The cabinet under the bathroom sink can be a difficult spot to organize and to keep organized. Plumbing takes up space, things get pushed to the back, and small bottles disappear behind larger items. Before long, you’re moving half the cabinet’s contents around each time you try to find something.
I’ve found the best way to organize this space is to decide exactly what you want to store there and then buy organizing products that fit both the cabinet’s unique space and the items you intend to store. For an in-depth look at the how I organized the cabinet under the bathroom sink, keep reading.
QUICK ANSWER
How do you organize under the bathroom sink?
Start by completely emptying the cabinet and cleaning it. Then declutter anything you don’t need, group the remaining items by category, and decide what actually belongs under the sink. Before buying organizers, measure the cabinet carefully, paying attention to the plumbing and other obstacles. Then use bins, shelves, pull-out organizers, or other storage products to make the most of your space. When done, the items stored under the sink should be easy to find, reach, and put away.
UNDER THE BATHROOM SINK ORGANIZATION STEPS
STEP 1 – CLEAR EVERYTHING OUT
Before organizing under the bathroom sink, take everything out and put it somewhere you can see it all at once. This gives you a much better idea of what you’re actually dealing with and trying to organize.
STEP 2 – CLEAN AND CHECK THE CABINET
Once the cabinet is empty, use a vacuum and/or wipes to clean the bottom and sides before putting anything back.
This is also a good time to look at the plumbing under the sink. Check the pipes and connections for signs of moisture or leaks. If you see any signs, fix the problem before putting everything back into the cabinet.
STEP 3 – DECLUTTER & SORT OUT THE ITEMS
After cleaning out and checking under the sink, the next step in organizing under the bathroom sink is to sort through everything that came out of the cabinet.
This is a good time to declutter anything that’s almost empty, unusable, unwanted, or that doesn’t belong in the bathroom. For more details on the bathroom decluttering process, check out Bathroom Decluttering Made Easy: What to Toss Before You Organize.
At the end of this process, sort everything into four piles: throw away/recycle, donate, rehome, or keep to be organized.
Then group the keep-to-be-organized items by type, how you use them, or in whatever way makes sense and works best for you.
Some grouping examples are:
| Category | Examples |
| Hair care | Brushes, styling products, accessories |
| Personal care | Razors, shaving supplies, other personal-care products |
| Travel | Travel-sized products, travel toothbrush, toiletry bag |
| Cleaning | Bathroom cleaners, sponges, cleaning cloths |
| Refills | Unopened toiletries and replacement products |
| Miscellaneous | Items that don’t fit another category |
Your categories may look completely different than this, and that’s okay. The important thing is to process what you have before you decide how to store it.
STEP 4 – DECIDE WHAT ACTUALLY BELONGS UNDER THE BATHROOM SINK
Now that the items are grouped, narrow down what will actually go back into the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Not everything that stays in the bathroom needs to be stored under the sink. This cabinet is most useful for things you want easy access to, but don’t necessarily use daily.
Depending on your bathroom, that may include:
- Hair products
- Personal care supplies
- Extra toiletries
- Backup/refill products
- Cleaning supplies
- Extra toilet paper
- Travel bathroom supplies
The best use for the cabinet under the bathroom sink also depends on what other storage you have available throughout the rest of your bathroom.
WHAT SHOULDN’T GO UNDER THE SINK?
There’s no universal list of things you can’t store under a bathroom sink, but the cabinet’s location makes some items less suitable. Since plumbing runs through the cabinet, I’d be careful of storing anything there that a leak could damage. I’d also avoid using the space for things you need to access constantly if you have another more convenient storage area.
And if you have children in the home, be cautious of storing cleaning products, medications, and other potentially hazardous items in an easy-to-access location such as under the bathroom sink.
STEP 5 – MEASURE THE SPACE
After you’ve sorted the items you plan to organize, measure the usable space under the sink before buying any organization products. This is to make sure everything will fit.
You’ll want to note:
- Width
- Depth
- Height
- Location of the plumbing
- Location of any shelves or supports
- Any other obstacles that may affect access
The plumbing is particularly important to note. An organizer may technically fit inside the cabinet but still be useless if a pipe prevents you from sliding it in or makes a drawer impossible to pull out. Depending on how the plumbing is configured, two narrower bins might work better than one large bin. Or a shelf may work on one side of the cabinet but not the other.
STEP 6 – PURCHASE ORGANIZATION PRODUCTS
Once you know what you want to store and how much usable space you have, it’s time to decide how to organize it. The right organization products make this easier. A storage product that works perfectly in one bathroom may be completely impractical in another.
