How to organize a small bathroom so it's easier to clean

To organize a small bathroom, clear the counter first, then purge the medicine cabinet and the space under the sink. Use the wall above the toilet and the back of the door for storage, and give every item you use daily one home. Backups and anything you use once a month live somewhere else in the house.

A bathroom with clear surfaces takes a few minutes to wipe down. One covered in bottles takes much longer, and it still looks cluttered when you're done.

Where do you start?

Take everything out. Counter, cabinet, under the sink, shower ledges, the top of the toilet tank. Put it all in a laundry basket or on a towel in the hall.

Then sort it into four piles:

• Daily: what you use every day or most mornings
• Weekly or less: the face mask, the hair tools, the nail kit
• Backups: the spare toothpaste, the extra rolls, the second bottle of shampoo
• Gone: empty bottles, expired products, samples you'll never open, the razor with the rusty blade

While the room is empty, wipe every shelf and surface. It's the one time you can see all of them.

How do you organize the medicine cabinet?

Check every date. Toss what's expired, and ask your pharmacy how to get rid of old medicines safely.

Group what's left by use: daily skincare on the eye-level shelf, first aid together, medicines together and up high if kids are in the house. Small clear bins or a lazy Susan keep bottles from tipping over each time you reach in.

What should stay on the counter?

As little as possible. Soap, a toothbrush holder, maybe a small tray for the two or three things you grab every morning. When it's time to wipe the counter, you lift one tray instead of moving ten bottles.

How do you use the wall and the door?

Small bathrooms have more wall than floor:

• Above the toilet: a shelf or a slim cabinet for towels and backups
• The back of the door: hooks for robes and towels, or an over-the-door rack
• Beside the mirror: a narrow shelf for the daily things
• In the shower: one caddy that hangs or sticks, instead of bottles lined up on the tub edge

Fewer items on the tub edge means fewer rings of soap scum to scrub.

What goes under the sink?

Two clear bins with handles: one for cleaning supplies, one for backups. Bins pull out like drawers, so nothing gets lost at the back. Put a washable liner on the cabinet floor; a slow drip from the trap shows up on it before it reaches the wood.

Where do towels go?

Hooks dry towels faster than a bunched-up bar in a small room, as long as each towel has its own hook. Roll or fold the spares and keep them above the toilet or in a hall closet. If the bathroom stays damp, see how to clean a bathroom exhaust fan.

How do you keep it organized?

• Put things back in the same spot every time.
• One in, one out: a new bottle of shampoo means the old one is finished or gone.
• A two-minute reset once a week: back on the tray, back in the bin, toss the empties.

Then the weekly clean is just cleaning. Our bathroom cleaning schedule lays out what to do daily, weekly and monthly.

Want help with the cleaning?

The organizing is yours. For the cleaning, book House Cleaning or Recurring House Cleaning online, and see preparing for your cleaning for what to do before the appointment.

FAQ

How do I organize a small bathroom with no storage? Go vertical. Put a shelf above the toilet, hooks on the back of the door, and a narrow caddy in the shower. Keep only what you use every day in the room and store backups in a closet or bin elsewhere.

What should stay on a bathroom counter? As little as you can manage: soap, a toothbrush holder and maybe one small tray for the two or three things you use every morning. Everything else goes in a drawer, the medicine cabinet or a basket, so the counter wipes clean in seconds.

How often should I clean out the medicine cabinet? Twice a year is a good rhythm. Check expiry dates, toss empty bottles, and ask your pharmacy how to get rid of old medicines safely.

Book a cleaning

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