Effective bathroom countertop organization ensures that room essentials are easily available. But organizing a bathroom countertop isn’t just about having items nearby. If the appearance of the room is not spoiled, the arrangements should also ensure that the space is tidy and neat.
Good bathroom organization is vital for hygiene reasons as well. It’s hard to keep a bathroom countertop strewn with litter completely clean, while good arrangement will make the task simple. It’s also easy to keep track of products’ expiration dates if they are well arranged.
Here, we’ve rounded up our favorite bathroom counter organization strategies and asked the experts to share their tips, too.
Organize bathroom countertops
Bathroom countertop ideas are a part of any bathroom design and a chaotic array of objects on their countertop hides the beauty of the materials as well as detracts from the calmness of the room. But many of us want the essentials to be available right away too, and bathroom countertop organization must take these factors into account.
1. Evaluate what should be present in the bathroom
(Photo credit: John Grannin)
Take a moment to think about everything that is stored in the bathroom, and the furniture that you have to accommodate, as a first step to organizing the bathroom countertop is to ensure good bathroom storage ideas. This will prevent the roof from becoming a warehouse for everything that does not have a home.
‘Whether it’s shampoo, toilet paper or contact lens cleaner, keep your daily essentials inside storage solutions to prevent their inevitable advance across your work surface,’ says Stephen Jack, Pelipal’s director of national development for InHouse Inspired Room Design.
Consider whether some items, including the most bulky, should be kept in a closet outside the bathroom to prevent the countertops from accumulating clutter.
2. Be selective about what is shown
An overcrowded worktop won’t do a bathroom good, but how do you decide what should be in there? You have to think: back off first.
“Keep what you use daily,” advises Juliette Thomas, founder and director of Juliettes Interiors.
Otherwise, put the other things away. Bathrooms are at their best when uncrowded, giving more space to use and a modern look that is generally arranged to show the bathroom rather than clutter. Make sure there is a home for everything so nothing is left on the side.
Sharing a bathroom with the kids? “The bathroom work surface when children use the same bathroom should be as clear as possible except for their toothbrush, child-friendly toothpaste and hairbrush,” says Catherine Lord, home organizer, Catherine Lord of More to Reading.
“Anything else should be stored away for safety, but also, having those items close at hand can help your child become more independent.”
3. Use the trays on the worktop
(Image credit: Alexander James Interior Design)
For items that will be placed on your worktop, consider placing them together on a tray. This way, the most frequently used items can create attractive little patterns as well as being readily available.
The material you choose for the tray should complement the style of the bathroom. In this room by Alexander James Interior Design, designed by Marina Demarczuk, a marble tray was chosen, and designer Sophia Ivory explains: “The faded marble tray was chosen to complement the bathroom’s classic scheme.” Meanwhile, a metal tray can add a soft touch, while wood complements the bathroom’s organic design.
4. Pay attention to the dates of untidy countertops
When organizing bathroom countertops, keep in mind that beauty products have expiration dates, and you should avoid accumulating products you can no longer use on the counter.
“The shelf life of cosmetics varies,” explains Jacqueline McLeod, director of communications at APDO and founder of Bancrofts Organization Services. Eye shadows can last for up to a year, lipstick for up to two years, nail polish in a year, mascara from three to four months, concealer and foundation for up to a year, body cream for up to two years, fragrance from one to two years, And be sure to get rid of your makeup sponges after four to six weeks.
5. Keep towels off the counter
(Image credit: Future)
Scattered towels will result in a disorganized bathroom countertop. To avoid clutter, choose a nightstand with an easily accessible space to store fresh towels. Make sure there is a place to hang wet towels as well, with a rail or hooks nearby.
6. Dish Essentials
(Image credit: Future)
For an organized bathroom surface, pour whatever you need to keep into attractive containers. Small jars are ideal for stashing everything from cotton balls to bars of soap, and using them can also avoid conflicting finishes if you want to use a selection of brands, as well as allow you to purchase larger product sizes to reduce waste.
You can choose a store-bought set with an elegant finish, or you can group elegant drugstore utensils or antique pieces that give the room character. Think repurposed beautiful designs to spice up a room – a tiered cake stand can provide organized storage for small items on your worktop.
Hair tools like dryers and flat irons as well as brush sets are often the things left on a bathroom countertop, detrimental to a room’s calm, tidy lines.
To avoid clutter – and the damage that hot tools can cause on the surface – make sure you have a convenient place to tidy them nearby in drawers under your countertop, or another piece of bathroom furniture and use a designer tool organizer as well, which will prevent thermal damage to surfaces, arranging both Tools and their wires to avoid wires flying through space.
8. Use vertical space to organize bathroom counters
(Image credit: Future)
Particularly challenging is the task of organizing a small bathroom countertop. If so, look for tiered storage solutions to accommodate everyday essentials without cluttering the surface.
If there isn’t enough room for tiered storage, use a wall to make room for your most frequently used items. A single shelf or, to fit more, a great combination will solve bathroom countertop clutter problems.
When selecting, make sure that the width of any shelf or unit is no larger than the width of the work surface to maintain room proportions.
9. Bring drawer dividers
(Image credit: Future)
In order to organize the bathroom countertop, it is essential that the room has other storage options where items can be arranged further away from the table top level. While some furniture has drawer dividers, it’s worth adding to those pieces that don’t.
“Dedicate separate sections for different uses, such as moisturizers, bath products, brushing teeth, body washing, etc.,” says Juliette Thomas. “Keep the upper drawers for frequently used items and the lower drawers for less frequently used items.”
10. Adding decorative details
(Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd. Photo: Mel Yates)
The items you choose for organizing—and arranging—the bathroom countertops will bring aesthetic benefits to the room, but also consider a few other pieces of worktop design. Scented candles or reed diffusers are a good option, but consider displaying a few flowers in a vase or placing a houseplant there.
The rule to follow? Do not fill the work surface with more decorative additives. The goal should be boutique hotel style, not extremes.
What do you put on the small bathroom table?
If your bathroom vanity is small, for good organization, it’s important to adjust what you put there because it’s very easy to crowd the space. Soap is a must and if it is in bar form, the porcelain dish will help keep the work surface clutter-free as well as looking neat. Otherwise, choose a liquid soap of your favorite brand that already has a nifty dispenser, or pour it into a nifty version if the packaging allows it to deteriorate.
Regardless, our advice is to keep everything on a nightstand, on shelves, or on freestanding furniture unless there’s room for a vase to display flowers or foliage to add to the room’s décor.
How do bathroom countertop organization ideas?
To design a bathroom vanity top, it’s important to consider the effect of each element you keep there, as well as the overall appearance of the surface. Practical items such as storage jars and containers for soaps and lotions can be part of the selection of pieces, along with accessories such as candles in jars or holders, vases, trays, and even framed photos.
Think about the materials when choosing what to offer. You can use glass for storage jars, vases, reed dispensers and so on, select organic materials like stone and wood for accessories, or echo the faucet with metallic details for trays or storage pieces. Objects can also be associated with color – soft pastel tones, touches of black, a pop of an energetic shade such as orange, etc.
As in other parts of the house, groups of items work well, especially when you work with odd numbers, and a hierarchical arrangement can make for an attractive grouping.