The “Amazing” $12 Find That Instantly Decluttered My Bathroom (So Much Extra Space!)

I live in one of those new “luxury” NYC buildings, and my unit did, indeed, seem luxurious when I first moved in. But living here for over a year has shown me that in an effort to make my apartment appear fancy and modern, the unit’s designers made some significant oversights. For example, my shower has an immovable glass wall that extends out halfway across the tub. This has proven to be a terrible design choice, as it makes cleaning the tub difficult because I can’t reach the shower faucet easily from outside the tub.

Additionally, the bathroom sink offers very little counter space, even though it could have been designed to offer more, considering the bathroom is actually a decent size for New York. These errors initially made it difficult to use the bathroom efficiently, but over time, I’ve employed some organizers that have helped tremendously.

Most recently, I’ve been loving OXO’s StrongHold suction accessory cup. It’s only $12 on Amazon, and it works exactly the way you would want it to. Namely, it keeps my most reached-for bathroom essentials easily accessible while also keeping my sink free of clutter. I would recommend it to everyone.

This ingenious little holder is comprised of two parts: a plastic cup and a suction base. The parts arrive already assembled, but in order to adhere the cup to a wall, you have to remove the cup and stick the base onto the wall by itself. Once you have the base positioned against a non-porous surface like glass, tile, or marble, simply press down on its lever to activate the suction feature. Then, slip the cup over the lever, and fill it with your items.

Because the cup has drainage holes at the bottom, it won’t retain moisture and become moldy and gross as a result. As for size, the cup measures almost 6 inches across and nearly 8 inches vertically, so it’s big enough to hold a few items without being bulky or obtrusive.

I’ve had my holder adhered to the outside of my glass shower wall for over a month and haven’t had any problems. My roommate has had the soap dish version adhered to the other side of the wall for over a year, and it has similarly been working seamlessly to hold her bar soap since then. There’s also a loofah hook version that would be great to stick to a shower wall if your shower caddy is low on hooks.

I actually changed bathrooms in the new year because of a roommate switch-up situation, but even when I was using the other bathroom in my apartment, I had an accessory cup stuck to the shower wall exterior for my teeth-brushing essentials. That cup, however, didn’t have a suction base. Instead, it came with two adhesive strips that proved nearly impossible to remove and left behind a ton of residue on the glass that I had to scrub off with a brush, and then with my nails when that didn’t work. Although we haven’t had to remove either of the OXO holders yet, I think their suction bases will be much easier to unstick from the glass without potentially threatening my security deposit.

I also love the suction accessory cup because it has given me a newfound appreciation for that otherwise pesky glass shower wall. The cup has remained adhered to the glass without ever budging, and it’s still conveniently close to the sink. I switch out the items inside the cup from time to time; usually, I keep my toothpaste and toothbrush in there, as well as my tongue scraper and floss. If I didn’t have this handy accessory, I’d have to keep a cup on the sink counter to hold these items, which would make the small area look and feel cluttered. Thanks to this find, the sink always looks clean, and I don’t bump into anything while I brush my teeth and wash my face.

If you could use a little extra storage in your own bathroom, you can’t go wrong with any of the products from OXO’s StrongHold line. Unlike my apartment, they’re so well-designed, and they’re relatively inexpensive. Should I need more sinkside storage, I’m definitely buying another.

Buy: OXO Good Grips StrongHold Suction Accessory Cup, $11.99