How to Organize Bathroom Drawers

Bathroom drawers are definitely some of the most challenging spaces to organize. It seems like every drawer is filled with the same chaos….random hair ties, makeup brushes, bathroom products, and other random, small items that clutter up your drawers!

If you’ve had enough of the chaos, get ready to move your own bathroom drawers to the top of the list for organization projects with these ideas!

Typically, organizational projects, like drawers and bathroom cabinets, really take the cake for costs, and the smaller your bathroom is, the more challenging it becomes because you have to get extra efficient in a small space.

But, with these tips and a few products we’ve researched, you can knock this project out without spending a lot of money.

This how to organize bathroom drawers guide contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

How to Organize Bathroom Drawers

Before we begin your bathroom organization project, we need to clear out and sort through what’s already there. The number one mistake people make with organizing is purchasing organizing products before they clear out what’s no longer needed. This leaves you with lots of empty bins, unnecessary spending, and even more overwhelmed before you even begin!

My best advice is to set aside a few hours to dedicate to decluttering and categorizing your items. Then, you can head to your Dollar Store, Container Store, or other place to pick up bins and other bathroom storage items.

Speaking of the Dollar Store, check out these Dollar Tree organization hacks for tons of ideas!

Declutter with Purpose

The first step is to declutter your drawers. Take everything out of each drawer and take a look at each item. If you haven’t used it in the last few months, it’s time to let it go. Toss expired beauty products, empty toothpaste tubes, and anything you no longer need.

Questions to ask when you are decluttering your bathroom drawers:

• Is this product expired? Check your expiration dates! If so, throw it out!
• Do I use this product on a daily basis? If so, prioritize its placement. More on that below!
• Do I need this product? If it’s a duplicate, travel product, or something you don’t use often, let’s find a new place to store it so you aren’t constantly moving it to get to your regular products.

In short, you are Marie Kondo-ing your bathroom drawers. If it’s not useful or sparking some kind of joy from regular use, get rid of it or store it in a more convenient place.

Sort and Categorize

Now that you’ve decluttered, it’s time to categorize and sort items. Group similar items together, like skincare products, hair accessories, and dental care essentials.

This step sets the foundation for well-organized bathroom drawers. If you have extra items, group and place them together in a cabinet or linen closet.

Personally, I prefer to use plastic containers to minimize the mess. If an item leaks or spills, plastic is easy to clean in the kitchen sink or dishwasher, unlike fabric bins or woven baskets. Invest in drawer dividers or organizers to keep each category neatly separated. 

Silverware organizers or desk drawer organizers are a great place for toothbrushes, hair tools, and other small items that roll around in drawers.

Tip: I like to use a little bit of Museum Putty on the bottom of the drawer dividers so they don’t slide around when you open and close the drawers!

Prioritize Daily Essentials

Now that everything is sorted. You want to begin the organizational process. First, prioritize the bathroom items you use the most in the top drawer. In our bathroom, this is toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair ties, comb, deodorant, etc. 

Keep these essentials at the front of the drawer for easy access. This simple step will streamline your morning routine and save you precious time.

Alternatively, you may want to put all of these together in one drawer or separate them. It just depends on the amount of space you have.

Additionally, the bottom drawer may be the best option for items you don’t use as often.

Tip: Consider using a stylish toothbrush holder with a lid, like this, to keep your dental essentials within arm’s reach while keeping them sanitary.

Maximize Vertical Space

Deep drawers come with a love-hate relationship. I love that I can utilize the vertical space for tall hair supplies and stacking containers, but there’s almost too much space to utilize!

Stackable containers or cups are one of the easiest ways to store your taller, larger items. It’s the perfect solution for hairspray bottles, makeup brushes, and other beauty items I use often but not always daily. It’s a much better use of the vertical space than laying them horizontally and digging through them every morning.

Tip: Don’t forget about the vertical space within your drawers. Utilize stackable containers, like this one for makeup, to make the most of the available space. You can put your everyday makeup in the top and use the bottom tray for items you don’t use often.

