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Washing dirty laundry is one of those tedious chores that somehow always need to be done, just like washing dishes and vacuuming. Unless you stay on top of it, laundry rooms can get messy surprisingly quickly, with piles of lost socks, empty detergent pods, lint balls, random hangers, and used dryer sheets floating around.
However, with these 11 clever hacks and space-saving laundry organization ideas we’ve gathered, you can take pride in having a neat, clean, orderly space to wash your laundry. Read on as we dive right in with our first laundry room organization tip.
The 12 Best Laundry Room Organization Ideas to Lessen Clutter
1. Get Rid of Unnecessary or Old Items
Just like bedrooms and kitchens, laundry rooms can fill up surprisingly fast with various items, like detergent bottles, mismatched socks, rags, random clothes, etc. When sorting through the clutter, determine what you should keep, donate, and throw away.
Don’t just hang onto items because you “might” want to use them in the future – that’s how all laundry rooms get full of clutter in the first place. If you haven’t used the item in over two years, it’s time to donate it. It reduces landfill waste, keeps your laundry room organized, and helps out other families in need.
2. Add a Tray or Plastic Bins on Top of Your Laundry Equipment
Every dedicated laundry room has many smaller items and cleaning supplies that can cause clutter, particularly if it’s a small laundry room or lacks enough storage space. Instead of letting the clutter pile up, place a wooden tray or plastic bin on the washer or dryer. Then, gather your laundry essentials and put them on the tray to keep things organized.
Plus, it’s the perfect place to store those random items from the washer, like coins, buttons, etc. Or, use clear bins and labels that allow you easily see what’s inside so you don’t have to open each one looking for the right item.
3. Stack the Washer and Dryer Vertically
Tired of your washer and dryer taking up so much space in your laundry room? Stack them! While this tip only works for front-loading machines, it’s the perfect hack for a small laundry room with limited space. Plus, even if you stack both machines, they’ll still be easily accessible during wash time. After all, it just makes sense: Why take up space on the floor when you can utilize all that space in the air and on the wall?
4. Add a Countertop to Your Laundry Room
Another way to utilize more space in a small laundry room if your front-loading washer and dryer are side-by-side is by building or installing a countertop directly over them. First, it makes an excellent folding station for clean clothes.
Second, it’s the perfect place to keep laundry supplies, like detergent and fabric softener. Anyone who has ever left them on top of the washing machine knows it can vibrate them right to the edge and overboard! A solid counter to store them on eliminates that problem.
5. Install a Wall-Mounted Drying Rack
Are you sick of draping delicates or non-dryable items on virtually any available space? Installing an accordion-style drying rack on the wall of your laundry room creates a dedicated space to hang items and let them dry. Plus, the accordion feature allows you to fold it flat when it’s not in use, maximizing your laundry room storage and free space. Genius!
6. Put a Magnetic Lint Bin on the Dryer
Is there anything more annoying than contending with big clumps of lint and floating fluff every time you walk into the laundry room? Eliminate the fluffy mess by placing a magnetic lint bin on the side of the dryer. The lint stays securely inside, and the bin doesn’t take up any extra floor space, either.
7. Make Labeling a Norm
For some people, laziness often gets the better of them. They’ll have a random object they know must go somewhere, but they won’t feel like finding the right place for it. This will leave the object sitting somewhere completely random, or worse, in the wrong place. Creating labeled bins fixes that by providing you the motivation and satisfaction to put things where they belong while also giving you an additional level of organization. Pretty helpful!
8. Upcycle an Old Ladder Into a Hanging Clothes Rack
One of the coolest ideas for organizing cluttered or smaller laundry rooms involves upcycling an old ladder into a drying rack. It’s easy enough to use threaded eyehooks and coated wire to hang a ladder from the ceiling, and the rungs act as a built-in drying rack. It’s the perfect solution that adds extra laundry space to drape clothing items that won’t withstand a tumble dry.
9 . Add a Skinny Cart and Fabric Drawers Between Machines
The dead space between a washer and dryer seems to double as a black hole that swallows up small items and pieces of clothing, like socks, dryer sheets, or coins. Why waste the extra storage space?
To improve aesthetics, use metal- or wooden-framed shelves with fabric or wicker-style drawers. It’s the perfect way to save space, prevent missing socks and clothing items, and create a place to store laundry supplies neatly out of sight, like clothes pins. This clever hack will help you keep a neat, organized laundry room.