Look at the actual shape of your cabinet and work from there. Think about the size of the items you want to store, the size of the cabinet, and the ease of access that you want for the various items. Then purchase (or find in your home) the products that will best accomplish your organization goals.
Some various linked storage options for the space are as follows:
| Organizer | Works well for |
| Open bins | Grouping similar products |
| Small containers | Hair accessories and small items |
| Stackable shelves | Using vertical space |
| Drawer-style organizers | Deep cabinets |
| Turntable organizers | Various product bottles |
These various options can help organize under the bathroom sink. For some cabinets, a couple of storage bins may be all you need. Others may benefit from a combination of storage solutions.
In our bathroom, I chose these drawer-style organizers which let me reach items all the way in the back of the cabinet easily.
STEP 7 – ORGANIZE ITEMS
Once your storage products are gathered, it’s finally time to put everything back into the space. Start by dry fitting your organizational products into the space. That means putting the empty bins/products into the cabinet to check that they fit and slide in and out easily. When you’re happy with the arrangement, begin filling the organizational products with the items you want to organize.
Look at your sorted piles and decide which piles belong in/on which organizational products to best fit in the space. You may have to combine or split up some of the piles. It’s all about what fits where while still making sense and keeping things organized.
For example, you might have one bin for hair products, another for travel toiletries, and another for backup toiletries. But don’t feel like every category needs its own container. If you only have a couple of hair products, they may not need an entire bin. The organization system should follow the cabinet’s contents and your individual needs.
STEP 8 – LABEL THE BINS
After everything has been stored, the next step is to add labels. Labels help you remember what goes where in your new organization system. And if multiple people are using the bathroom cabinet, it helps keep everyone on the same page and organized.
HOW TO KEEP THE CABINET UNDER THE BATHROOM SINK ORGANIZED
Now that you’ve organized under the bathroom sink, keeping it organized should be easy as long as you pay attention to the system you’ve established. The biggest thing you can do to keep the area organized is just return items to the right bins/location every time you’re finished using them. If you always place things back where they belong, then everything will stay organized.
Another way to keep things organized under the bathroom sink is to, every so often, take a quick look through the cabinet and remove anything that’s accumulated that no longer belongs. A few minutes of maintenance every once in a while will make it so that things never reach the point of needing a full reorganization.
COMMON UNDER THE BATHROOM SINK ORGANIZATION MISTAKES
BUYING ORGANIZERS BEFORE MEASURING
The area under the bathroom sink is often a complicated space because of the plumbing. It’s important to measure everything before buying any organizers to make sure they’ll fit.
USING ONE LARGE BIN FOR EVERYTHING
One large bin under the sink may help items from getting lost in the back of the cabinet, but that’s about where its usefulness ends. If you throw everything into one large bin, it will quickly become a disorganized mess again that you constantly need to dig through. Buy dividers or a few smaller bins to better organize the space.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO FREQUENCY OF USE
When organizing, it’s important to put frequently used items towards the front of the cabinet, or in easy-to-reach places. If you use something every day, you shouldn’t have to reach around other things to get it.
OVERFILLING THE CABINET
One of the easiest ways to undo your organization work is to fill every available inch. A little space is useful. It gives you room to put things away and makes it easier to see what’s actually there. Plus, it leaves you space in case you have more you need to organize in the future.
ORGANIZING THINGS THAT DON’T BELONG THERE
Decluttering before organizing is important for a reason. If something doesn’t need to be in the bathroom or in the cabinet under the sink, then it should be removed before the area is organized.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Measure around the plumbing rather than treating the cabinet as one large open space. Smaller bins, narrow organizers, shelves, and pull-out products can help you use the areas around the pipes.
Common choices include toiletries, hair products, personal-care supplies, cleaning products, backup products, and other bathroom supplies. The best choice depends on your available storage and how frequently you use each item.
Consider pull-out or drawer-style organizers so you can bring items toward you instead of reaching into the back. Removable bins can also make deep cabinets easier to access.
Start by decluttering so you’re only storing what you actually need. Then measure carefully and look for ways to use vertical space and the areas around the plumbing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Organizing the cabinet under the bathroom sink is all about taking the time to understand the space and what you actually need to store there. Clear everything out, clean the cabinet, and get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there. Then group what’s left so you know what you’re working with.
After that, measure. Pay particular attention to the plumbing and any other obstacles that affect the usable space. Once you have your measurements, you can choose bins, shelves, pull-outs, or other organizers that solve your specific problems.
Make sure you can easily see what you have, reach the things you use regularly, and put everything back where it belongs to keep it organized. It isn’t about making the cabinet look perfect. It’s about making the space easier to use than it was before.
CONTINUE READING: Looking for more bathroom organization ideas?
Bathroom Decluttering Made Easy: What to Toss Before You Organize
