More storage tips: Bathroom

To paraphrase Max Fischer from my favorite movie, Rushmore: "Bathrooms are a tricky species." Sure, Max was actually talking about the piranha he wanted to include in the ill-fated aquarium he tried to build for his lady love, Miss Cross, but I think it suits my purposes too! Bathrooms are tricky. They're bound to be the smallest room in your already-small home, they're crammed full of functional objects that're hard to negotiate, and most everything in it is permanently installed (tile, bathrub, medicine cabinet, etc.). Most give up hope that they can transform their bathrooms without tearing down the walls -- which, of course, is not an option for renters. But worry not! There are always ways to turn your water closet into a spa retreat. For part one of this two-part entry, we'll focus on bathroom storage and organization. First thing's first: as with every room in your tiny-ass apartment, you need to organize and minimize your clutter in order to free up space and make the room feel bigger. So clean! Purge! Edit! What do you REALLY use every day, that you need close at hand? What can go in a cabinet or closet? You are NOT using that glitter body lotion every day. Put. It. Away. It makes you look like a stripper anyway. Now all we have left are the essentials, and the rest are tucked away out of sight. Even though your everyday products are going to remain within reach, putting them inside a larger container, like a basket or caddy, helps them feel, well, contained. Loose items on your countertop or shower floor always feel messy and chaotic. Inside the shower, caddies are a simple solution to store all your bottles and spongy poofs, especially if there's no built-in shelving or the rims of the tub are narrow or nonexistant. This one from Simple Human (above) clamps to the showerhead, so you don't have to worry about it sliding or falling. It's also adjustable to store bottles of various heights (and even slots for the bottles you're storing upside-down in order to get the last drops out!), and hooks for your poof, razor, and even toothbrush, if you're into that sort of thing. There's usually very little floorspace in the bathroom, so in order to increase storage, your best bet is to climb the walls. These glass shelves from the Container Store are instant classics, easy to clean, and don't rot in the heat and moisture like wooden pieces might. The little corner shelves are a clever way to make use of an otherwise wasted space. If you're like me, and like having four or five bath towels in constant rotation, you might appreciate these clever towel racks that can hold your terrycloth collections. This rack from CB2 is actually a vertical bookshelf -- but you can see how sharp it looks with rolled-up towels instead. This towel rack is also bookshelf-inspired. Umbra took its popular "conceal" bookshelf, which makes it look like you have books floating horizontally on your wall, and modified it for your towels. Now you can have a puffy Egyptian cotton cloud on your bathroom wall! After you've stepped out of your luxurious bubble bath (or rushed out of the shower, frantically trying to get ready for work), you won't want to roll or fold your wet, used towel. A wall-mounted drying rack like this one from Ballard Designs featured on Re-Nest allows your wet towels to air-dry, and can be used to hang your drip-dry clothes or rain-soaked coats. In our second installment, we'll take your newly put-together and neat bathroom and make it funky fresh. Well... hopefully more fresh than funky. It is still a bathroom, after all. Via SimpleHuman, The Container Store, CasaSugar, CB2, Apartment Therapy: Los Angeles, Umbra, Re-Nest, and Ballard Designs. Top image from Bathroom Help UK.