The bathroom is one of the most important parts of the house — and not just because it’s where the toilet and shower are located! Most people use the bathroom to get ready in the morning or before going out for a night on the town. A quality bathroom setup streamlines your entire daily routine, ensuring that you can always look and feel your best.
Of course, managing your daily bathroom routine requires some help. From towels and washcloths to hairbrushes and toiletries, there are many bathroom items that the average person will need to use every day.
Without a place to store and organize everything, your bathroom can quickly turn into a cluttered mess. Because of this, finding the right bathroom storage solutions for your needs is essential for an enjoyable bathroom experience.
The right bathroom storage starts with the right furniture. Here is a closer look at just how much stuff you need to store in your bathroom, as well as what furniture options are available to help you make the most of your space.
A Lengthy Bathroom Storage List
Just how many items are stored in a typical bathroom? Running through the list helps put things in perspective. Not surprisingly, it starts with toiletries such as toothpaste, mouthwash, moisturizers, contact solutions and cases, toothbrushes, deodorant, and more. Bath towels and hand towels are a must for daily washing and drying, as are other shower supplies like shampoo, soap or body wash, and razors.
Many women and men also keep a variety of hair styling products and equipment in the bathroom, such as hairspray, curling irons, flat irons, and hair dryers. Many women also keep most (if not all) of their makeup inside the bathroom. After all, the bathroom is where you will be doing your hair and makeup, so it makes sense to have these items readily accessible.
Unsurprisingly, you’ll want to have extra toilet paper handy so as to prevent unexpected bathroom emergencies. It can also be helpful to store cleaning supplies and a first aid kit in the bathroom.
But that still isn’t the end of it! Many people also store everyday jewelry in the bathroom. Many households like to keep some reading supplies near the toilet for longer bathroom trips.
While all that may sound like an overwhelming list, in reality, most households keep all these items in their bathroom. We often just don’t realize how much we have! The problem, of course, is that with so much that needs to be stored in the bathroom, it is easy to run out of space. Toiletries can quickly become cluttered when left on the countertop, and other items can get mixed up, misplaced, or even damaged if not stored properly.
To Store, or Not to Store?
Beyond the initial list of items that you will find in almost every bathroom, many households use the bathroom to store a few items that should really be kept someplace else. For example, while many people store medications in the bathroom, this isn’t necessarily the best place to keep them. Not only is it easier to get a glass of water to take with your medications in the kitchen, but the high humidity levels in the bathroom can actually damage many medications.
Many also make the mistake of bringing their smartphone or other non-waterproofed electronics into the bathroom. A little water damage can easily cost several hundred dollars! Similarly, mail and important papers should be kept out of the bathroom, as humidity can damage the pages.
Even when you keep these items out of this high-humidity area, some households still need to store additional items in the bathroom out of necessity. In a home or apartment without a designated linen closet, the bathroom will often become the preferred area for storing additional linens and bedding.
While many people can (and should) avoid storing these items in the bathroom, the necessity of doing so means that many need a lot more bathroom storage than they currently have available.
What Bathroom Storage Options Are There?
While there are a lot of items that need to be stored in the bathroom, the good news is that there are plenty of furniture pieces that can help keep everything organized. With so many options available, it will be easier than you think to find the right combination for keeping your bathroom in top condition.
Bathroom Vanities
Bathroom vanities are the go-to storage solution for most households. Available in a wide range of sizes and styles, most vanities feature a combination of drawers and/or doors under the countertop, with plenty of interior space and shelving for storing necessities like toilet paper and toiletries.
The sheer number of options allows homeowners to customize their vanity selections based on the needs of each bathroom. For example, a smaller vanity like the Fresca FCB9024RW-I Tuscany 24 Inch Rosewood Wall Hung Modern Bathroom Cabinet With Integrated Sink is ideally suited for a half-bath or guest bathroom. Small, soft-closing drawers provide just enough space for storing a few essentials without making the room feel cramped or crowded.
Of course, for a master suite, a much larger vanity will likely be needed. Vanities like the James Martin 825-V94-SL-DU-CLW De Soto 94 Inch Double Vanity Set in Silver Gray With Makeup Table in 3 CM Classic White Quartz Top provide ample space with double sinks and storage areas. This makes it that much easier for both partners to keep their own toiletries and essentials organized.
While vanities can offer an impressive amount of storage space, it is important to remember that they don’t always have as much room as you might initially think. To make room for the sink and plumbing connections, some of the below-counter area will not be available for storage. This is why some vanity drawers are merely decorative and do not actually open.
Medicine Cabinets
Instead of installing a typical mirror, many homeowners opt to give their bathroom storage a boost by installing a medicine cabinet instead. Medicine cabinets can be recessed or mounted on the surface of the wall depending on what best fits your space. Like bathroom vanities, they are available in a wide range of sizes and styles to better accommodate the storage needs of each family.
Regardless of which medicine cabinet you purchase, you can expect a front mirror that opens up to reveal the interior shelving. The narrower dimensions of a medicine cabinet interior mean that they are typically best suited for storing toiletries like toothbrushes, razors, shaving cream, and lotions. Many medicine cabinets feature adjustable shelving so you can better fit your bathroom essentials.