Labeling for the Win

Labels are your best friends when it comes to maintaining an organized space. Create simple labels for each category, ensuring that everyone in the household knows where things belong (ahem….husbands). This helps prevent drawer chaos in the future and hopefully allows other people to clean up your bathroom countertops and put stuff away too!

This is why I love clear containers for the bathroom! You can easily see what’s inside, how much you have left, etc.

Tip: Invest in a label maker for a professional touch. I absolutely love this one that I use with my smartphone to create labels and print them quickly! I’ve used it all over our house – from the homeschool room to the garage!

Regular Maintenance

To keep the zen vibes flowing, make bathroom drawer organization a regular thing. Schedule a mini declutter session every couple of months or quarterly to ensure you’re not unknowingly hoarding that collection of hotel shampoo bottles.

Remember, the key to maintaining an organized space is to regularly declutter and reassess your setup.

Bathroom Drawer Organization Ideas

Line The Drawers

Even just adding drawer liners to your bathroom drawers makes a huge difference, like Rachael did here. You can use peel-and-stick wallpaper and contact paper. Once you do it once, you’ll be able to clear the drawers so much easier in the future. 

Group Like Items Together

When you’re putting everything back in the bathroom drawers, it makes sense to group like items together. I like how Erlene did it here with a drawer for makeup, skincare, and another for hair stuff. 

Downsize and Declutter

When you’re cleaning up your bathroom drawers, don’t forget to downsize and declutter like Kate did here. After that, she was able to fit everything for her makeup and hair products in one bathroom drawer. 

Organizing Makeup Products

I really love how Emily from Small Stuff Counts organized her makeup in drawers. She laid out a great process, complete with her favorite drawer-organizing products. 

She recommends keeping a daily makeup container at the front of the makeup drawer (the square one in the photo). The other bins are for items that she doesn’t use every day or backstock. This is a great way to organize the makeup section of your bathroom vanity drawers. 

Just look at the huge difference that using dividers and containers made in Morgan’s bathroom drawer organizers.

But you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg buying tons of small clear acrylic bins if you’re on a budget. Even using plastic bins from the Dollar Tree makes a huge difference. See how Chas organized her small bathroom with dollar store bins here! 

I love the idea of storing makeup brushes upright in a drawer with this organizer. This way, you aren’t still digging for the right item. Plus, you could make great use of a deeper bathroom vanity drawer. Additionally, you could pull the container out onto the counter, and then return it to the drawer when you are done.

Also, this is a great option for storing makeup compacts in any drawer! This will keep them upright so you can see every product at the same time.

Organizing Hair Products

I think that hair products and tools are by far the most challenging to organize in a bathroom. They are all such awkward sizes and shapes! 

I love this idea of placing a magnetic strip inside of the drawer to hold bobby pins and metal clips, like Erika did here!

The bobby pin idea would be a great complement to modular organizers, like these, for all those tiny little hair accessories. Alternatively, this mesh drawer organizer would work well, too.

I love these small clear bins that Polished Habit used for her small hair products because you can easily rearrange them whenever you need to! It’s working smarter, not harder!

If you are working with a deeper drawer, this hair tool organizer will hold brushes, hair dryers, and other items together. This could easily stow away in a drawer and be placed on the counter when in use.

Organizing Other Bathroom Products

You know I love bathroom storage canisters! They make kitchen and bathroom organization so easy! 

These clear acrylic containers can store q-tips, cotton balls, cotton pads, and other small items vertically and keep your countertops clear!

If you store contact lenses in your drawers, this dispenser is a great way to tuck them out of sight!

Keep backstock and travel-size items in a bottom drawer that you don’t use often, like Lauren did here! 

Don’t get overwhelmed by the thought of organizing your bathroom drawers! Take it one step at a time! Do you have any other tips about organizing bathrooms to share? 

Let us know in the comments below!!