Economical Bathroom Storage

I could use suggestions on creative and inexpensive storage ideas for living in a very small apartment. By storage I mean places or ways to store the basics of clothing, kitchen items, and bathrooms items so they are organized and easy to get to. 
-Alice

This epic entry is in response to Alice's bathroom storage inquiry. You can read the kitchen storage post here and the clothing storage post here. 

My small bathroom lacks both a linen closet and an under-the-sink cabinet, but I figured out how to store my toiletries in private, economical, and attractive ways. I'll list my own solutions, and then I'll provide images and links to others.

1) Edit your toiletries and don't buy in bulk
Editing was my initial response to clothing solutions. Do you have hair products you rarely use? Make up you save for special occasions? Expired skin creams?* A plethora of used tiny hotel shampoos? Clumpy, half-dried nail polishes? I did, and I threw them away two years ago during our first move, and haven't looked back. Now I only keep items that I use on a daily or weekly basis, and I don't replenish my supply until I am almost out. I also stopped wearing make up two years ago, which has greatly decreased my need for storage. 

Buying in bulk is cheaper, but if you seriously lack storage space like me, then buying in small quantities is the way to go. I made the mistake of buying an 18-pack of toilet paper the other day, and now the rolls are stacked up 9-high, like tissue towers. 

*The period after opening label will show a number followed by the letter M, for months. Eye makeup is good for 6 months, foundation a year, and lipsticks two years. Preservative-free products degrade more quickly. Source

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2) Hack a cabinet
Since our bathroom only has a small and shallow medicine cabinet for storage, I'm unable to drill shelves into the wall due to wiring, and I hate the look of over-the-toilet shelves, I had to get creative. I repurposed 9 of IKEA's RETUR recycling bins into a unit that holds my mini straightening iron, comb, razors, and lots of other toiletries. Although the units stack well, they either need to be glued or taped together. I recently placed an order for Wallpops' Santorini Stripe to put along the sides and bottom of the unit to help it stay together and to coordinate with my bathroom accessories. The unit can be hung on the wall, but I have mine sitting on the tank of my toilet. Here's a photoshopped image of what it will look like once I adhere the decal.

What I like most about this hack is how customizable it is. You could stack several RETURs to create a narrow floor unit, and Wallpops offers dozens of solid and patterned Stripes from which to choose to match your bathroom decor.

View many more storage ideas after the jump.

Kitchen Storage Solutions

I could use suggestions on creative and inexpensive storage ideas for living in a very small apartment. By storage I mean places or ways to store the basics of clothing, kitchen items, and bathrooms items so they are organized and easy to get to. 
-Alice

Hi again, Alice. This post is in response to your inquiry on kitchen storage. I'm not sure what you're trying to store, how many cabinets and drawers you have, or how much wall space there is, so I'll offer generalized solutions that I hope you'll find applicable and helpful.

1) Pegboards or gridwall panels

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The first inexpensive remedy that came to mind is a pegboard, a la Julia Child. It's an industrial/utilitarian look, but when painted it can look playful and add a dramatic accent to your space. You can hang almost anything from it: pans, measuring cups, utensils, even a rolling pin in Julia's case! In the bottom left picture, Grace Bonney of DesignSponge painted the pegboard to match her favorite pot and bring color into her kitchen. On the right, she brings even more color into her kitchen by painting both the pegboard and wall a bright coral. 

Home Depot sells metal pegboards in different colors. Here's a tutorial on how to install one safely. 

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Gridwall panels are often used in retail displays, but they're also an economical way to store kitchen supplies. Here's a retailer that sells panels in many sizes and finishes and wall-mounting brackets. The Container Store also offers panels. 

More ideas after the jump.

Inexpensive Clothing Storage Solutions

I could use suggestions on creative and inexpensive storage ideas for living in a very small apartment. By storage I mean places or ways to store the basics of clothing, kitchen items, and bathrooms items so they are organized and easy to get to. 
-Alice

Hi Alice! Storage space was a pertinent need for my past clients, and I'm also suffering from too few closets and pantry space. I'm going to break my response up into 3 posts, since I have a lot of information to offer. This post is in response to clothing storage.

1) Off-site storage and editing your wardrobe

My partner and I downsized from a 2 bed/2 bath to a tiny 12' x 15' studio, and it was cheaper to rent a storage unit for $40/month than to upgrade our square footage. This is a good option if you seriously lack the space to accommodate your items, you have some extra cash, and you have your own vehicle or access to one. You could store your off-season clothing which would free up a lot of space. If you've also been hanging onto clothes you don't wear often, but you can't bear parting with them, store them for a couple of months. After that period, go through the clothes and separate the ones you will definitely wear into a "keep" pile and take those home. Then put the ones you're still not sure of keeping into a "maybe" pile, re-box and store them, and donate the rest. Repeat this process until you can confidently divide clothes into "keep" and "donate" piles. You might find that you won't need a storage unit anymore, too!

I used to keep around lots of "if I just lose 5 lbs" clothing, but I found that I never lost the weight, and they were a glum reminder of that. They also took up too much space, so I didn't have room for the clothes I actually felt and looked good in. After donating these items, I haven't really thought of them since. Purging them was great for my mental health.

As far as in-house storage options go for clothing, you have a lot. There are more ideas after the jump.