10. Transform a Closet Into Laundry Room Storage
You can easily repurpose any closet space into laundry room storage with just a few adjustments. Add shelves and install a hanging rod (i.e., a tension rod for a shower curtain) up at the top. Suddenly you’ll have a linen closet and additional storage for clothes, towels, the ironing board, and other essential items.
Bonus idea: Hang a wire rack or hooks from the back of the door to increase its storage capabilities and add extra space.
11. Install a Pedestal for the Washing Machine and Dryer
Perhaps your laundry room is a smaller space and won’t accommodate a stacked dryer and washer. Fortunately, you can still get extra laundry room storage by installing a pedestal –which can double as cabinets and another storage area – and then placing both machines on top.
First, it will make washing clothes much easier and more convenient. Second, it creates the opportunity to install hidden cabinets below inside the pedestal, where you can keep items like an ironing board, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, stain removers, seasonal items like tablecloths or blankets, etc.
12. Build Cabinets Next To the Washer and Dryer
We said earlier that most of these hacks don’t cost much money, which was true. However, adding waist-high cabinets is a significant project and will require time and money. If you have it in the budget to swing it, adding cabinets and countertops will dramatically improve your laundry room organization.
For example, you can store laundry baskets or ironing boards and keep them hidden from sight, making the room much cleaner and less cluttered. Or they can double as a linen closet if you add shelves for items like sheets, blankets, towels, etc.
For people without enough room in their budget to install built-in cabinets, here’s an alternative laundry room storage idea that is much less expensive: Purchase a simple, free-standing wire rack with open shelving.
While it won’t provide the same “hidden in plain sight” feature as built-in cabinets, it will make a huge difference in helping you stay organized. Plus, it ensures that you can keep your laundry must-haves and essentials close by, making laundry day much faster and smoother.
Another option for DIY’ers is upcycling old furniture into cabinets. Check out yard sales or Goodwill for inexpensive, slightly worn cabinetry or storage units and spend some time refinishing and polishing them instead of spending a lot of money on brand-new or custom-built pieces.
Best Area for Appliances in the Laundry Room
Laundry rooms can become small, cramped spaces where there’s barely enough floor space to stand and wash dirty clothes, let alone place large appliances with room to spare. Improve your laundry organization game with these tips for where you should put your laundry room:
Washer and Dryer: Consider putting those larger appliances stacked or side-by-side for easy access in the kitchen, bathroom, or closet. Appliances should also go directly in front of utility hookups with enough room for adequate ventilation. You can also consider a hallway, but that’s a difficult place to manage, storage-wise.
Another option is to create a multi-purpose mud room. For example, if your laundry room doubles as a mudroom, it’s easier to wash dirty clothes, store off-season items like jackets and boots on shelves, and have cleaning supplies close by for muddy footprints.
Ironing board: Hang your ironing boards on the wall, behind a door, or in a laundry room closet. Another great hack is adding a folding drying rack to the same wall, making it easy to hang clothes after you’ve ironed them. It frees up more floor space, too.
Three Simple Laundry Routines
Does it feel like you’re constantly doing laundry, but when you look around your room, there’s just nothing to wear? If the thought of going into the laundry room makes you want to weep and bang your head against the wall, these three routines will make your life much easier and more efficient.
1. Wash Everything in One Day
Pro
You only have to think about laundry once a week
Con
It requires you to endure one full day of nothing but laundry
Best for: Couples with no children
2. Wash What’s In the Basket Every Day
Pro
Small, fast loads
Con
Unsuitable for delicates and mixed darks/lights
Best for: Families with small babies or potty-training toddlers
3. Wash One Type of Laundry Each Day
Pro
Keeps clothes sorted and super-clean
Con
Requires sorting dirty clothes by type
Best for: Families with a large mix of darks/lights/delicates/woolens, etc.
Stay Neat, Clean, and Clutter-Free with These Clever Laundry Room Organization Ideas from Easy Donation Pickup
It’s an undeniable fact: laundry rooms are a magnet for clutter. Plus, dealing with the constant mess can be overwhelming. However, you can maximize available space using the laundry organization ideas we just listed, from small tips like using a magnetic lint container or a catch-all tray to installing sliding barn doors or stacking your washer and dryer.
Once you start cleaning and organizing your laundry room, separate items into three piles: keep, throw away, and donate. Then, just give Easy Donation Pickup a call, and we’ll come and collect your donation items for free.
Call Easy Donation Pickup today at (855) 628-8387 to schedule your free pickup now with our team or learn more about our services and how we help give back to the community.
