Freya Morris
Our laundry room is on the top floor of our house between my boys’ bedroom and their “hangout room.” Up until about six weeks ago, it looked pretty much the same way it had when we moved in back in September 2016– builder basic tile floors, dingy white walls, and a single wire shelf that I could barely reach. After we installed the washer and dryer, I threw our laundry supplies into some clear bins and called it a day.
This quick guide gives you 7 simple, practical ways to begin to tackle an overwhelming organizing project. Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #1- Add functional wall storage.
On the back wall of the laundry room, we ripped out the wire shelf that wasn’t doing us much good and installed some vertical shiplap. I then painted it Sherwin Williams Rainwashed (mixed at half strength) to add a pop of my favorite color to the space.
To make the cabinets look a little more custom and finished, Donnie added some crown molding to the top. Small Laundry Room Ideas, Tip #2- Corral smaller items in bins to keep them tidy.
In the cabinet above the washing machine, I keep laundry detergent, our backup supply of hand soap for the house, and a stock of dryer sheets.
Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #3- Add labels so you can find items quickly and easily! On the first day of demo in the laundry room, Donnie was using a hammer and crowbar to pound out the old baseboards, and the dome of the old light fixture fell and smashed into 1000 pieces. Since the space isn’t huge and I had cabinet doors to contend with, I knew I wanted something flush or semi-flush.
Small Laundry Room Ideas, Tip #4- Create a spot to hang items to dry. Hiding behind the pretty new light fixture is a bar I use to hang any clothes that can’t go in the dryer. Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #5- Add a shelf above the washer and dryer. So when the electrician came to install the new light fixture, we had him flip the outlet (which you can only see barely peeking out above the dryer on the right), and now the cord is neatly tucked away. Small Laundry Room Ideas, Tip #6- Use a magnetic lint bin for trash. I ended up finding a magnetic lint bin that sticks to the side of the dryer easily, and it has worked like a charm!
I didn’t have much wall space in this room that wasn’t covered by appliances, cabinets, or open doors, but I was still able to work in two small pieces of DIY art that I created! Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #7- Maximize closet space. Our teeny tiny linen closet is in our laundry room, and it got a bit of a facelift as well! (The post also includes the answer to the question I get every time I show our linen closet: Where are your sheets?!)
Small Laundry Room Ideas, Tip #8- Make shelves a solid surface. But since our linen closet is SO small, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find solid surface shelves that were the exact measurements I needed.
We love that we don’t have items falling over or slipping through the wires anymore, and the warmth that the wood tones bring to the space is great too! If you don’t have closet space in your laundry room, it would be easy enough to install a small hook or two and hang the baskets flat up against the wall. Small Laundry Room Ideas, Tip #10- Keep a folding stool handy.
My very tall friends may not need this tip, but for the rest of us, having a stool for those hard-to-reach items is essential!
I used to drag in a chair from my boys’ hangout room when I couldn’t reach something, but I knew there had to be an easier way. But I ended up finding this cute little folding stool at Dollar General (similar), and it was the perfect solution for our space.
I fold it up keep it tucked behind the laundry baskets in the closet when I’m not using it so it’s out of the way but still easy to grab. For some reason, my natural tendency is to buy WAY more items that I need “just in case,” and then all of the excess is never used.
I finally broke down and replaced the towels we had gotten for our wedding over 15 years ago, and I realized that we owned way more than we needed. Small Laundry Room Organization Ideas: Frequently Asked Questions What is that white tray underneath your washing machine?
Our laundry room is on the second floor of the house, so our builder installed that tray to catch any water that might leak so it doesn’t flood the kitchen below. We don’t have any plans to ever remove the rod, so we were fine with putting one screw through the side of each cabinet.
