Laundry Room Organization Ideas to Improve Functionality

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Are you planning your dream laundry room?  Or maybe you are just looking for small changes to make to improve the functionality of your laundry room.  I’ve got you covered with laundry room organization ideas.  Find out how to organize your laundry room and product recommendations to make your space functional and pretty.

Declutter Your Laundry Room

If you’ve read just about any other organization article I’ve written, then I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record.  But I just can’t emphasize it enough.  Decluttering always comes before you organize.  This is true even if you don’t think you have anything to declutter.  You’ll be surprised by what’s in a space that doesn’t belong there, you don’t need or you don’t want.

Laundry is enough of a hassle without dealing with stuff cluttering up your laundry room or laundry closet.  So please ruthlessly declutter your space.  Only keep what truly belongs there.  Don’t keep items “just in case” items.  Stick to the basics of what is needed in a laundry room.  Only store other items in the laundry room if you have space after organizing the essentials.

Laundry Room Essentials

Unless your laundry is in a shared space, such as part of the mudroom, then your laundry room really should just contain the basics.

• Laundry detergent
• Stain removers
• Bleach & fabric softners, if you use them
• Dryer sheets or balls
• A jar for the coins you find in pockets
• A small bowl for all the other random stuff you find in pockets
• Bins for unmatched socks, if that’s an issue for you
• Any other products needed to maintain your machines, such as a dryer vent lint-remover kit or a washing machine cleaner
• Optional: laundry baskets and hangers, iron and board, steamer, drying rack, hanging rod

Are you surprised that laundry baskets and hangers are optional?  To be honest, they are a must-have for me.  But not every laundry room has space to accommodate these items.  While I’ve listed optional items, they really do improve the functionality of the room and make laundry so much easier to do.

How to Organize Your Laundry Room

When it comes to remodeling or tweaking your laundry room, the first step is to write down what you need in your laundry room.  Don’t worry right now if it will fit or if you have the budget.  Just make a list of everything you’d like in your laundry room.

Next, prioritize your list.  Starting with #1, what is the absolute most essential?  I’m going to assume that you already have a washer and dryer but if not, then that would be your top priority.  The next on the list is a place to store laundry supplies, like detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets or balls.

After those top 2 priorities, each person’s list will look different based on their needs and space.  For example, for me, the next item on my list is storage of four laundry baskets for sorting.  You may not have the space for that or maybe you don’t sort your laundry and that’s ok.

Make your list and prioritize your needs.  Then, look for products that will meet your needs and fit in your space.  There are a lot of space-saving products so you may be pleasantly surprised by how functional your laundry room can actually be.

Laundry Room Organization Ideas

Have you ever looked at drool-worthy laundry rooms on Pinterest and wanted to recreate it in your house?  There can be problems with that though.  First, the budget.  Second, laundry spaces can be so different – small rooms, large rooms, multipurpose rooms (part of the mudroom or also used for other purposes like crafting), in closets, in the basement or garage – that it’s difficult to recreate a look.

There’s nothing wrong with looking at beautifully designed spaces, just make sure they are inspiring you and not making you feel bad about your space.  Realize their needs, budget and space are what works for them and that you can create a pretty space that works for you.

No matter what your space looks like or your budget, you can have an organized and functional space.  The key to laundry room organization is making sure you have the essential items easily accessible and easy to put away.

Check out Organizing Tips for Any Room for the core organization rules that apply for any room in your house.

If you’re looking for more storage space, use every available surface – walls, back of doors, in between washer and dryer, even the ceiling.

Check out the laundry room organization ideas below for products to get your space organized!

Cabinets or Shelves

After a washer and dryer, the second most important item in your laundry room is storage for your laundry supplies, like laundry detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets or balls.

Cabinets are shelves are the most common way to store the laundry supplies.

Inexpensive cabinets can be found at home improvement stores.  Or if you are on a strict budget, you can sometimes find nice cabinets at Habitat ReStores.

