My Favorite Way to Organize Cabinets Under the Bathroom Sink

When something works just right in one of our homes, it makes me pretty giddy. When it works in two homes, I’m downright ecstatic. And when it work in three consecutive homes, I’m ready to declare it the “best solution ever.” While no storage system will truly work perfectly in every single home, I can say with some certainly that there’s a good chance this one will. So let me show you my very favorite way to organize (any?!?) cabinet under the bathroom sink!

Different Bathroom, Same Solution

I first utilized these Stori plastic drawers in our Virginia home (tall | short). Back then, I couldn’t believe how incredibly well they fit our builder-grade bathroom cabinets, taking advantage of every available inch to keep all my hygiene supplies in reach.

Fast forward a few years, and I was (desperately) looking for a way to add some more functional storage to the (tiny) master bathroom in our NC home. With just one very-high upper cabinet and one lower cabinet, you better bet Greg and I were struggling to store all our daily-use toiletries without cluttering up the limited bathroom counter space.

(I tell you what – nothing brings a couple closer…figuratively and literally…than sharing this master bathroom!)

While the upper cabinet provided some storage space, the height of the shelves prevented them from being the right solution for everyday things like toothbrushes, contact lens supplies, makeup, etc.

Once I realized outfitting the small bathroom cabinet under the sink was the only option, I went hunting for just the right drawers, shelving…whatever…to store everything I needed.

And sure enough…my hunt took me right back to where I started!

I grabbed the plastic drawers (that had already been re-purposed in our organized linen closet) to test their fit. Within minutes I had a few more sets loaded into my Amazon cart; and once they arrived, it took me no time at all to (finally) tame the bathroom chaos that had persisted for well over a year.

If I’ve said it here once, I’ve said it countless times: “I really wish I had tried this solution sooner!”

Shop These Drawers

Why I Love These Drawers for Under Bathroom Sinks

There are very few products I really put my full weight behind, but years of using (and moving!) these drawers has made me a real believer. Here’s why!

Modular

There are two sizes of drawers (tall | short), so you can mix-and-match based on 1) how much space you have, and 2) what specific items you need to store.

Because each drawer is its own unit, you can find the perfect arrangement for your specific cabinet width and height, and then easily re-arrange over and over (if you move a lot like we do). Best of all, the drawers nest into each other, so no matter how you stack them, they sit nice and sturdy!

Cabinet Clearance

Very few things make me happier than finding an off-the-shelf product that fits in a very custom way. While this certainly won’t be true for every cabinet, we’ve been able to arrange them (in several different) “builder grade” cabinets so they perfectly fit within the opening yet still have clearance (on all sides) to remove the drawers completely.

Further, the drawers’ depth don’t at all interfere with any plumbing, pipes, or the back of the under-sink area (giving you plenty of space for deeper storage).

Capacity

I personally find the drawer capacity just right for toiletries…not so big that things float around, but not so small that they are stuffed.

• Short Drawers are best for makeup, teeth supplies, contacts/glasses supplies, wipes, beauty products, and even pads/tampons.
• Tall Drawers are best for bulkier things like lotions, hair accessories, brushes, bottles of medicine, etc.

Pull-Out Drawers

The drawers do not have a “back stop” on the inside, which means they pull out completely. While this might seem like a nuisance, it’s actually my favorite thing about them.

Because our counter space is sooo limited, the drawers act more like caddies, holding essentials in easy reach. So I can pull out the “Teeth” drawer to do all my dental hygiene. I then load it back up and put it away before pulling out the “Eyes” drawer.

While this may seem tedious, this method has been the #1 thing keeping this tiny vanity usable for both my husband and I!

Tips for Outfitting Your Bathroom Cabinet with Drawers

1. Measure, Measure, Measure – While I’ve had really good luck fitting these drawers into the under bathroom sink cabinets of three different homes, I can’t over-state the importance of measuring first to figure out if they fit, how many, and in what arrangement.
2. Consider What You Need to Store – Beyond ensuring the drawers fit, you also need them to hold your items. Sort your supplies into logical categories to figure out how many drawers you need and what sizes will best hold each category.
3. Label – Don’t let the clear fronts fool you…the tight stacks make it difficult to see what is where. Labels are essential for quickly finding what you need! (I used clear label tape with my label maker for quick text labels!)

No doubt, this master bathroom is one of our smallest and most awkward ever. But thanks to some really smart (and flexible) storage solutions, we’ve been able to organize everything we need while keeping counter clutter and confusion at bay.

If you just can’t find a way to make sense of the cabinet under your bathroom sink, I strongly suspect this tried-and-true solution could work for you too!