Nobody likes to run out of toilet paper or paper towels, so most of us keep extras around. But where are we storing all these bulky rolls of toilet paper and paper towels? In all the wrong places, as it turns out.
“A big mistake a lot of people make is storing paper goods under the bathroom or kitchen sink when they have other open and available spaces,” Emily Mass, the owner of Spaces by Emily Professional Organizing, says. Her general philosophy is that paper goods should be stored higher up; and more frequently used items like cleaning supplies should hold pride of place below the sink. But to avoid leaning towers of toilet paper, tissue boxes, and paper towels, we asked Mass to pick out her go-to storage options for every organizational need, from people with teeny-tiny living spaces with next to no storage space to those who tend to stockpile.
Baskets, cabinets, and bins
“Shelves and decorative baskets are my favorite overall way to store both paper towels and toilet paper because you can grab them quickly and load them back up quickly when you buy more,” Mass says. For bathrooms where cabinet space is at a premium, she suggests keeping a round basket like this lidded rattan bin in the bathroom closer to the toilet to fill with extra toilet paper.
For a softer look, linen-wrapped storage pieces are a nice way to bring texture and design elements to a bathroom. This lidded storage unit can hold up to nine mega-size rolls of toilet paper and is available in cream, beige, gray, and black linen.
Another way to store excess stock, if your small bathroom has room for it, is to add a slim cabinet. This inexpensive and streamlined plastic organizer has a tissue dispenser and space on top for additional storage, as well as the added advantage of concealing your extra rolls.
Mass also picked out this smartly designed toilet-paper dispenser that will work in many small bathroom spaces. The minimalist storage piece can hold 12 rolls of toilet paper, which you load from the top and which are dispensed through a window at the base of the organizer.
A tall, soft-sided basket can offer extra flexibility for squeezing toilet-paper or paper-towel storage into odd corners or tight spaces. And instead of trying to hide your paper products in a neutral-colored bin that’s meant to blend in, you could opt instead to keep your TP in something eye-catching, like this whimsical basket.
To take advantage of the often unused space on the backs of doors, Mass suggests this inexpensive hanging shoe holder for storing extra rolls of toilet paper or paper towels.
Shelving and shelf dividers
For many people, the beige or black version of this painted, wall-mounted shelf may work best, but the fun red or mint green ones show that you’re not shy about color or displaying your stash. And at nearly three feet long, this shelf can easily hold enough toilet paper or paper towel to last for weeks.
This wall-mounted curved shelf is designed to hold stacked rolls of toilet paper, creating a cloud-like display of bathroom tissue that is as surprising and delightful as it is clever.
“If you have plenty of space to store bulk paper towels and toilet paper I like to create a section of backstock paper goods,” Mass says. She recommends this utilitarian storage rack for housing a large stash of toilet paper, paper towels, and other household paper goods, and she says it’s especially well-suited for use in a garage or in a storage closet.
Wire shelves are fine for lightweight household paper goods, but if you also want to use a bulk storage space for organizing smaller or more delicate items, like china or holiday decorations, flat, solid shelves are a better choice. This unit from Ikea has click-on brackets, making it easy to customize the height and configuration of the shelves to accommodate tall rolls of paper towels, in addition to rolls of toilet paper and other paper products.
Shelf dividers
For corralling rolls of either paper towel or toilet paper, Mass picked out an interlocking tower-style organizer. “It’s a great product if you need to store these items visibly on an open shelf to save space.”
Similarly, you can add these clear plastic dividers to a shelf to keep paper products neatly contained.
“There’s a viral paper-towel-storage idea going around where you can add a tension rod vertically to the ceiling from a counter or shelf and store your paper towels in between them,” Mass says, “which I think is one of the most creative storage ideas I’ve seen.”
Toilet paper dispensers and stands
Adhesive wall-mounted shelves and storage units are especially smart choices for renters who don’t want to risk their security deposit by drilling into the walls. This version has a lid that doubles as a shelf for holding a spare roll.
This simple but stylishly designed toilet-roll holder is the perfect thing for truly tiny bathrooms that don’t have space for even the slimmest storage pieces. It’s wall-mounted, and like the adhesive holder above, the lid can hold a spare roll.
If a lack of space is thwarting your ability to get organized, Mass likes this vertical toilet paper stand for its small footprint. It can hold up to five regular or mega-size rolls of toilet paper.
This gold-tone stainless-steel lidded toilet-roll holder is a discreet way to stash extra TP while adding a bit of flair to your bathroom.
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