-backed, self-adhesive cups on the inside of the cabinet door hold them more efficiently. Before pressing the cups in place, line them up between the shelves. To ensure the door can close, put thin items on the shelves in the spots where the cups will take up some space.
  • 3 of 25

    Terry-Cloth Caddy

    Clear off bathroom countertops by storing toiletries in a hanging organizer. To make one, just stitch a few seams in a hand towel.

    Caddy How-To

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    Bathroom Cubbyholes

    Keep bathroom items neat and accessible with cubbyhole shelves for large items and surgical jars for small toiletries and accessories.

    Cubbyhole How-To

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    Towel Ladder

    Keep the bathroom tidy by hanging towels from the rungs of a progressive or apple-picking ladder propped against a wall. Or use a towel ladder on a porch for beach towels, so sand isn't brought indoors. To prevent the ladder from slipping, attach rubber tips made for chair legs to the ladder's feet. You can also secure the top of the ladder to the wall with hooks and eyes.
  • 6 of 25

    Uniform Bottles

    Uniform plastic bottles not only look better than the usual shampoo and soap containers, but they also fit more neatly in storage devices, such as the hanging wire basket installed in this shower stall. It's always helpful to identify bottles with laminated labels, adding either the names of family members who prefer their own products or else listing the contents of the containers.
  • 7 of 25

    Magnet Organizers

    Sometimes you have to think behind the box. This medicine cabinet became more efficient after it was affixed with a sheet of precut galvanized steel to its interior with construction adhesive. Magnetic hooks now hold scissors and a mirror, and small plastic cups with magnetic bottoms corral small necessities, such as rubber bands and hair clips.

  • 8 of 25

    Organizing Toiletries

    If you can, choose cabinets that offer separate spaces -- preferably one for each person who uses the bathroom. On this refurbished antique, the bottom drawer contains the kids' bath toys, while the top one holds mom's hair-care essentials, plus a first-aid kit. Lazy Susans make accessing toiletries, stored in pretty clear containers, a snap.
  • 9 of 25

    Drawer Dividers

    Bathroom drawers are second only to junk drawers in their potential for messiness. It's too easy to toss grooming products in there pell-mell. Wooden boxes and trays help categorize the items and are available in various sizes and materials, so they can be mixed and matched to fit any sort of drawer.
  • 10 of 25

    Sliding Trays

    Central bathroom cabinets can be fitted with roll-out wire trays, the kind used in kitchens. One contains a first-aid kit and miscellaneous toiletries. A pair of hooks fastened to the inside of the doors hold a hair dryer and a flat iron. In the adjacent cabinet, a second sliding track holds the bathroom's trash can.
  • 11 of 25

    Handy Hair Dryer

    For a guest bath, mount a streamlined hair-dryer unit to the wall beside the sink. You can find them online through suppliers of hotel accessories.
  • Photo: Gentl and Hyers
    12 of 25

    Soap in a Sponge

    Put soap shards and leftover hotel soap bars to good use. Use a utility knife to slice into the center of a natural sea sponge. Then insert soap and lather up. Every last bubble will be surrendered. The soap will stay in place as it shrinks, adhering to the fibers of the sponge.
  • Photo: Formula z/s
    13 of 25

    Recycling Vintage Planters

    Vintage planters are a playful spin on more traditional bathroom accessories. Displayed on a metal-and-glass table, they hold bottles of shampoo and liquid soap, sponges, bar soap, and hand towels. Tuck a new toothbrush, soap, and a washcloth into a planter and put it in the bathroom cupboard -- you'll have the perfect guest package ready at a moment's notice.
  • 14 of 25

    Color-Coded Towel Tags

    Your family and guests won't confuse their white towels if you color-code them with hanging loops. Suspended from pegs, the towels will dry quickly and stay neat.

    Tag How-To

  • 15 of 25

    Roll Holder

    Stow spare rolls of toilet paper in a clear glass vase or umbrella stand; it's a sleek way of stacking them, and you'll know at a glance when you need to refill the supply.

  • 16 of 25

    Toiletry Shelf

    Make space for supplies over the bathroom door so that they'll be accessible when they need to be replenished. Use wood screws to secure a pair of wooden shelf brackets to either side of the door frame; screw shelf to brackets. The shelf should rest on top of the door molding, which will help support the weight. Keep small bottled items and toilet paper in handled boxes. Bars of soap can be stored, unwrapped, in an airtight glass container.
  • 17 of 25

    Towel Cabinet

    A wooden flea-market cupboard makes a great towel cabinet. Use the top of the cabinet for extra storage. Keep your regular supply in the glass-fronted cabinet. Having all towels visible makes it easy to keep track of your inventory. Open shelves on the sides hold glass jars full of cotton balls and soaps.
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    First-Aid Kit

    When you need first-aid supplies most, you're usually not in the best frame of mind to search for them. A well-stocked first-aid kit keeps the items you need easy to find.

    Kit How-To

  • 19 of 25

    Vertical Towel Rack

    Walls in bathrooms are often underutilized. To make towels and washcloths handy for bathers, install a hotel-style multitiered rack on the wall next to the tub.
  • 20 of 25

    Storing Bulk Supplies

    Bathrooms require frequent cleanings, so keep a plastic bin with all the necessary supplies in the largest cabinet. You should store a season's worth of toilet paper in there, so guests never have to make an awkward request for more.
  • 21 of 25

    Perfect Towels

    A properly folded towel has a neat, fluffy appearance and hidden edges.

    Towel Fold How-To

  • 22 of 25

    Terry Slipcover

    An extra seat in the bathroom is always welcome, even though moist conditions may limit appropriate options. Try draping a wooden folding chair with a thick cotton-terry slipcover, and suddenly you have an inviting perch for a manicure, a blow-dry, or bathroom accessories.

  • Photo: John Gruen
    23 of 25

    Washcloth Mitt

    For a generous source of lather and to put an end to searching for the soap on the bottom of the tub, slip a soap bar into a pocket made from a luxurious terry washcloth.

    Mitt How-To

  • 24 of 25

    Trim Curtains

    Short shower curtains look tidy and tailored, and they don't trap dust and moisture. To create the look in your bathroom, cut a fabric curtain 2 inches longer than the desired length, then fold and sew a 2-inch hem. Leave the plastic liner hanging full-length in the tub to contain water from the shower.
  • 25 of 25

    Rolling Towel

    Few of us want our own bathrooms to resemble a public restroom in any way, but the rolling hand towel loop is an excellent invention equally useful in the home for providing an always-ready drying surface.

    Towel How-To

  • Towel Bar Trio
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