Whether you have a tiny laundry closet or a spacious laundry room – its job requirements are the same. This means that the smaller the space, the harder it needs to work for you! This post is full of clever laundry room organization ideas that are perfect for small laundry rooms and laundry closets.
Last week I showed you my newly made over laundry closet, and shared all the stylish details, like the temporary wallpaper, the pendant light, and the abstract art. Let’s be honest, though… a pretty laundry room might make the chore more bearable, but if the space isn’t organized and functional, the bloom will soon be off the rose!
This post contains some affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.
When designing my new laundry space, I spent a great deal of time focusing on the organizational and functional details. I followed the same 10 steps that I always do when tackling an organizing project, including completely emptying the space, measuring twice and making a plan, using every available space, and selecting appropriate containers.
You can read all about my organizing process here, but today I want to talk about the specific small laundry room organizing ideas and products that help our laundry closet function like a much larger space.
Laundry Closet Organization Ideas
Despite the small square footage of our laundry closet, we’ve managed to pack in plenty of function by finding creative uses for the available space, including the walls, the doors, and even the floor.
Laundry Room Wall Cabinets
I am a proponent of using every available space for storage, so you might wonder why I chose to install only two cabinets above the washer and dryer, when there was room for three? It was about striking the right balance between all of my needs – and in this case, the need for better light in the formerly dark and shadowy closet won out. Leaving a space between the cabinets allowed me to add much needed light. The fact that the light fixture is also very stylish is just a bonus!
From the start, I liked the idea of glass front cabinets doors for added style, and because they would allow me add green to the cabinet doors without it being too much of a good thing. I knew, however, that glass door wouldn’t be the best decision if I planned to use the cabinets to store detergents and cleaning supplies, because seeing all of this inside the cabinets would make the space feel visually overwhelming.
This is where the planning process comes in. Before purchasing the cabinets, I had already made a list of everything that I wanted/needed to store in the laundry closet, and in looking at that list I realized that the cabinets would provide just the right amount of storage to allow me to purchase paper towels and toilet paper in bulk.
It saves so much money to buy paper towels and toilet paper in bullk (at places like Costco), but I needed a dedicated space to store it all. I always keep a couple of extra rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom, but the remainder of my paper products were previously taking up too much space in the linen closet. Storing all the extras in cabinets above the washer and dryer was a much better solution for my needs.
I can now store 12 extra rolls of paper towels, and two large packs of toilet paper. Because these rolls are lightweight and soft, they are much easier for me to reach in the cabinets without fear of dropping something heavy.
Once I decided that I would use the cabinets to store only my white paper products, the decision to select glass front doors was an easy one. IKEA Centennial, one of my sponsors of this laundry closet makeover, provided these SEKTION white wall cabinets with Björket birch and glass doors, which I painted in Sherwin Williams Kilkenny Green (SW 6740).
Laundry Closet Back of Door Organizers
Using the cabinets for my paper supplies meant, of course, that I needed to find somewhere else to store all of my detergents, stain removers, and other laundry supplies.
To address this, we installed a platinum colored Elfa mounting rail from The Container Store to the back of the door on the left side of the laundry closet. From that rail, I hung three Elfa Utility Large/Deep Baskets.
You probably noticed that all of the baskets are on the top portion of the door. This is because, when closed, there is very little space between the doors and the front of the my washer and dryer. In the picture below, you can see that a basket on the lower half of the door would bump into the washer.
I positioned my baskets carefully to ensure the bottom basket would clear the countertop when the door is close. But if you have a deeper laundry closet, or a full laundry room, you could certainly take advantage of more of the door space by adding baskets all the way down.
The Elfa utility baskets also come in a variety of other sizes, including narrower and shallower. I chose the widest and deepest baskets available to maximize my storage space.
I use the top basket on the door for my bottles of stain remover spray and other laundry supplies.
