Woman's Clever Dollar Tree Basket Hack Keeps Bathroom Countertops Clear

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Stray bobby pins, multiple prescription bottles, that fancy line of skincare you swear by ... your bathroom countertops magically seem to accumulate all sorts of clutter. Unfortunately, it's much more difficult to find your favorite lip balm or the right styling product when everything is packed onto your counters. You're also left to deal with the falling dominoes when you knock one thing over. The Pretty Home (@family_hack2) TikTok account offers a simple solution: mounting inexpensive, narrow plastic baskets on the wall with Command hooks to make mini shelves. It's perfect when you're looking for wall-mounted items to create bathroom storage.

To do this project yourself, you simply need baskets and self-adhesive hooks. These long slotted plastic baskets from Dollar Tree (or something similar) work well for this organizational strategy. Lightweight plastic is easy to hang using Command hooks (or pick up Tool Bench Self-Adhesive Hooks while you pick up the baskets). And Dollar Tree products keep the project low-cost.

Since the baskets are narrow, they're perfect for holding a single row of toiletries — that way, everything stays visible, which makes it easier to spot exactly what you need. Mounting the baskets on the wall uses up vertical space and keeps your countertops clear, so you can actually make use of the counter surface area. And when you're done, everything has a designated spot back in your plastic basket wall shelves, so cleaning up is quick.

There are tons of clever and affordable Dollar Tree DIYs for organizing bathroom clutter. For this project, slotted plastic baskets or wire baskets with large gaps are ideal — the gaps allow the Command hooks to slip in easily. The original creator cut out a vertical plastic piece at each end to make room for wider plastic hooks, but you can also use Command Wire Hooks without cutting. 

You can dress up the bins if you don't like the plain plastic look. A coat of black or gold spray paint adds a glam touch to your bathroom, or choose a color for your decorating theme. Another way to change the look is to choose a metal basket, like this Jot Three-Section Wire Mesh Desk Organizer. You'll either need to cut a hole in the mesh to accommodate the hooks or string wire through the small holes to loop over the hooks. For small or narrow items, hang up a few Jot Jumbo Metal Pencil Cups — they work well for items like makeup brushes or tubes of toothpaste that don't stand upright on their own. 

Adding too many embellishments to the bins can make them less functional, but adding thin rope along the top edge or weaving ribbon or rope through the vertical slots creates more of a wicker basket look. If you want to maximize your vertical space even more, try this clever DIY storage idea using Dollar Tree baskets and upcycled materials. The larger capacity makes it ideal for bigger bathroom essentials.