This can mean creating special built-in shelving for towel displays; installing floating shelves; incorporating dedicated dressers and armoires; or using vintage or unexpected objects as towel storage vessels, such as wine racks, magazine racks, coat racks, wine crates, bar carts, or baskets. In these acutely hygiene-conscious times, it should be noted that if you’re storing towels in the open in a small bathroom or otherwise in close proximity to a toilet, remember that flushing can release what is euphemistically referred to as an aerosol plume of possible viruses and bacteria that can travel up to six feet. The safest way to protect yourself from this haunting thought is to close the toilet seat before you flush. But if there are kids in the house or you otherwise can’t trust the people who share and visit your space to respect this rule of hygiene, you might want to avoid using over-toilet shelving or storing towels within six feet of the throne. While Ursula says she usually leaves towels out on the guest bed when it’s just one or two guests, hosting larger groups is easier when they have their own supply center. “Keeping a shelf with all my guest items in one central location has made life easier for me as well as my guests,” she writes on her blog. “Now 10 different people don’t have to seek me out when they need something, and no one has to suffer embarrassment requesting the more personal items that may be needed.”
