How to Organize Laundry Room: 15 Smart Ideas for the Tidy Space

Laundry room organization is key to maximising small spaces. No matter how often you wash, dry, or iron, organising the room well is essential to save time and reduce stress. Whether your room is tiny or awkwardly large, keeping it functional is not as difficult as you think. 

If you want to learn how to organize a laundry room, including storage, shelving, and design, explore this guide that includes 15 laundry ideas and some tips to make the routine more functional. 

Quick Answer

Some easy ideas to organise a laundry room include having cabinets, using space-saving appliances, creating a folding station, and maximising the vertical spacing.

How to Organize Laundry Room: 15 Easy Ideas

If your laundry room is a haphazard mess and you want to create a space for everything, start with some easy ideas for your home renovation. These ideas include creating cabinets, using curtains, improving lighting, and having a folding station and ironing boards. 

Let’s take a closer look at the best 15 laundry organisation ideas:

1. Opt for Cabinets

Cabinets are great for storing supplies while providing a clean, uncluttered look. Opt for custom cabinetry that is well suited to your space. Install upper and lower cabinets to store detergent, fabric softener, and other laundry essentials.    

2. Use Stackable Washer and Dryer

A stackable washer and dryer helps free up floor space. Be sure to go through the owner’s manual, as not all washers and dryers are stackable.

3. Create a Folding Station

Consider having a dedicated area for folding the laundry. It makes it easy to organise the clean clothes and streamline the whole process. If you have proper space, install a countertop over front-loading machines. If not, use a wall-mounted desk or small table as a temporary space for this. For the countertop dimensions, you may check how wide are countertops.

4. Maximise the Vertical Space 

You can utilize the height of the walls to maximise the space. Install the shelves above the washer and dryer to store the cleaning materials, decorative pieces, and storage baskets. You may also use the tall, slim storage carts that slide easily between appliances for better storage. 

Extra Tip

One recommended tactic is to group items into plastic bins. For instance, you can have separate bins for detergents, general cleaning products, and dryer products. This will keep the space clean and prevent the shuffling around of different items.

5. Improve Lighting 

Install bright and energy-efficient overhead lighting that brightens the whole space. Good lighting makes it convenient to spot stains and sort laundry. Have a small task lamp at the folding station and under-cabinet lighting to brighten up the work area. 

6. Use Compact Detergent Bottles

Use compact detergent bottles instead of the traditional bulky ones to save space. They are highly beneficial because they are lightweight and easy to pour, which contributes to a mess-free experience.  

7. Use Curtains to Create Multiple Rooms 

You can use curtains to create multiple rooms within your laundry space or to conceal the appliances. It’s a creative way to make different spaces for prepping, washing, line drying, ironing, and mending.

8. Use Clear Containers to Organize

Clear containers are highly useful as they provide a glance at what’s inside. Unlike cabinets, in these containers you can quickly see what is in your hand and what you have to buy, which saves time and makes the laundry more organized.

Extra Tip

Label everything; this is a smart psychological idea that keeps everything well organised. When the space is already labelled, it helps keep it tidy. This also makes things easy to find for other members of the family.

9. Install a Clothing Rod 

Dry your clothes on the clothing rod instead of the drying rack. This takes up less space and eliminates the floor clutter. Some clothing rods can even be retracted when not used.

10. Use a Countertop for Treating Stains 

Consider having a countertop for pre-treatment of stains in the renovation or remodel of your laundry room. It allows you the additional space to spread the garment, check the stains, and apply the treatment before tossing it into the washer.

11. Hang and Label Laundry Bags Based on Cloth Type 

If you don’t have enough space for keeping different laundry baskets, use the laundry bags. Label them as “black”, “white”, and “colours” for easier organisation. This is the preferred system if you live with your family to sort your own clothes easily.

12. Install a Peg Board 

If you don’t have a closet in your laundry room, you may add a pegboard to maximise storage for the laundry gear. Hang the mops, irons, and other essentials on a pegboard that can be installed on one or more walls. 

13. Buy a Laundry Cart 

Buying a laundry cart is one of the most useful mudroom ideas. You can use it for holding cleaning supplies and laundry baskets. The cart’s mobility makes it easier to bring it out on laundry day and keep it out of sight when your cleaning chores are over.

14. Have Space for Fold-Down Ironing Boards 

If you are able to have some space for cabinets and drawers, convert some of the space into a folding ironing board. Use this board for ironing and later fold it to make the most of the available space. 