Many medicine cabinets now go a step beyond mere storage to offer additional features that further enhance the bathroom experience. For example, the Aquadom SR-3030 Signature Royale 30X30 LED Lighted Mirror Glass Medicine Cabinet For Bathroom incorporates extra features like dimmer lights, an LED digital clock, a defogger, and even built-in USB and electrical outlets.
These technology-fueled enhancements ensure that a modern medicine cabinet won’t just address your storage needs — it can also make your daily preparations more enjoyable and efficient than ever before.
Floor Cabinets
If you just need a small amount of extra storage space beyond your vanity and medicine cabinet, a floor cabinet could be the right option for you. These small, free-standing cabinets often look similar to an end table, as with the Bellaterra 7711-SW-CR 16 Inch Cabinet in Sable Walnut With Quartz Top. These pieces are also frequently used as a “bridge” to combine separate vanity units to create extra counter and storage space.
Another popular floor cabinet option is the side cabinet, such as the Blossom S8001 12 01 Sydney 12 Inch Side Cabinet in Glossy White. These pieces can be attached to one end of a bathroom vanity to provide additional storage drawers, or they can function as a standalone unit.
For something a bit more distinct from your bathroom vanity, you could install something like the Avanity Teak-TR16-GT Teak 16 Inch Towel Rack in Gray Teak. Open shelving and gorgeous wood construction make this free standing towel rack “tower” a stylish solution for storing linens.
Mobile Units
Need the extra space of a floor cabinet, but in something a bit more adaptable to your ever-changing needs? The Duravit DN2525L131314 Darling New 15-3/4 X 25-3/4 Inch Mobile Storage Unit might be the right bathroom storage solution for you.
The sleek modern design and wide variety of natural wood colors are complemented by a key extra feature: the option to add wheels to the bottom of the unit. This makes this mobile cabinet perfectly suited for sliding into place under a countertop that isn’t part of a vanity. It is also available without wheels, allowing it to be used in a manner similar to other floor cabinets. Flat surfaces allow for a more modular arrangement in conjunction with other units.
Wall Cabinets
A sleek and stylish wall mounted cabinet is the perfect way to bring visual interest to your bathroom, while also expanding your available storage space. A wide range of design styles allows you to reveal or conceal your stored items as you see fit.
For example, the American Imaginations AI-1139 Xena 23.5 X 47.75 Inch Wall Curio in Coffee features two curio-style doors combining wood framing with a glass cutout. This allows you to see towels and other items stored inside the cabinet — a great way to quickly find what you need while adding a sense of rustic charm to your bathroom.
If you prefer to keep the contents of your wall cabinet out of sight until they are actually needed, a piece like the Blossom S8007 16 11 Madrid 16 Inch Side Cabinet in White Oak could be right for you. The elegant contemporary design offers ample storage space, while the solid wood finish helps maintain a neat, uncluttered look for your bathroom.
Linen Cabinets
If you really need to add to your bathroom storage space, few options will be better suited for the task than a linen cabinet. Linen cabinets tend to have a more traditional or transitional design than other wall or floor cabinets, though many modern and contemporary linen cabinets are also available.
For example, the James Martin 147-114-5036 Brookfield Linen Cabinet, Antique Black features traditional elements like raised panel doors, carved filigrees, and a glass insert top door. The mix of shelving, drawers, and doors makes it perfectly suited for a wide range of bathroom storage needs, from towels and toilet paper to extra makeup supplies.
Other popular linen cabinet configurations include models like the Avanity Madison-LT24-WT Madison 24 Inch Linen Tower in White, which features four soft close drawers on the lower part of the unit and two doors with two interior shelves on the upper portion of the unit. A 71 inch height, 24 inch width, and 16 inch depth ensures that there is plenty of space for bathroom necessities.
While these linen cabinets could function perfectly well as standalone items, many are also designed to match with other bathroom vanities and medicine cabinets from their manufacturers. This way, a linen cabinet won’t just meet your bathroom storage needs. It will also serve as the perfect stylistic match for the rest of your bathroom decor.
Better Bathroom Storage, a Better Bathroom
Finding the right bathroom storage solution for your home will depend on the size of your bathroom, as well as how many items you need to store. By evaluating your daily routine and how much space you need, you can install a storage cabinet or furniture piece that will make your bathroom better than ever. Of course, you should also be mindful of your available floor and wall space. You don’t want an extra storage cabinet to cause your bathroom to feel cramped.
Regardless of which storage solution seems like the best fit for you, you don’t have to break the bank to get better use out of your bathroom! Here at Kitchen & Bath Authority, we provide significant savings on a wide range of bathroom storage products. We offer discounts as high as 48 percent off MSRP on several cabinets and other storage units so you can get the right furniture piece for your bathroom at a price you can afford.
If you sign up for a membership, you can save even more on your purchase with exclusive discounts and deals. When paired with our free shipping and other special offers, upgrading your bathroom isn’t as far off as you might think.
The right bathroom storage unit will help you get even more use out of one of the most important rooms of the house. Place your order today to start enjoying your new and improved bathroom.
