Alexey Smirnov
Even in a large bathroom it is difficult to provide a lot of storage space. How can you fit everything you need into a small space? But there is no need to despair - everything can be solved.
The Lifehacker Telegram channel contains only the best texts about technology, relationships, sports, cinema and much more. Subscribe!
Our Pinterest contains only the best texts about relationships, sports, cinema, health and much more. Subscribe!
Decide on the location of the washing machine
pinterest.ru
The dimensions of the machine affect not only the layout of the bathroom, but also the availability of storage space. If your kitchen unit no longer has room for a washing machine, you may be able to designate a small laundry area to free up space in the bathroom. This can be a separate small room or a built-in closet near the bathroom - you can store household supplies, extra towels and other household items above the machine. Pay attention to the boundaries of the wet zone: a washing machine cannot be located in residential areas.
Even if the washing machine is located in the bathroom itself, storage space can be provided here too. This can be either a system with a built-in washing machine (like IKEA cabinets), or a cabinet or shelves above it.
pinterest.ru
Even if there is already a heated towel rail above the car, you can fit a small cabinet above it to store things that you do not need on a daily basis.
Features of storing household chemicals in a house with a child
The methods of organizing space and storing things described above assume that there is no small child in the house. The principles of storing detergents and cleaning products change noticeably if a baby lives with you. Washing powders, disinfectants and other chemicals are usually stored in the most accessible place, at hand, where at the same time a child can easily reach, and this can become a real tragedy for the family. It is very difficult to find a safe place to store such products - the lower cabinets in the bathroom are quickly opened and inspected, and beautiful bottles are removed and examined. At best, a curious child will spill the powder or stain the carpet with bleach; at worst, he will end up in intensive care after testing the taste of household chemicals. To prevent this from happening, you should carefully consider where to store all household chemicals. We propose the following action plan.
- Inspection of household chemicals. At this stage, it is necessary to sort through and sort all the chemicals in the house, paying special attention to the contents under the bathtub and sink.
- Getting rid of unnecessary things. Next, you should put expired and unnecessary jars, tubes, packs, etc. in the trash.
- Sorting by destination. All chemicals must be divided by purpose and frequency of use, grouped and placed in separate containers.
- Convenient placement in an inaccessible place. The top shelf of a cabinet is suitable for storing rarely used substances, but for household chemicals that are used 3-4 times a week, it is better to choose plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid. The most reliable, but not very convenient option would be handle latches and overhead locks, which simply prevent a child from opening the cabinet and removing chemicals from it. To make this storage method safe for the baby, family members should always lock the cabinet doors with a key.
Hang hooks
pinterest.ru
In the area where the bathtub is used, you can attach rails - the hooks on them are useful for placing washcloths or children's toys. Or place the hooks on suction cups.
You can hang a couple of towel hooks on the bathroom door. Cabinet doors on the inside should also be used: it is convenient to store small flat accessories on small hooks there. For small metal objects, you can attach a magnetic strip.
Bathroom furniture
For complete storage in the bathroom, you cannot do without good, roomy furniture. To make the room look beautiful, the cabinet under the sink and the cabinet above the sink must form a single set.
Vanity cabinet
This is usually the largest piece of furniture that can be placed in our tiny bathrooms. Therefore, the choice of a cabinet, or rather its size, must be taken as responsibly as possible. The vast majority of survey participants advise choosing the widest cabinet that can fit in the bathroom. Those who once chose a narrower model admitted that they regretted this decision: the small free space on the sides is practically not used, and there is not enough useful space inside the cabinet. Prices for cabinets start from approximately 4,000 – 5,000 rubles.
Cabinet or shelf above the sink
Of course, there should be a good mirror hanging above the sink. Some limit themselves to this by attaching a couple of holders for soap and toothbrushes to the wall. However, this solution is not practical if you do not have enough storage space in the bathroom. The space above the sink can be used very effectively to conveniently store small but very necessary items.
A mirror with an open shelf (or shelves) usually doesn’t save the situation: you can’t put many items there, and storage on open shelves often doesn’t look very neat, especially in such a prominent place. After all, you are unlikely to want to bring beauty and order to them several times a day, artistically arranging jars and bottles, somehow scattered around the house? Those friends who have an open shelf hanging above the sink confirmed that when buying bathroom furniture next time they will opt for a model with closed cabinets. According to them, using an open shelf is, of course, very convenient, but it is quite difficult to constantly maintain it in perfect condition.