15. Use a Door Rack or Shallow Shelving

Install a door rack for keeping detergent, brushes, and other items. If you don’t want to install it on the door, consider having shallow shelving on the wall behind the door. This provides extra space to store the fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

Extra Tip

Don’t neglect the aesthetics of your laundry room. It should look as beautiful as the rest of your house. Use modern colours to paint a room and create an accent wall with bold colours. Also, clean and repaint the baseboards and try new lighting fixtures.

Items to Store in the Laundry Room

As you have learned how to organize laundry room, it’s important now to understand which items you can store in this space. This will help in making the game plan on where exactly to store them for best functionality.

• Sewing kit
• Shoe cleaning kit
• Detergent
• Bleach
• Stain removal products
• Iron & ironing board
• Steamer
• Lint roller
• Mops
• Stepstool
• Extra linens
• Extra towels
• Extra pillows
• Extra toilet paper
• Extra paper towels
• Hampers for dirty clothes

Tips to Create a Functional Laundry Routine

Organising your laundry room is crucial, but keeping it that way makes the real difference. It takes continuous effort and a functional routine. There are some tips to follow, like working smartly, having separate baskets, and following a schedule for the right laundry routine. 

• Incorporate a “clothes to put away” basket: If you have ample space, have a separate basket for each member of the family. Fill the basket with clean and folded clothes. 

  Each person will take the basket to their room, put the clothes in the closet, and bring back the empty basket in the laundry room for the next batch.

• Follow a schedule: Writing out a schedule always works! Make a checklist and hang it, divided by the days of the week, in the room. Keep experimenting with it until you find a schedule that actually works for you. 

  If you have multiple members in your family, this is a perfect way to assign them tasks and reduce the burden on a single member.

• Work smart, not hard: Managing laundry can be tiresome, especially if you have multiple members in your family. Buy hamper racks with separate bins or bags to make this process easier. 

  You can also buy super slim rolling carts to make the room ultra convenient. These are great for saving space while storing the laundry gear.

• Skip sorting: This is a general rule to separate the darks from the lights before washing them. However, you can wash all the clothes together to save time and effort. But avoid doing this with brand-new dark clothes that have the chance of bleeding dye and the dry-clean fabrics that require special care.

Extra Tip

Take out 30 minutes each week to sweep, mop, and wipe down everything in your laundry room. In this time, also make sure that everything is in its place and check the detergent levels so that you have it sufficiently for the next week.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Laundry Room Layout

Laundry layout placement mistakes can contribute to daily frustration. Some common mistakes include ignoring appliance placement, having poor workflow, and overlooking ventilation.  

• Ignore the washer and dryer placement: The first mistake is not leaving clearance behind these appliances. Failing to provide sufficient space can negatively affect the performance and make future repairs difficult.
• Have poor workflow design: The laundry room is designed for many distinct tasks like sorting, washing, drying, folding, and storing. Design the workflow in such a way that each step moves to the next one naturally.
• Overlook ventilation: These rooms generate heat and moisture, especially during the dryer operation. Therefore, proper ventilation is important; otherwise, homeowners may experience excess humidity, musty odors, and mold growth.
• Avoid Noise Reduction: Laundry tasks have become much quieter over the years, but they can still create disturbance in the nearby spaces. Follow the noise reduction strategies like anti-vibration pads, proper appliance leveling, and sound-dampening materials.

Frequent Laundry Room User Questions and Answers

While scrolling through Reddit, I got to know some common queries among users regarding laundry room organisation. For instance, what should be added to it, or how to make it more functional. 

Let’s see the possible solutions to the frequent user questions:

• Positive-Law-4520 asks what should I add to this laundry room ? He also mentions that he is a student and has recently created this space.

  

  Solution: You can add cabinets and wall-mounted shelves above the machines to make space for vertical storage. Use baskets and bins to store detergents and other items. Also add a hanging rod or drying rack for better functionality.

• Queasy-Calendar6597 asks: How to make small laundry room more functional? She says the room size is 5.5′ x 7.5′, with 8′ ceilings. The user does not want a stacking washer and dryer or shelves at height, as she is short (5’1″). 

  

  Solution: You can use the low accessible shelves or pull-out storage options. A slim rolling cart can also be installed that will improve storage without taking up much of the space.

Bottom Line 

The laundry room is one of the busiest working spaces in any home. Implementing the right method of organisation and storage is crucial to make this space functional and good-looking. 

The above-mentioned ideas are suggested by experts on how to organise laundry room, including the use of cabinetry, door racks, laundry carts, and pegboards. With small changes, homeowners can make this space better and everyday chores a lot easier.

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