The bathroom wall is magnetic--instant floating storage
Bath storage was a pain. Bottles on the floor collect pink mold and hair. Suction hooks fall or cannot handle weight. I recently learned the wall is magnetic, and everything got easier.
Bath walls are often steel under the panel
Many modern Japanese bathrooms use resin panels with galvanized steel underneath. Typical interior walls are:
- Structure (concrete/wood)
- Insulation
- Gypsum board
- Wallpaper
Bathrooms (unit baths) often stack like this:
- Structure (concrete/wood)
- Insulation
- Unit bath layers:
- Gypsum board
- Waterproof film (epoxy, etc.)
- Galvanized steel sheet
- Resin surface sheet
The familiar ivory, textured panel has steel behind it. The resin is soft and can scratch, so a thin steel sheet acts like armor—and it holds magnets.
Baths where magnets do/don’t work
Two broad bath types:
Traditional tile baths
Tile over gypsum board; no steel layer, so magnets will not stick. Tile joints can also leak as grout ages, leading to moisture and wood rot in old houses.
Unit baths
If the wall is a molded panel that looks like resin or glossy sheet, it is likely a unit bath (prefab parts assembled on site). Many include the steel layer above, so magnets stick and storage becomes easy.
When magnets may not stick
Newer unit baths sometimes use thick, hard panels without steel, or old unit baths may lack the steel layer. In those cases, magnets will not work (or will be very weak). Then you are stuck with suction cups.
Related: how I used similar steel panels in the kitchen:
Floating storage with magnets
Once I knew magnets held, I moved everything off the floor. Less mold, happier cleaning.
This series uses a full-back magnetic sheet and sticks hard. The body is ABS resin; load is about 2.4 kg, enough for 1 L bottles. Variants include:
- Shower holder
- Smartphone holder
- Towel rack
- Bath tube holder
- Bath tray
- Bath hook / 5-hook / mini hook
- Bath pocket / wide pocket (what I use)
- PET bottle holder
- Toothbrush & shaver holder
Maker: Towa Sangyo (Wakayama, JP). https://www.towasan.co.jp/
Another popular maker:
Yamazaki Jitsugyo (Nara, JP). https://www.yamajitsu.co.jp/ Their versions are steel with paint; if the coating chips, rust can appear (my shower-head holder did). For wet areas I prefer resin like Towa’s.
Yamazaki is also known for this famous kitchen drainer:
Still on my wish list if I get more counter space.
Summary
- Your bath wall might be magnetic—check with a fridge magnet.
- Magnetic storage lifts items off the floor and beats suction cups.
- Resin-based magnetic shelves (e.g., Towa) avoid rust; Yamazaki’s steel ones look nice but can chip.
- 100-yen shops also sell small magnetic bath organizers; worth a look for one-person setups.
Side note
In my last photo the lower wall is bumpy—water got inside the resin sheet and is slowly corroding the steel. A small black spot shows rust through a pinhole. A contractor said it is still okay to leave it. Likely entry points: screw holes for the shower holder or a ding in the sheet. I could seal with caulk, but corrosion is slow, so I am watching it for now.
