How I’d Solve 5 Bathroom-Storage Problems
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In the immortal words of Marie Kondo, I love mess. Nothing satisfies me more than taking a snarl of forgotten objects in the back of a closet and finding a place for each one, restoring it to the flow of everyday use. That said, some messes are easier to unsnarl than others, and bathrooms might be the worst.
Perhaps a normal bathroom is out there, one with a spacious vanity, a medicine cabinet, and four corners that meet at 90 degrees. I have rarely seen one; everyone I know deals with pokey corners, oddly deep or comically shallow cabinets, storage-less mirrors, and hot-water poles in inconvenient places. But tricky doesn’t have to mean unworkable, so I asked Strategist readers (andNew YorkMagazine colleagues) to give me their worst — the most unsolvable bathroom-storage issues — to see if I could find solutions.
No vanity and a sliver of storage space
Primary complaint:Accessible storage. The white organizer on the floor was left by a previous tenant but “I hate it. I can’t reach anything on the lower shelves without essentially getting on the floor.”
Try a plant stand …
I agree with nixing the white organizer — the square shape cuts off a walking path, and it’s not taking advantage of the vertical space. I first looked at corner wire racks used in kitchens (like this one), but anything wider than eight inches will block the window, and they don’t come that small.
Then I found plant storage. I really liked the kicked-back shape of this acacia plant stand from Ikea, which gains stability from a wider base, then tapers upward. For a fancier option, I also love this round metal planter from Etsy, which is about nine inches in diameter but airy enough to feel unobtrusive. (It ships from the U.K., so factor in shipping costs.)
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… Or a tension-mounted shower caddy.
You know what else uses a corner’s full vertical span without the need for drilling? A tension-mounted shower caddy. Per our question asker, the ceilings are about seven and a half feet high, well within the range for a tension pole. Here are three nicer-looking options, per recommendations from my colleaguesBella DruckmanandMichael Zhao.
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“Pretty sleek,” per Strategist writer (and shower-product tester) Bella Druckman.
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The best-engineered shower caddy, per senior writer Michael Zhao.
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The sizing of these caddies is perfect for our question asker — larger on bottom, smaller on top.
A door to nowhere storing everyday essentials
Primary complaint:“Ninety-eight percent of the space in this closet is taken up by HVAC and a sliver that is currently stuffed with the landlord’s various poles and bits of wood. I open the door several times a day to get hair clips and elastics, vitamins, hair tools, and Q-tips. The college-esque over-the-door hanger sucks; I would love something that isn’t going to fall apart in a few months.”
Get rid of the door and add a cabinet.
This is one of the most diabolical landlord choices I’ve ever seen. Would you believe this person doesnotlive in New York?
My first move is to take off the door, which will fit perfectly in the sliver that’s currently full of poles. (Easy to find when you have to reinstall it before moving out!) Then add a sturdy piece to turn the space into a storage alcove.
Try one or both of the products below; they will fit into the 6-inch-deep, 18-inch-wide gap. I loveYamazakifor well-designed, well-made pieces for small spaces, and this rolling cart has two benefits: a closed back hides the HVAC wall, and it has wheels to scoot out of the way if your landlord needs to access his various poles. You could mount the Ikea cabinet on the HVAC wall above the Yamazaki cart, or skip the cart and install two of the Ikea cabinets, one on top of the other, like a bookshelf.
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I think this will be more functional and look a lot better, but if it retains that HVAC closet aura, add a curtain — it’ll be less annoying than opening a door several times a day. These from Etsy come in beautiful patterns and are lightweight enough to dry out quickly in a humid environment.
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Deep, narrow “catchall” storage
Primary complaint:Access. “The smaller mesh bins look janky as hell, and the lower ones are so deep that there’s a lot of rummaging. The biggest need is towel storage. They’re presently in that wicker basket, which overflows badly. We store backup boxes of tissues behind it, so we need to take it down whenever we need a new box of Kleenex.”
Try these deep organizers.
First of all, I feel you. I used to live in a tiny bedroom and stored all my clothes in a closet with similarCask of Amontillado–esque proportions. It took me years to find the right fix, which ended up being these unglamorous but reliable drawer bins from the Container Store. They come in six sizes; smalls and mediums would fit horizontally in this 20.5-inch-wide closet with almost no waste (and you can stack them as high as you want). They’ve made two moves with me since and have held up.
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Although the Like-It bins are good, they’re not as deep as this 27-inch-deep cabinet. Vintage safety-deposit boxes come close, which are inexpensive and bountiful on eBay. (Somebeautiful colors, too.) Not stackable, but you can replace the inefficiently shaped short mesh bins with four of these side by side.
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Size up the towel storage (or get a roll-out hamper).
If towels are overflowing, go for a larger bin. I’d swap the wicker for something you can see into — it sounds counterintuitive, but keeping your worst messes in closed containers just makes them scarier. I’m a big fan of these Muji wire baskets, which stack — just flip over the handles to use as supports. (Consider rolling instead of folding the towels, which makes it easier to grab one without messing up the pile.)
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Another idea for the towels: Why not move them to the bottom cabinet and store them in a pullout hamper? That will make it easier to access the tissues stored in the deepest corners.
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A spare shower stall used for storage
Primary complaint:“My bathroom has two showers in it for some reason. My roommate and I both use the shower in the bathtub (which is much nicer) and use this kind of gross stall as a makeshift closet. Right now, it mostly stores Kirkland toilet paper and paper towels, tampons, and some extra toiletries.”
Build a skin-care pantry.
I am obsessed with this. This bathroom belongs to someone who is a beauty professional, so let’s turn it into a walk-in skin-care pantry.
There is so much space to be gained here once we start moving things off the floor. Against the back wall, try a restaurant-grade wire shelf (in a damp environment, airflow is key, so wire mesh is best). This is for heavier and bulkier stuff — TP and paper towels, hairstyling tools, appliances. Add one (or two!) tall and skinny pantry carts against the other walls — probably too dinky to be your only storage, but perfect for skin care and toiletries.
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There’s no light in the shower stall, which contributes to its kind-of-gross feeling. These motion-activated lights will make it easier (and more pleasant) to navigate. They’re so easy to use — add AAA batteries, peel off the adhesive, and stick ’em to the ceiling.
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A cart for a 1920s tenement
One respondent shared not a question but a bathroom-storage solution so perfect that I had no choice but to reproduce it in full:
“We’re in a true 1920s tenement. The only storage space we have is a four-inch gap between the sink and the wall, and this rolling cart fits into it perfectly! It can fit hair dryers (yes, plural!), bottles of products, makeup. I’ve had it for 18 months now. I got it about the same time I started taking Wellbutrin, and honestly can’t tell you which has been better for my mental health.”
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