Organizing under your bathroom sink is an easy project that you can do in less than an hour. Ready to get started? Let me walk you through step-by-step how to organize a functional bathroom sink cabinet.
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I’m loving this bathroom transformation I’ve been working on. It’s our hall bathroom where both my daughter and I get ready in the morning and for bed. It used to have lavender walls and a honey oak vanity, but I said bye-bye to those with some TLC and fresh paint (see the full makeover here)!
My favorite part of updating this room was, of course, the organizing piece. The vanity was full of hair and makeup products, nail polish, and a few cleaning supplies. I had some of the products that I use every morning sitting on top of the counter, too, because the drawers were stuffed!
By the time this project was finished, I had all of the larger items under the sink and smaller items organized in the drawers (tour our organized bathroom drawers here). Nothing is left out on the counters – getting rid of our extra clutter was a big win! Now everything has a place and it all actually fits!
Check out these blog posts for more organizing and DIY ideas from our small bathroom makeover:
- DIY Bathroom Makeover Reveal (a budget-friendly transformation)
- Bathroom Drawer Organization Tips
- How To Paint A Bathroom Vanity
- Easy DIY Drawer Liners
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This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for details.
FAQ: What containers are best for organizing under a sink?
Bathroom vanities are prime real estate for products you use often. Organizing this space doesn’t require much – just a few carefully chosen containers that fit that awkward space under the bathroom sink.
The bins I used under our sink are all from The Container Store – they are clear and durable and I’ve used a variety of them in spaces all over my house. It’s helpful to use one container brand/style throughout the house, because then you can shuffle things around if needed, and they’ll still be useful if you make any major changes or moves in the future.
Here are the containers I used in this project and recommend:
- The Home Edit Divided Lazy Susan
- The Home Edit Large Drawer
- The Home Edit All-Purpose Deep Bin With Divider
- The Home Edit Organizer Bins (I used one medium and one small inside the drawer)
How to organize under a bathroom sink
Alright, let’s get to work creating an organized under-sink cabinet! Here is what I was working with when I got started.
Step 1: Empty the cabinet
Take everything out of the cabinet and set it nearby. You’ll likely find some dirt, dust, and hair left inside, so take this time to wipe out the entire cabinet from top to bottom.
I like to use my small handheld vacuum first to pick up all the stray hairs and dust bunnies, then wipe it clean with a rag and all-purpose spray.
Step 2: categorize
Go through everything and sort it into rough categories. This makes the next step easier. My categories included nail polish, hair products, hair tools, cleaning supplies, and a few other large items like lotions.
Step 3: Purge
If you find things you don’t like to use anymore, throw them out. Also, check expiration dates on products or look them up online–I always find so many personal care products that I’ve had for far longer than the recommended length of time! Did you know makeup actually doesn’t last forever? 😉 In a bathroom cabinet, you probably won’t find much you can donate, but if you don’t use it AND don’t like it, say goodbye.
Step 4: organize and contain
As I mentioned before, I used nice big clear bins and drawers from The Container Store. I used the smaller bins too, which fit inside the big bins and that’s been helpful for keeping everything in place.
It can be hard to decide what to put where. With this project, I knew that I wanted the larger hair spray cans and other big lotions in my turntable so they’d be easy to access, so I started there. Just start wherever seems easiest!
For the most part, you should keep categories together so things don’t get lost. If you have towels or washcloths under your sink, file fold them and place them in a bin or basket. It takes up less space than stacking them. You can also stack bins like I did to maximize the cabinet space.
There is no right or wrong – just be sure you have what you use often closest to you, and less often can be tucked away but accessible. Here’s my end result!
I can’t tell you how annoyed I’ve been living with a messy bathroom vanity for years! And one afternoon is all it took to completely organize under our bathroom sink AND organize our bathroom vanity drawers.
Check out these blog posts for more organizing and DIY ideas from our small bathroom makeover:
- DIY Bathroom Makeover Reveal (a budget-friendly transformation)
- Bathroom Drawer Organization Tips
- How To Paint A Bathroom Vanity
- Easy DIY Drawer Liners
Have a fantastic day!
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Another option is to install a pedestal sink and trash the cabinet sink.
Put the stuff that was underneath the sink in another accessible location nearby
in bins.
husband of Marilyn