Five Tips for Finding More Space in Your Bathroom

Many homes, particularly older ones are built with one or more small bathrooms. You might have a small guest bathroom downstairs, or maybe your master bathroom is quite tiny. The problem with a small bathroom isn’t really the lack of living space, as you don’t spend too much time in this particular room; it’s more the lack of storage. There are so many things that you do need to store in your powder room, including toiletries, towels and extra TP. If you are having a hard time finding storage space in this necessary room, here are five tips that might help:

This is probably one of the most neglected vertical spaces in the bathroom, and since your goal is to maximize your space, you should definitely be making use of every inch! These don’t take up any room, really; you’re not using that area for anything else. These shelves are usually not very deep, so plan on storing toiletries and maybe washcloths on them.

While it’s not easily accessible, the space over your door can be used for a shelf that can hold extra boxes of tissues and other light items. One caveat: Don’t store anything heavy up there, because you don’t want it to land on your head just in case someone slams the bathroom door and dislodges anything from its place.

When you have anything out in the open in your bathroom, it can get dusty quite easily. The bathroom is humid, and dust will leave a heavy film on objects. The toiletries on your shelves, if not behind the closed door of a closet or cabinet, should be stored in containers with covers to keep them dust-free. This also keeps the less attractive items out of sight, particularly important in a guest bathroom.

If your plumbing is hidden behind cabinet doors, then you are probably already using the extra space for extra bottles of shampoo and toilet paper. If your sink does not have a cabinet around it, however, this space is likely empty. Buy a small set of drawers that will fit underneath. Alternatively, you could put in a short set of shelves.

If you have a hall linen closet, then this would be the logical place to keep towels and washcloths. If not, though, you might need to be creative. You could keep the towels in an adjacent bedroom, for example, or use a freestanding cabinet at the end of your hallway. As for used towels that need to dry, what about putting a drying rack in each person’s bedroom? Then his or her towel will be handy, dry and won’t get mixed up with anyone else’s.

Finding bathroom storage is a challenge for many homeowners, but by putting some of these tips into practice, you might be surprised at how much extra space you can find. Remember to use all of the wall space that you can if you don’t have enough surface area at the moment; shelves and racks can go a long way in keeping your bathroom organized and neat.