The choice of a cabinet with a mirror should also be taken very seriously. For example, one of my friends chose a spacious cabinet that protruded evenly from the wall with mirrored doors. In the store, this option seemed to her the most optimal, because there is much more storage space inside such a cabinet than in other models. However, at home it quickly became clear that not everything is so perfect: some people can hit their heads on this cabinet when leaning over the sink. In the case of a friend, her tall husband constantly rests his forehead on the cabinet.
Most modern models have a storage section that closes with a door on one side only. Of course, this is extremely little. It is much more advisable to slightly sacrifice the width of the mirror surface, but purchase a model with two closed sections for storage (as in the photo below). The majority of survey participants considered this option to be the most optimal.
The price of wall cabinets starts from about 3,500 rubles, and for 5,000 rubles and above you can already choose something quite nice.
Pencil cabinet and other types of cabinets
Buy suitable containers
pinterest.ru
Wicker or textile baskets will add coziness to your bathroom, and besides, they can be placed not only on shelves, but also on the washing machine. Dividers will help keep small items in order.
It is convenient to store cosmetics in small boxes that can be easily stored in any storage area. The main thing is to remember to label the container for ease of reference. And makeup brushes can be kept in a regular glass. Pour coffee beans or colored sand into it: this will add coziness to the bathroom, and the smell of coffee will invigorate you in the morning.
Organization of storage in the bathroom
Bathrooms and combined bathrooms in most of our apartments, unfortunately, cannot boast of either spaciousness or convenient layout. We are accustomed to this state of affairs, we take it for granted and often do not even try to change anything. Therefore, when the editors gave me the task of interviewing friends and finding out what methods of storage in the bathroom they use and consider the most effective, absolutely all the participants in my mini-research first of all complained about the lack of free space. One friend summed up the general idea very well when she stated, “Bathroom storage? What can you store there?! There’s nowhere to turn around!”
However, everything is not so hopeless: there are many ways and great ideas to optimize this small but very important space. We will talk about some of them in this article.
Content:
Organization of storage areas
Bathroom storage systems can be either multifunctional and complex, or very simple to implement and use (the latter can easily be made from improvised means). Choose those that suit the size of your bathtub and the number of things you plan to store there.
Open and closed shelves, cabinets, baskets - all this should be used and combined wisely to achieve order in the bathroom
Idea 1: niches built into the bathtub
For both medium and the most compact baths, an under-bath system is suitable, which will allow you to store a lot of necessary things. And if they are not needed, hide them and save space.
What I like most is the folding shelves, which can hold both bottles and towels. This is what you need so as not to burden the interior with extra cabinets, shelves and hangers, but to limit yourself to only a minimum number of accessories.
Storage under the bathroom: places for shampoos and conditioners, shower gels and even cleaning products and detergents
Idea 2: drawers
The idea of built-in drawers and shelves is not new, but there is an even more modern solution that I personally really like - drawers. With them, it’s easier to keep the bathroom tidy, and you won’t need a lot of extra space. This idea is especially relevant in a small bathroom.
Despite the fact that this retractable element is quite narrow, it holds a lot of things.
Smaller pull-out shelves are a convenient place to store combs and creams, as seen in the photo
Idea 3: built-in cabinets
Built-in furniture is always popular in compact rooms, but in the bathroom, where the issue of saving space is often an issue, this idea is simply irreplaceable.
Therefore, I advise using it in rooms of any size. Built-in shelves are not only ergonomic, but also convenient.
This is what built-in shelves look like in the interior
It will be more convenient to install shelves near the sink and bathtub so that you can easily reach the cosmetics, shampoo or towels that will be stored on them.
By choosing towels in the right color and placing them on open shelves, you will highlight the color accents of the bathroom
One of the interesting ideas that is popular abroad is the use of built-in furniture in combination with a screen. A curtain in the color of the room's interior will hide entire storage systems, so they will not overload the perception of the design!
Built-in shelves can be hidden using curtains
Idea 4: open shelves
Despite the fact that open shelves leave all the things stored on them visible, they can, on the contrary, be the highlight of your bath . By placing several of these shelves under the sink, around the mirror, on the wall next to the bathroom, you will add coziness to the interior and get storage space.
The shelves will look especially stylish in the English style and in the Provence style.
Several shelves for towels and cosmetics near the sink will allow you to always have the necessary things at hand
Open shelves in a Provence style interior
Idea 5: storing children's toys
Storing toys in the bathroom requires special forethought, especially if there is not much space in the room and the child likes to play while taking baths. Today there are a lot of offers on the market - I advise you to choose not only ergonomic ones, but also bright ones that your baby will like.
For example, containers in the shape of animals that are conveniently mounted on the wall - for example, a basket in the shape of a toad from the company BOON, the price of which is 1500-1600 rubles.
