XP: Storage/Organizing people @

[2curlydogs]

I posted this on H&G and am going to clean it up and bring it over here

So the kids bathroom is TINY. Like really tiny. Here's a reasonably to-scale drawing. It's a LOT smaller than I originally estimated when I posted yesterday.



Above the toilet I have a train-style shelf which is 24" wide and about 12"ish deep. And above that is a small glass display shelf that is 19.75" wide and maybe 3-4" deep.

In the tub they have a Boon Pod frog for their toys, but they have more toys than can fit.

Behind the door is a towel bar.

I need more storage space. Or more practical storage space. Not sure if there's a way to make what I have functional with baskets or something.

What we need to store: towels, toys, other bath supplies (shampoo, body wash, rinsing cup, etc.), grooming supplies (combs, detangler, toothbrush, toothpaste, flossing things, etc.), etc.. Ideally kid medications would move here as well, obviously well out of reach.

Right now everything except the toys and toothbrushes is stored elsewhere. And it's a real PITA when giving them a bath or doing anything else to have to traipse around upstairs to collect a towel from here and detangler from there, etc. And a lot of time my H forgets something, so then he's hollering for me to bring him a cup to rinse their hair or come watch the kids so he can get a towel (baths are his job).

Things that won't work:
* Because the vanity is so small there's really only room on top for a soap dish, toothbrush holder and cup.

* There is a cabinet under the sink. It holds the plunger, toilet brush, trash can, and other shit I want to keep out of reach and has a childproof lock on it. Space is tall, but otherwise very small. No room for anything else.

* There is no linen/hall closet storage that is convenient.

* There had been a big, bulky medicine cabinet over the toilet when we moved in. I removed it because it took up so much space and was not very deep inside (maybe..4"?). 

* Anything across from the toilet. Not pictured on this is a air return/vent that's pretty much right there.

[dawnzersong]

I know you said nothing can go against the wall across from the toilet, but would a ladder shelf with some storage bins work there? It's very open so it shouldn't block the vent too much. I was just at ikea last weekend and I saw this one, which is pretty narrow:

www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60246768/

[pamela]

Why not put a real upper cabinet over the toilet using all the vertical room you can? Ours is 2 toilet paper rolls deep and tall enough for I think 2 shelves. The lower I stack toilet paper 2 high.

Remove the trash can from under the sink. If it's child locked anyway it's hard to get to, so just bring trash elsewhere. If you have menstruating girls, reevaluate that.

Replace mirror with recessed medicine cabinet. Maybe one on the left wall too.

[pescalita]

My first suggestion would be to get more in the tub. The rinsing cup can live there, maybe even the soap/shampoo on a high shelf?

We did this when the toys outgrew the suction cup thingies (and they kept falling down). We just had to get a heavy duty tension rod because the first skinny one we bought slipped down the tile:



Then you're down to towels, which can go over the toilet (roll and stack? or baskets) and grooming supplies, which all together are pretty small - a medicine cabinet would be ideal, but I would hesitate to add the expense/project if a small basket will do.

[stephm0188]

I'd remove the train rack and display shelf and do open shelving up to the ceiling. You can use baskets to stash stuff in. Shelves would give you more depth than a cabinet.

[2curlydogs]

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Why not put a real upper cabinet over the toilet using all the vertical room you can? Ours is 2 toilet paper rolls deep and tall enough for I think 2 shelves. The lower I stack toilet paper 2 high.

Wait, like a kitchen cabinet?

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Remove the trash can from under the sink. If it's child locked anyway it's hard to get to, so just bring trash elsewhere. If you have menstruating girls, reevaluate that. 

Trash cans have to stay stashed because of dogs. Our trashbin is under the sink.

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Replace mirror with recessed medicine cabinet. Maybe one on the left wall too.

I'm always nervous at doing stuff like this because I'm not sure what is behind the walls. I'd hate to rip out drywall and be like "Oh. There are pipes there."

[laurenpetro]

Ditch the plunger and the toilet brush. Plunger can go elsewhere and the brush can go with your cleaning supplies.

Cull your toys. Just keep a couple.

Where do you currently have their toiletries? Towels? I saw a cute thing with a wine rack that can hold rolled up towels.

[scout8]

We have one bath and it is tiny.

Do you have any space above the tub? We have fairly high ceilings. A previous owner drywalled above the tub and added cabinets up above. It isn't convenient for day to day stuff, but it is good storage.

Do you have any space right outside the bathroom? We have a narrow antique piece that sits right outside of the bath that holds a lot of our linens and bath type stuff. It is probably about 6 feet tall, but it isn't super wide or deep so it fits fine. This helps a ton and where we keep most things.

