Organize A Bathroom Vanity On The Cheap

Lately it seems that all of my clients are struggling with getting their bathrooms organized. And I bet you’re probably in the same boat with them. You either feel like you don’t know where to start, you’ve got way too much stuff in there, or you can’t afford those fancy schmancy organizers that all the magazines are showing.

Today I want to take a minute to show you how I organize my own bathroom, and what I use to keep it that way. I think you’ll be pretty surprised at how cheap I was able to pull it all off.

The Vanity

Ok, I’ll admit that my bathroom vanity is a little larger than some. But before you throw your hands up and bounce, I want to let you in on a little secret. It’s actually a little too big for us too.

The drawers and cabinets are minimally full, there’s a ton of free space, and we even keep our towels in one of the drawers because we had nothing else to put there.

What I’m about to show you can totally be obtained in a vanity half this size, so no excuses Missy!

The Drawers

Here’s what I’ve got to say on drawers, and you can take it or leave it. Without drawer dividers, you’re going to have a big fat mess. All day every day. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got big wide drawers or small narrow ones. Unless you’ve got some kind of divider system, it’s going to be a hot mess of everything you own. And that makes mornings even more stressful than they already are.

• I use clear plastic trays that I got at the Dollar Tree for $1 each. They’re sturdy, they’re see-through, and they’re easy to clean.
• You can also use those little basket trays that Walmart sells or even cutlery trays.
• I never buy the “bathroom drawer organizers” from big box stores because they run up to $20 each and it’s just not worth it to me.
• Keep your most-used items in the top drawer like daily toiletries and makeup, and work your way down with the occasional-use stuff like nail polish and spa treatments.

The Cabinets

Cabinets are another spot that can get out of hand in a hurry. They’re deep and open and have no separation whatsoever. Without some kind of shelving or drawer system inside, everything is going to get lost in the back.

• Use slide-out baskets and bins like this one or plastic drawers like these to give some substance to that black hole of a cabinet. They’re great for storing larger items and overflow that don’t fit in your drawers.
• Go vertical by adding in shelves. You can buy special shelves like these that have an opening for sink drain pipes. These are great under the kitchen sink, too.
• Use Command Hooks to hang things like mirrors, hair dryers and straighteners, hair brushes, and travel bags.
• You can also cut one of those over-the-door shoe pocket organizers to fit inside your cabinet door, then hang it from Command Hooks to utilize the door space.

The Countertop

Countertops can get cluttered really quickly, and a messy bathroom counter will make you instantly feel overwhelmed. By keeping the bathroom counters minimal and only keeping the essentials out, you’ll feel refreshed and at ease when you’re getting ready in the mornings.

• If you don’t have enough space inside your vanity to store all of your beauty products, try adding shelving or hanging baskets to the wall near the vanity. Ikea has a lot of great wall storage solutions that are really affordable in the 2-5 dollar range.
• If you do want to keep things on your counter, corral them inside a pretty tray. They will stay contained and look a lot nicer than just piled up all over the place.
• I keep my makeup on the counter in my bathroom inside an acrylic makeup organizer from Target, along with daily lotions, facial cleansers and perfume. To keep them from looking cluttered, I put them on top of a long narrow cutting board from the Target Dollar Spot. It makes the corner look nice and neat, even though there’s actually a lot of stuff there.

Be Minimal

Take a second and look through your bathroom vanity. I bet you don’t use 50% of the stuff you have. And I bet another 5-10% is either expired or damaged. Maybe you really do have enough room in there, you’ve just got a lot of junk hogging up all the space.

I want to challenge you to set a timer for 15 minutes with a trash bag in hand and dump anything you don’t want, need, or can’t use anymore. If there’s still time left, do a mini organization session to put your most-used items together in a neat and collected space.

Just this little 15 minute project will get you motivated to finally get that bathroom in order. And you won’t even break the bank while you’re doing it.

Need Some Customized Help?

I have a few more coaching spots left for the month, and I’d love to chat with you. If you could use some personalized advice on getting your home and life organized, or just need to get a gameplan together, I’m your girl. You can schedule a 30 minute call (or online chat if you’re shy) right here.

Shop My Bathroom

1) Mesh Under-Cabinet Drawers  |  2) Makeup Organizer  |  3) Shower Curtain  |  4) Towel Hooks  |  5) Hand Towel  |  6)  Clear Organizers  |  7) Bath Rug (Similar)  |  8) Silicone Heat Protectant Pad  |   9) Cutting Board (similar)