How to Organize Your Bathroom Vanity
Sep 19, 2026 / Alina Bradford
The best way to keep your bathroom vanity organized is to remove as much clutter as possible. Utilize vertical storage, dental organizers, medicine cabinets, floating shelves, and rolling carts to give you more storage.
Key takeaways
- A well-organized bathroom vanity starts with getting rid of products you no longer use.
- Check expiration dates, remove empty or damaged products, and clean the vanity before putting anything back.
- Use vertical space, wall-mounted organizers, a rolling cart and the back of the bathroom door to keep frequently used items within reach without crowding the countertop.
- Take advantage of the space underneath the sink with bins and organizers.
Do a cleanout
Before you start to organize, do a thorough cleanout. Here’s what to do:
- Check expiration dates
Look at medications, ointments, creams, sunscreen, and other products for expired dates. - Separate expired medications
Set expired or unwanted medicines aside for proper disposal. Don’t automatically flush medications or pour them down the drain. Check for a local drug take-back program or follow the disposal instructions on the label. - Get rid of empty containers
Toss empty bottles, tubes, boxes, and packages you no longer need. - Check products you rarely use
If you haven’t used a beauty, hair, or personal-care product in a long time, decide whether you still need it. If you feel guilty about throwing it out, you can always give it to a friend or family member. - Look for changes in products
Discard products that smell strange, have changed color or texture, have separated, have dried out, or otherwise look different from when you bought them. This may mean they are ruined and need tossed. - Check makeup and beauty products
Go through old mascara, eyeliner, foundation, lipstick, skincare products, and other cosmetics. Pay attention to products that have been open for a long time. When in doubt, check the PAO (Period After Opening) symbol on the container. This icon looks like a jar with a number and an “M” for months. If you think you’ve had the item for longer than the PAO, toss it. It could be growing bacteria that could lead to pink eye and other problems. - Clean the cabinet or vanity
Wipe shelves, drawers, handles, and corners to remove dust, hair, spills, and product residue. - Clean the containers
Wipe sticky or dusty bottles before putting them back.
Go up instead of out
Vertical storage is the best way to organize your vanity without making it cluttered. There are several ways to do this.
A two- or three-tiered rotating organizer can sit beside your vanity and hold dozens of products. These organizers come in a lot of different styles, so you’re sure to find one that matches your bathroom.
If you only have a mirror over your sink, consider replacing it with a medicine cabinet. You’ll still have a mirror, plus storage behind it. This is a great place to hide away clutter. Some medicine cabinets are designed to be embedded between the studs on your wall, but others can be hung from a few screws. Make sure to check which one you’re getting before you buy.
If there’s room, you can also add small shelves around your mirror. Look for floating shelves that don’t stick too far out from the wall.
Add a cart
You can expand your vanity space with just a simple tweak. Get a three-tiered cart that’s the same height as your vanity and wheel it right next to it. The cart is the perfect place to put hair dryers, curling and straightening irons, makeup, hair products, and lotion. Put your less-used items on the lower shelves and items you use regularly on the top.
Measure the space where you want to put the cart before you buy one to ensure a good fit.
Round up your dental gear
Instead of letting your toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss hang out on your vanity top, use a wall-mounted organizer. Look for one that has a shelf and a closed cubby for your toothbrushes. This gives you a place to store your mouthwash, dental floss, and toothpaste while keeping your brushes safe from lint, dust, and other gross particles found in the bathroom.
Give your bathroom door a second purpose
If your bathroom door is close to your vanity, put it to work holding some of its clutter. A shoe organizer (the kind with multiple clear pockets) hanging on the back of the door can hold bottles and tubes of products. You can also put hair accessories, like barrettes, clips, hair elastics, and hairbands in the pockets.
If you tend to keep a lot of duplicate products on hand, put a shelf above the bathroom door. Store duplicates in labeled boxes or baskets instead of letting them clutter your vanity.
Organize the cabinet below the sink
The cabinet below your bathroom sink can hold more than you think.
Use stackable bins or small baskets to keep similar items together. You might have one bin for cleaning supplies, another for extra toiletries and another for hair-care products. A small plastic drawer unit can also help you use the vertical space instead of piling everything on the cabinet floor.
You can also attach a small organizer to the inside of the cabinet door for brushes, sponges, hair accessories or other small items. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with the pipes or prevent the door from closing.
Bathroom vanity organization FAQ
How do I organize a small bathroom vanity?
Start by removing products you no longer use, then keep only your most frequently used items in the vanity. Use drawer dividers, small bins, stackable organizers and vertical storage to make the most of limited space. Store backup products elsewhere, such as in a cabinet or on a shelf.
What should I keep on my bathroom vanity?
Keep the products you use every day or several times a day on the vanity, such as hand soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, or a few skincare products. Store less frequently used items in drawers, cabinets or other storage areas to keep the countertop clear.
How do you organize bathroom vanity drawers?
Group similar items together and give each category its own section. For example, use one area for makeup, another for hair accessories and another for skincare. Drawer dividers or small containers can prevent products from shifting around and make smaller items easier to find.
How do you keep a bathroom vanity from getting cluttered?
Give each item a designated storage spot and put products away after using them. Avoid keeping duplicates in the vanity and do a quick cleanout every few months to remove empty, expired or rarely used products.
Where should I store extra bathroom products?
Store backup shampoo, soap, toothpaste, cosmetics and other unopened products in a cabinet, closet, labeled basket or shelf. Keeping duplicates together makes it easier to see what you have and prevents them from taking up valuable vanity space.
