5 Shower Storage Ideas That Keep Your Favorite Products Within Reach

Making your shower a more efficient space is something every homeowner should do. Shower modernizations go a long way to improving your quality of life at home and can make for the foundations of a fantastic daily routine. Your bathroom serves as a staging ground for everything that will follow throughout each new day, so incorporating a few essential streamlining options and stylistic additions to this space is critical. One key change homeowners must make in their bathrooms is using increased or improved storage features. Bathroom storage elements are often inadequate for the task because everyone's unique needs will differ. 

Whether you own a new build home or live in an older property that has seen one or more previous owners come and go, the existing storage solutions around the shower space are lacking. This is because they likely either conform to limited general use or the specifics of a previous owner. Remaking this space to fit your lifestyle and needs is a great way to improve every aspect of your routine. Research on residential occupancy behavior revealed that a typical homeowner spends nearly an hour daily in the bathroom, per ResearchGate. Treating this space as an important area will improve the living experience in many ways. With these great shower storage ideas, you can easily reimagine the utility and luxuriousness of your shower area.

One of the most straightforward techniques for increasing bathroom storage space is installing a shelf over your shower head. All showers make use of some fixed or detachable shower head, and this feature is naturally elevated to head level and adhered to a wall. Similarly, because of the natural design to direct water to your body, the space beneath your showerhead remains drier than virtually any other area in this environment. As a result, there are many options on the market for shower shelves that sit beneath the shower head while hanging from the pipe or clasp that the showerhead fits into. These storage shelves are easy to install and often have a very reasonable price tag. Redblock Industries notes that these are perfect for renters, too.

Similarly, a shower head storage shelf or basket keeps your essential products dry and places them in an easy-to-access space in the shower. The typical dimensions of standard shower products like shampoo bottles and face scrub solutions mean that these shower shelves must extend down to chest level or slightly lower, making viewing these products as easy as possible. Rather than hunting through obscure labels and rows of bottles, this installation places them all right within arm's reach and typically configures the storage space as a single row that can be easily viewed.

You might consider a corner shelf in your shower for a more in-depth installation. Unlike the shower head storage caddy, this type of installation requires an adhesive of some kind; they can also be built from tile and integrated directly into the shower during a remodel, via Storables. You may also be able to find these corner shelves with suction cups rather than a glued option. Using a shelf in the corner is a great way to segment out a few key shower essentials from the rest of your cleanliness products.

This feature allows for unique customizations and can be placed at any height that suits your needs. Similarly, it's possible to install two or more of the same pieces placed in succession running up the wall. However, one limitation of this approach is that these corner shelves encroach on your functional standing and showering space. While a shelf that attaches to the shower head only takes up space you aren't using regularly; these shelves may restrict your ability to move freely. As a result, you may only be able to place a small shelf of this type in your shower.

Another option homeowners can select when changing the shelving outline of their showers is through traditional renovation. Home renovation is typical for many homeowners, and the bathroom is often a targeted feature of home improvement projects. Badeloft Luxury Bathrooms reports that bathrooms are an excellent option for renovations because they add significant value infusion, up to 70% ROI, to your property. Another essential feature of a bathroom renovation is that it can bring this space closer to your specific needs rather than leaving the area as a blank canvas for the average homeowner.

When tackling the shower in a home renovation, considering the addition of recessed shelving can give you the best of both worlds. Recessed shelving fits into the wall rather than out of it. This option will provide ample storage area to place any beauty or hygiene products you rely on within arm's reach without sacrificing your standing and bathing space. It also creates a new type of aesthetic that looks fantastic.

Another great option is the use of a shower bench. For those with longer showers that don't see a wave of water touching the entire space at all times, adding a bamboo or plastic bench to the far end of the shower can add a unique touch of elegance that also doubles as an incredible storage facility to support your bathing needs, via Bathing Solutions. Shower benches come in all shapes and sizes. While they may be most commonly associated with mobility needs and elderly homeowners, this isn't the only use case for objects in the shower. What's more, it's likely not even the most prevalent. 

In a luxury bathing environment, it's not uncommon to see a subdued addition of furniture to the space. This can allow you to set down a drink or place a waterproof speaker inside the shower for maximum comfort while preparing for a night out or a day full of meetings with clients or business partners. A well-designed shower bench can facilitate various tasks, but one of them is the storage of some of your showering essentials. Using the top section or space beneath it to store important or additional hygiene products provides an excellent foundation for your showering routine.

One last option that homeowners have available is the use of external storage installations. Rather than placing your shelving unit inside the shower, you could incorporate a bench, shelves, or a set of drawers just next to it. This is a great way to integrate minimalism within the showering space by removing unnecessary items from this area. Instead of seeing a network of clutter each time you step into the shower to prepare for a new day, you can bathe in what is effectively a blank slate to clear your mind and prepare you for what lies ahead, via Vogue.

Incorporating external shelving options might sound impractical, but if you place this storage unit directly outside your shower, you'll be able to reach any items you require without issue while keeping them separate from the actual bathing space you use daily. By incorporating drawers into this addition, you'll be able to place most of your shower products out of direct eyesight, keeping the space neat and clean at all times while still allowing you to reach for the essentials at a moment's notice.