Even the most beautiful, spalike bathroom can be
defeated by a common foe: the clutter created by bottles,
soaps, washcloths,
toothbrushes, cosmetics, and other toiletries left out on every available
surface.
“The bathroom is a space that can set you up for success or
failure in the day,” said Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder of the home-organizing
company Neat Method. “If it’s a disaster, it’s hard to get ready for the day,
and you’re automatically heading out the door in a rough mood.”
We asked professional organizers and designers how they banish
bathroom clutter.
Take stock of existing storage space
If your vanity drawers and medicine cabinet are not neatly
organized you may be surprised at how
much space you already have. The best way to begin a bathroom cleanup, Hagmeyer
said, is to take everything out and get rid of anything you know you will never
use.
Keep only the few products you actually use, she advised, and
dispose of everything else.
Once the purge is complete, look at how much storage space you
have and consider whether the remaining items will fit in a reasonably
uncluttered way.
Make more room
If you conclude that you do not have enough storage space in the
bathroom to hold everything, it is possible to create more.
During a renovation, one option is to recess one or a couple of
cabinets into the wall cavity, between studs. “You’re capturing little nooks to
create additional storage,” said Monica Fried, an interior designer in New
York.
Many medicine cabinets are designed to be recessed into the wall
above a vanity, but that is not the only option. Fried sometimes recesses
shallow cabinets into other bathroom walls, with mirrored, or painted doors.
Jessica Davis, founder of Atelier Davis, a design studio with
offices in Atlanta and South Orange,
New Jersey, has added armoire-size
built-ins to some bathrooms and semi-recessed cabinets just a few inches deep
to others.
“Shampoo and hair products don’t require a ton of space,” she
said. “It’s not like storing books on a shelf, where you need 12 inches (30cm)
of depth.” In the bathroom, 8–10cm will usually suffice.
If you would rather avoid cutting holes and mounting cabinets to
the wall, an easier option is to add a freestanding piece of furniture. In
larger bathrooms, some designers install chests that look as if they were
pulled out of a bedroom.
In smaller bathrooms, you could buy a multitier rolling cart
that can be tucked under a washstand or in an unused corner, said Wendy Silberstein,
founder of the Aesthetic Organizer in New York, who likes models from the
Container Store. A rolling cart is “freestanding, and you can put a set of
towels on the bottom and everyday items on top,” she said.
Design the inside of drawers and cabinets
When you are ready to put your toiletries back into drawers and
cabinets, grouping similar objects will help you keep things organized.
“You want to categorize everything — but think in broad
categories,” Hagmeyer said.
Then use drawer dividers or small bins to keep each category
separate. Silberstein likes using clear plastic bins, which makes it easy to
see things stored in drawers and medicine cabinets. And she often removes
products like cotton swabs, floss, bandages, and razor blades from the packaging
and stuffs them into bins, to minimize the amount of space they take up.
Larger items like hair dryers, brushes, toiletry bags, and
cleaning products can be stored in baskets that fit into a big drawer, cabinet,
or closet, or stowed under the sink.
You can also put daily items on display.
It is impractical to store every last bottle in a drawer all of
the time. Products you use every day should stay where you need them: by the
sink, shower, or bathtub.
Develop a plan for linens
To keep your bathroom looking serene, figure out where you will
put your towels and washcloths. A stack of clean, fluffy towels can be a
beautiful thing, so when they are freshly laundered, fold them nicely and pile
them up in a closet or on a shelf. “They all need to get lined up, whether you
sort them by color, by size, or by trim,” Barbara Sallick, co-founder and
senior vice president of design at Waterworks, said.
Once those linens are in use, you will need enough hanging space
for every wet towel and washcloth to avoid having them left on a doorknob or
tossed on the floor.
If you think you do not have enough wall space, there are many
options that can help. Wall-mounted towel racks can hold multiple towels.
Freestanding racks can be placed on the floor. You may be able to mount short
towel bars on the sides of your vanity. You could add hooks on short walls, or
on the back of a door. And if all else fails, you can drag in a stool or side
table.
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