How do I Choose the Best Vanity Organizer?

To choose the best vanity organizer, consumers should purchase units that increase the vertical storage space in their work areas and can be exposed to moisture without being easily damaged. Behind the door baskets and stackable drawer trays are two items that can provide order to this area and are excellent for use in homes with limited space available. These items are often made from a high density plastic which will not rust or rot when installed in a bathroom setting.

The vanity in a home is typically used to store self-grooming products, such as make-up, hair care items, and body fragrances. This can easily become cluttered with many small items, making it difficult to find particular grooming tools quickly. It also tends to attract a great deal of dust and debris because it is used daily and the items stored there come in constant contact with the skin and hair.

Every home vanity has a unique size and shape, requiring multiple organizing tools to be used in conjunction with one another. Those who use under the sink storage in bathrooms may benefit from utilizing the open space on the backs of the cabinetry doors. This provides a convenient storage area for long, bulky grooming items, such as hair brushes and blow dryers. Wide, shallow wire baskets are available to mount on the back of the door using small screws that will not punch through the wood. These baskets are compartmentalized to hold brushes, dryers, flat irons, and other hair care tools.

Most personal grooming areas are equipped with shallow pull out drawers located beneath a flat work top area. Compartmentalized drawer trays can greatly improve the efficiency of this space. This type of vanity organizer should offer multiple dividers to keep small items separate, and should also be stackable to improve on the vertical space used. Stackable trays may be designed to slide one over the other, reducing the need to remove the organizer to access items in the bottom tray.

A plastic vanity organizer is generally easier to clean than metal or wood. This material may be wiped down quickly with a wet cloth and can withstand lengthy exposure to damp or steamy air without succumbing to rust or mildew. Some organizers are designed using clear acrylic so that items inside may be viewed without opening the unit.

The table top vanity organizer tends to take up much needed work space and is generally best avoided when attempting to clean this area from clutter. These units are often compartmentalized and stackable, similar to the interior drawer trays. They build each level on top of the lower one in decreasing size so that tools are displaying in sectional pyramids. These organizers typically require, however, that the top levels be removed before items on the bottom can be accessed, and then re-stacked when finished, consuming valuable time. This feature tends to make them impractical in homes that provide limited flat work space.

Drawer expanders may also be used as a form of vanity organizer. These kits are generally sold in home improvement stores with kitchen items as they are commonly used to expand spice racks and pantries. These are a series of open shelves that are mounted on a rolling bracket inside a cabinet and are accessible from either side when pulled out. Although they offer valuable vertical storage, they cannot be placed beneath a sink due to piping concerns and require the use of a side cabinet. Installation is often time consuming and requires the complete removal of the cabinet drawer to place the unit inside.