Containing Small Items in Glass Storage Jars
When it comes to finding containers to fit in the Elfa baskets, I recommend taking one with you to test various container options. Relying on the measurements alone is deceiving, because they are based on the outside dimensions of the basket, rather than the inside. Additionally, the very center of each basket has an inset where it fits on to the Elfa rail.
I took one of my Elfa large/deep baskets with me to IKEA when I was in search of jars, and I discovered that four of the BURKEN jars with lids fit perfect in each basket. I purchased eight of these jars, and filled them of my small laundry items.
The first four jars contain sewing and mending related supplies, including a measuring tape and small scissors, thread {including those little packets of mending thread that sometimes come with your clothes}, extra buttons, and needles and pins.
The remaining four jars hold a variety of miscellaneous items, including my favorite tool for removing pills from sweaters, my mesh bags for washing delicate items, stain remover wipes and pens, and packets of HE washing machine cleaner.
I am normally a huge fan of labeling everything, but by choosing clear jars for all of these small items, I am able to easily see what is inside without the need for labels.
To make the jars more stylish, and to fit with the design of the rest of the laundry closet, I added a quick and easy black and white detail around each jar {get the 5 minute tutorial for these custom jar lids here.} These jars now also matches the washi tape detail that I added to the shelves in the linen closet.
Dryer Sheet Storage Container
The box of dryer sheets was too big to fit in the basket, and the individual dyer sheets were to too large to fit in to my glass jars, so I had to get creative in order to fit my dryer sheets in this space. I searched around for a smaller, refillable container that I could transfer some dryer sheets to for easy access, and I came up with a travel sized Huggies baby wipes case for the nursery!
I can fit quite a few dryer sheets in here, and this case fits nicely in the Elfa door basket. Best of all, I can just pop the lid and pull them out one by one. I love finding ways to repurpose items for new storage uses! I’m storing the larger box of dryer sheets in the linen closet for refills.
Laundry Canisters for Detergent
After placing most of my laundry items in the back of door baskets, I was still left with two containers that were too large for these door baskets – my laundry detergent pods, and my OxiClean. For these, I purchased two larger canisters from Target {again, adding washi tape detail to each}.
I made sure to place these laundry canisters in the far back corner of the deep countertop, far out of reach of little hands! Similarly, I put the other laundry cleaners in the top basket of the door system to keep them out of my boys’ reach as well.
Laundry Room Countertop for Sorting and Folding
You’ll notice that other than the three small containers on the back corner of the laundry closet countertop, I have left this space wide open. Although I could have maximized my storage space by utilizing more of the counter, I specifically chose not to.
In my prior laundry closet design, the counter was cluttered with too many storage containers, which made it hard to use for its intended purpose of sorting and folding. This time around, I was very conscious of keeping laundry room countertop space wide open so that I could actually use it for doing laundry rather than having to drag my laundry to another room to find space to sort and fold.
In addition to this counter being very functional, I’m proud of how it looks! We had wanted a wood plank styled laminate counter, but the price was way out of our budget! We instead managed to DIY the look we wanted using a cheap melamine board and some vinyl flooring planks for a fraction of the cost! Get the DIY laundry room countertop tutorial here.
Laundry Room Lint Holder
Since our laundry closet doesn’t allow space for a garbage can on the floor, it’s a pain to walk to the bathroom down the hall between every load. Instead, I used to create a pile of lint on the counter that I’d eventually take to the trash every few days. When planning the laundry room makeover, I wanted to find a more function {and more stylish} laundry room lint holder.
My friend Melissa, at Polished Habitat, created the most fabulous wall mounted laundry room lint bin, so I initially thought of using her solution. But then I spotted a black and white striped, lidded jute basket at The Container Store that I was totally smitten with, and I realized it would be a perfectly as a lint holder for my laundry room. Now I just empty the lint to the bathroom trash down the hall once every few weeks when my lint collector basket fills up.
Small Laundry Room Clothes Hanging Ideas
In the prior version of our laundry closet, I had a rod for hanging clothes as they came out of the dryer, but it was set high and above the washer where I could barely reach it, so it rarely got used.