Shelves can be super budget-friendly, especially if you use the wire shelving or melamine shelves from the home improvement stores.  They aren’t very decorative but could be spruced up with nice baskets or jars (see recommendations later in the post).

I love the Holman shelves from Pottery Barn or the less costly Ekby Jarpen shelves from Ikea.  I have both types of shelves throughout my house and I know they look nice and are durable.

Drying Racks

A folding drying rack is great to dry items you don’t want to be exposed to heat, like certain workout gear, delicate items, jeans or bras.  Bring it out when you need it and then fold it up when you’re done.

 

No extra floor space?  A wall-mounted drying rack may be the answer.

This one includes a small cabinet and hooks for additional storage.

This drying rack has a small shelf to store laundry supplies or decorative items.

The folding or swivel hanger racks are perfect for small laundry rooms.

 

 

This cast iron hanging rack would look great with rustic or French country decor.

The back of doors is great for extra storage.  While you could probably mount some of the small hanger racks to the door, you may not want to put holes in your door.  This over the door rack solves that issue with hooks that go over the top of the door.

 

Some clothes, especially sweaters are best dried laying flat.  So many of the mesh drying racks require a large surface to set the rack on.  This drying net can hang from a rod. It’s also easy to store when not in use.

 

Folding Tables for Folding Clothes

Would you love a table to fold clothes but your laundry room is small?  Check out these tables that literally fold.  No, they won’t fold your laundry but they will unfold to offer a small space to fold clothes and then fold back to save space when it’s not in use.

This folding table is shown as a kitchen table but it would also work well in the laundry room. 

Ikea offers an inexpensive wall mounted folding table.  When the table drops down, there is still a little shelf that could be used to store small items.

 

Mobile Laundry Cart

Want to be able to roll your laundry sort down the hall gathering laundry from each room as you go?  Or maybe you want to wheel it from one part of the room to the other to make it easier to put it into the washing machine.  These mobile laundry carts may be just what you need.

Hoosier Homemade provides detailed instructions to make your own mobile laundry cart.  I love that this cart has a flat surface on top that you can use for folding or storing laundry supplies.

Ironing Board Cabinet

You’re probably familiar with the traditional ironing board holder.  While there is nothing wrong with the standard holder, there are other options.  The over the door ironing board holder is similar to the traditional but doesn’t require putting holes in the wall.

But by far my favorite is an ironing board cabinet.  We installed one in our old house and loved that the ironing board was hidden way but so convenient to pull down when we needed it.  The ironing board is small but it was enough for us to get our occasional ironing done.

 

Laundry Guard

Do you have stuff that falls off the sides or back of your washer and/or dryer?  These laundry guards attach to your machines with strong magnets to keep things on top.

 

Upgrade the Decor

Laundry is a chore.  I’m not sure that I know anyone who actually enjoys doing laundry.  So why not make laundry a little more pleasant by making your laundry room prettier?  The function of a room is a top priority but that doesn’t mean it has to be ugly.  Below are easy ideas to spruce up your laundry room.

Add Curtains

Adding curtains is a simple way to hide unsightly spaces.  Is your laundry room part of a multifunction room?  Divide the space with curtains.  Looking to hide open storage?  Curtains could be the solution.

You can see how curtains can be used in the laundry room for areas other than windows on my Pinterest board.

Pretty Storage Solutions

Stylish storage solutions are an inexpensive way to dress up your laundry room.

Use pretty canisters and dispensers to hold laundry detergent, fabric softeners, dryer sheets or balls, clothespins and more.

 

Storage baskets are great for hiding cleaning products while still keeping them easily accessible.

Small bowls or trays are perfect to catch all the stuff that’s emptied from pockets.

Wall Decor

There is a lot of inexpensive laundry room decor ideas.  Some are functional and decorative while others are purely decorative.

 

Laundry Room Organization Ideas Help?

Do you have any laundry room organization ideas you’d like to share?  Do you have a challenge you can’t seem to overcome in your laundry room?  Comment below or contact me.