We have a flat mirror above the vanity, but on another wall, I hung a medicine cabinet. It holds more than you would think.

We also keep a lot in the tub. I really should hand some sort of shelving unit, but instead, shampoos and such just hang out in the corners of the tub.

[pamela]

Sept 22, 2015 14:20:13 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Why not put a real upper cabinet over the toilet using all the vertical room you can? Ours is 2 toilet paper rolls deep and tall enough for I think 2 shelves. The lower I stack toilet paper 2 high.

Wait, like a kitchen cabinet?

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Remove the trash can from under the sink. If it's child locked anyway it's hard to get to, so just bring trash elsewhere. If you have menstruating girls, reevaluate that. 

Trash cans have to stay stashed because of dogs. Our trashbin is under the sink.

Sept 22, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5 pamela said:

Replace mirror with recessed medicine cabinet. Maybe one on the left wall too.

I'm always nervous at doing stuff like this because I'm not sure what is behind the walls. I'd hate to rip out drywall and be like "Oh. There are pipes there."

Yes, like a kitchen cabinet. Have it in all 3 baths and it's great. Doesn't stick out too far to hit your head on or anything.

Do you have to have a trash can in that particular bathroom?

That is always a risk of remodeling. You can always poke some tester holes and if there is too much there, cover them back up with the original mirror. Or hang a non-recessed one. It will just stick out and be shallower storage.

[Deleted]

I'd switch the towel bar to hooks, hooks can hold more and still dry just as well.

I'd add more shelves behind the toilet, I like the Ikea picture shelves.

Do something like this beside the sink.


Or these ikea fintorp bucket things, you could do 2 or 3 rows of them, so some things are up high.


For things you want out of kids reach - 

[Deleted]

I have this over my bathroom sink to provide some much needed space as well.  Sorry, I'm overly invested in small bathroom solutions having been there recently.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MM8WNI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

[pescalita]

Sept 22, 2015 15:10:49 GMT -5 @ruralrabbit1 said:

I'd switch the towel bar to hooks, hooks can hold more and still dry just as well.

I'd add more shelves behind the toilet, I like the Ikea picture shelves.

Do something like this beside the sink.


Or these ikea fintorp bucket things, you could do 2 or 3 rows of them, so some things are up high.


For things you want out of kids reach - 

I like all of this. That wall in the first picture is a good opportunity - it might be a less-risky place for a recessed medicine cabinet too.

[jln]

I used to have a shelf that went over the toilet like this:


It's low profile but can hold quite a bit.  You could even get baskets that fit on the shelves for more storage of small items. 

[2curlydogs]

All really great ideas. I'm going to run them past the husband.

The bathrooms are up for purging anyway. Good time to go thru things and throw stuff out.

When I win the lottery, I'm hiring an architect and our whole second floor is getting remodeled. We're going to expand out over the garage and re-vamp that whole space.

[bugandbibs]

This is our kid bathroom. The cabinets above the toilet are kitchen cabinets from Ikea. They hold a crap ton of stuff. We store toliet paper in the space between the 2 cabinets. 

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[2curlydogs]

Sept 22, 2015 19:52:30 GMT -5 bugandbibs said:

This is our kid bathroom. The cabinets above the toilet are kitchen cabinets from Ikea. They hold a crap ton of stuff. We store toliet paper in the space between the 2 cabinets. 

Which ones from Ikea? Is it their Sektion line? Do the cabinet doors stay open on their own or do you have to hold them?

I'm intrigued by this. Those are very nice and low profile.

[sushi]

Sept 23, 2015 21:27:50 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

Sept 22, 2015 19:52:30 GMT -5 bugandbibs said:

This is our kid bathroom. The cabinets above the toilet are kitchen cabinets from Ikea. They hold a crap ton of stuff. We store toliet paper in the space between the 2 cabinets. 

Which ones from Ikea? Is it their Sektion line? Do the cabinet doors stay open on their own or do you have to hold them?

I'm intrigued by this. Those are very nice and low profile.

Those look like ones I'm considering. If they're the same, they do stay open.

Sektion replaced their previous cabinet lounge, but it's basically still the same thing. Like the expedit kallax change.

[angromarsi]

Also look into pocket shower curtains. We have a shower curtain that has about 5 mesh pockets attached to the inside of the curtain. It works really well for holding shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, loofahs, kids toys, bubble bath, etc.

Something like this:

www.amazon.com/Maytex-Pockets-Shower-Curtain-inches/dp/B003ZHVDAG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443101929&sr=8-1&keywords=pocket+shower+curtain+liner