I wanted to find a better hanging solution for our laundry closet {one that my short self could reach}, so I once again opted to use the back of a door. I purchased four bar towel holder from IKEA {similar to this towel rail}.
The outermost bar is just the right distance from the door to be used with standard hangers. Now I can hang clothes as I take them out of the dryer! And the four bars also provide an ideal space for draping multiple items that need to hang to dry!
Best of all, even with clothes hanging from the towel rack, I can still fully close the door when I want to hide the laundry away. We installed the rack high enough on the door to ensure that the bottom on my husband’s dress shirts hang just above the countertop when the door is closed.
I should also mention that I my hanger stacker {here’s a similar one} also makes doing laundry much easier. I fill it up with the empty hangers out of our closet so that I always have plenty of hangers on hand for clothes coming out of the dryer.
A Laundry Memo Board to Keep the Whole Family in the Loop
Laundry is a family affair, so to keep your clothes looking their best, it’s convenient to have a place to leave notes to keep everyone on the same page.
I often put a load of laundry in the washer, and then later my husband will move it to the dryer, or vice versa. It was always a challenge to remember to remind each other to check for stains on certain shirts, or not to dry certain items. To solve this problem, I’ve added a laundry memo board to the back of the door below the hanging rack.
To make the most of the space, I also designed a cute laundry symbol guide and placed the poster behind a KLUDD glass noticeboard from IKEA.
The noticeboard works well with either dry erase markers or chalk markers. Dry erase markers are more convenient because they just wipe away with a Kleenex or paper towel, where as a chalk marker requires water to wipe it away. However, I have chosen to use a chalk marker to make that the writing won’t rub of on clean clothes when I hang them from the rack above the laundry memo board.
HOW TO STORE LAUNDRY BASKETS BETWEEN LOADS
Laundry baskets can take up so much room between use. A few years ago I got rid of all of my bulky plastic laundry baskets, and replaced them all with the collapsible variety {these are my favorite}.
I like to keep a couple of these baskets in our master bedroom closet all the time to make it quick and easy to carry clothes down to the laundry room.
I tuck another couple in the space between the washer and the wall in the laundry closet, ready for use to carry clean clothes to the appropriate rooms. Collapsible laundry baskets pack a whole lot of function into very little storage space!
I love that our new laundry space is much more organized and functional than it used to be, but it’s also more prettier and looks less cluttered.
It just goes to show that you don’t have to sacrifice style for function! It’s all about finding the right balance and using the available space in a creative way!
A few more things to consider when planning updates to your laundry closet or small laundry room:
Should you stack the washer and dryer in your laundry closet?
We are fortunate that our laundry closet is wide enough to accommodate a side by side washer and dryer, but even so, at the outset of the makeover I strongly considered whether to stack the washer and dryer.
Ultimately I decided against stacking for several reasons: (1) the linen closet adjacent to our laundry closet already provides ample floor to ceiling shelving; (2) my boys love helping with the laundry by putting clothes in the washer, or by transferring from the washer to the dryer; and (3) I wanted to maximize my sorting and folding space with a large counter space.
However, there are just as many good reasons that you might want to stack your washer and dryer, even if you have the space for a side by side. Stacking can add more space for easily accessible shelves and cabinets; can free up floor space if your house lacks a broom/vacuum closet. If you are thinking of stacking your washer and dryer, you might want to check out this room, and this closet for inspiration!
Do you want to raise the washer and dryer up on drawers or pedestals?
Another important consideration for your laundry room is whether to put the washer and dryer right down on the floor, or whether to boost them up onto laundry pedestal drawers, or onto a custom built pedestal with space for laundry baskets {like this one from Addicted 2 DIY}.
I quickly determined that pedestals weren’t the right choice for me because my priority was to have a usable counter space for sorting and folding, and placing the washer and dryer on pedestals would have made the top too high for me to use. But, depending on how you use your space, and what your needs are, this can be a very efficient use of space!