How to Store Nail Polish: Organization Ideas

For the nail-painting enthusiasts among us, finding a way to organize all of your polishes and manicure tools can be tricky. Between nail polish bottles, nail art stickers, nail-filing tools, and bottles of polish remover, there are a lot of small items to keep track of! And for many of us, out of sight means out of mind – so without some sort of nail polish display, it’s all too easy to forget what you have or lose those nail clippers for the millionth time. In this guide, we’re giving you our best ideas for storing nail polish properly, from stackable bins to leak-free, durable, dishwasher-safe, and planet-friendly Stasher reusables that keep your collection tidy.

Where to Store Nail Polish at Home

When it comes to how to store nail polish at home, you’ll need to first consider the size of your nail polish collection. Are you a two-bottle minimalist? An avid collector of every shade of blue and green? Or somewhere in between? And secondly, you’ll also need to consider how frequently you dip into your collection – if you paint your nails a lot, you may want all of your polishes within reach, stored in a nail polish holder so that they’re super accessible. But if you paint your nails every once in a while, it might make more sense to have your collection tucked away.

What about how to store nail polish to last longer? While some folks claim that storing nail polish in the fridge makes it last longer, the general consensus is that doing so is unnecessary – in fact, it might even cause your nail polish to thicken and become a goopy mess! Here are our tried-and-true tips for keeping nail polish fresh.

• Remove any flakes of dried polish around the neck of the bottle and screw the lid on tightly.
• To avoid discoloration, keep your nail polish out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources. Aim for a cool, dry place, like inside a drawer or cabinet.
• Likewise, avoid storing nail polish in the bathroom. Because of showers and baths, bathrooms fluctuate in temperature and humidity greatly, which can shorten the shelf life of your polishes. (Of course, if it’s a bathroom that doesn’t have a shower or bathtub, then that’s fair game for polish storage!)

How to Organize Nail Polish

The main advantage of a well-organized nail polish collection is that you always know exactly what you have – that way, you don’t accidentally buy duplicates of the same color or unexpectedly run out of your favorite polish. And keeping your nail polishes tidy and contained can create a domino effect, helping you keep the rest of your cabinet space (or wherever you’re keeping your polishes) tidy and organized, too.

Our favorite nail polish storage method involves a product we’re pretty passionate about: Stasher bags! Using Stand-Up Mini Bags, group your nail polishes by color, brand, or frequency of use – whichever method feels most intuitive to you. The beauty of the Stand-Up Bag is that you can neatly store nail polishes in the upright position and then line up the bags in a cabinet or drawer, as opposed to throwing all your glass nail polish bottles into a regular bag and hoping nothing spills or breaks. But also, like the rest of the Stasher collection, the Stand-Up Bag is totally leak-free in case a nail polish cap isn’t screwed on all the way and the bag gets knocked over. We love the clear bags for organizing nail polishes, because it allows you to see into the contents of the bags easily. But if bright colors are more your thing, you can use colorful Stasher bags and a chalk marker to label each Stasher bag based on the categories you’ve chosen. And if you’re grouping your nail polishes by color, you could even coordinate the color of the Stasher bag with the color of the polishes inside.

How to Store Nail Polish & Tools

Do you prefer to display your nail polish collection for that home spa vibe, stash it away until you’re ready to choose the perfect shade, or a combination of the two (think: seasonal colors on display, off-season colors stored out of sight)? Either way, these tips will inspire how you store and organize your nail polish and tools. 

Tucked Away

An added benefit of the Stasher Bag organization method is that it’s great for storing nail polish when on-the-go or traveling. With your nail polishes secured in leak-free, durable, and easily washable containers, you don’t have to worry about how to keep your polishes from making a mess in transport. You can also use the same method for nail tools, filling a Stasher bag with all your go-tos from nail polish remover to base coats.

Another method for storing nail polishes and tools out of sight is to use plastic organizers with drawers that can be tucked away in a hall cabinet, clothes closet, or other space that’s out of sight. (Or for super leak-free storage, combine this method with the Stasher bag method!)

On Display

If you don’t have any drawer or cabinet space for your nail polishes, don’t sweat it! Another great option is using clear acrylic beauty organizers that sit on a countertop, like this turntable or small stackable trays and drawers. With this kind of storage, you can even designate a spot for manicure tools like nail files, scissors, cuticle creams, nail stickers, or press-on nails.

Short on counter space? Wall-mounted nail polish racks are also a great option for keeping larger collections organized and accessible. And as an added bonus, storing nail polish in plain sight makes for cheerful, colorful decor, bringing a splash of color into any space. (Just remember to keep them away from humid bathrooms!) To keep nail tools close by, look for a wall-mounted shelf or cubby that you can keep beside your nail polish rack and fill with all your other nail necessities.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to nail polish storage, so the key is to choose a method that makes the most sense to you. Just remember to keep your polishes away from sunlight, out of the fridge, and away from the bathroom to extend the shelf life of your products!