Small Laundry Room Organization Ideas

Don't miss these small laundry room organization and decor ideas that will have your laundry room looking neat, tidy, and beautiful in no time!

Our laundry room is finally finished! I have been dreaming of revamping this space for years, but the size of the project was so intimidating to me that I just kept putting it off.

And by "size," I definitely don't mean that the room itself is big. In fact, we have a very small laundry room. But though the room may be tiny, the plans I had for it were not, so I had to wait until we had the time and energy to complete the task!

Here is what we started with...

Not completely terrible, but definitely very basic.

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.

But now, I am oh-so-thrilled to say that our laundry room finally looks like this instead...

Yippee! And not only does our small laundry room look the way I had dreamed it would, but it is also so much more organized and functional. I may or may not be a little giddy about it. 😉

C'mon in and I'll give you the grand tour!

How to Organize a Small Laundry Room (and Make It Pretty Too!)

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

The very first thing we did in this space was to tear out the builder basic tile and replace it with something that is more our taste. We used this wood look tile, and it alone already made a huge difference in the space!

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.

In place of the wire shelf, we added two 21" cabinets instead. They hold much more than the shelf did and are easier to reach-- win-win!

We went with IKEA cabinets because we loved them so much in our townhouse kitchen. They are installed using a rail system, which makes it really easy to get them level. And IKEA wall cabinets are 3" deeper than traditional kitchen cabinets, which makes them nice and roomy. In a small laundry room, I will take all of the extra space I can get!

To make the cabinets look a little more custom and finished, Donnie added some crown molding to the top. He used the same technique that he used in our townhouse kitchen.

Small Laundry Room Organization 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. I corralled all of our items in IKEA VARIERA bins in both the small and large sizes.

Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #3- Label!

The cabinet above the dryer holds additional laundry supplies, some cleaning supplies, and our stock of extra light bulbs. Tthe IKEA VARIERA bins came in handy again, along with RABBLA bins for the light bulbs.

I was sure to label all of of my bins so that I could find what I need at a glance. I made the bin labels using my Cricut Explore + adhesive vinyl. (The font I used is called Crushed. )You can get a tutorial for how I create this type of labels in this post.

Upgrading the Light Fixture

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. Oops. Thankfully, we were planning on replacing that light fixture anyway, and I couldn't be happier with this beauty!

Since the space isn't huge and I had cabinet doors to contend with, I knew I wanted something flush or semi-flush. But it had to be stylish too-- no "boob lights" here! 🙂 When I came across this brass, semi-flush fixture with the glass dome, I knew it would be perfect. I also love that it holds three bulbs, which provide plenty of light in the space.

Small Laundry Room Organization 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. I was insistent that we find a way to work a hanging bar into the design. I hang Connor's hockey gear nearly every week! This setup was inconspicuous and gave us enough space to hang the items needed.

Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #5- Add a shelf above the washer and dryer.

We had a few eyesores in the laundry room that we needed to work around, namely hoses and plugs! Originally, the plug for the dryer was arranged in such a way that the cord stuck out awkwardly. 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.

The hoses for the washer were a bit more challenging, and they're still not completely hidden. But Donnie installed a wall-to-wall shelf to help camouflage them a little bit, and they're definitely better than they were before! (We'll have a tutorial on this shelf coming soon.)

The shelf also gave me a spot to put both some functional items-- like a bowl to collect loose change that comes through the laundry and some jars for dryer balls and other laundry necessities-- and pretty items too. The shelf is shallow enough that it doesn't get in the way when I open the lid of the washing machine.

Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #6- Use a magnetic lint bin for trash.

Another conundrum I had in our small laundry room was what to do with the trash-- namely lint and dryer sheets. I used to keep a small trash can in our linen closet (which is right across from the dryer). But my hands were often full and it was a pain to get to, so I didn't want to do that anymore.

I ended up finding a magnetic lint bin that sticks to the side of the dryer easily, and it has worked like a charm! It is tucked out of the way (you have to lean against the far wall to be able to see it). But it is also so convenient to be able to throw things away easily.

You can see what the front of the lint bin looks like in the photo below. I chose the black version because my washer and dryer are dark, but it also comes in white.

DIY Laundry Room Signs

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!

Because the space is so cramped, it was hard to get a photo of the DIY signs in context, but you can sort of see where they hang in the photo of the linen closet and hallway doors below. (The camera is sitting between the washer and dryer to get this shot.)

Upgrading the Baseboards, Trim, and Doors

Since we re-did the floors and had to remove the old baseboards to do so, we installed new chunkier baseboards and doorway trim to give the space a little extra character.

I also painted the doors Behr Chain Reaction to break up all of the white a little bit.

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! Like the rest of the room, it wasn't terrible, but I knew we could do better! Here's the before and after...

I did a detailed post with linen closet-specific organizing tips here if you're looking for ways to tidy up your linens! (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 Organization Tip #8- Make shelves a solid surface.

I am not a fan of wire shelves. I just never feel like they're very sturdy and don't love the way they look. 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.

So instead of ripping out the wire shelving, Donnie and I created simple wooden covers for them. We now have the sturdy shelves we wanted, and they're prettier too! You can get the full tutorial for the shelf covers here.

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!

Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #9- Choose collapsible laundry baskets.

Before we redid the laundry room, my laundry baskets were ALWAYS in the way. They were either right in front of the linen closet door so I couldn't get into the linen closet or they were in front of the washer or dryer, making the appliances hard to access. I was always moving the baskets out of my way, and it was really frustrating.

Determined to solve my basket problem despite my small laundry room, I discovered these collapsible laundry baskets that I can fold up and tuck away inside the linen closet!

I admit, I was skeptical about them at first. Would they really be as sturdy as my traditional baskets? But I have been using the collapsible version for about a month now, and I love them! They're a little smaller than my regular baskets, but they still hold a full load of laundry. And they have been holding up perfectly so far.

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. They would still be out of the way and easily accessible!

Small Laundry Room Organization 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' hang out 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.

Small Laundry Room Organization Tip #11- Don't overbuy.

This tip holds true for just about every space in the house! 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.

This was definitely the case with our towels, washcloths, and hand towels. I finally broke down and replaced the towels we had gotten for our wedding nearly 14 years ago, and I realized that we owned way more than we needed.

When I replaced the towels, I purchased only the number we would actually use, and not only did I save money, but I saved space in our linen closet as well!

So that concludes the grand tour of our laundry room! I am loving that it is both prettier to look at and WAY more organized and functional too! I may even start to actually enjoy doing laundry... maybe. 😉

Here's a quick before and after shot-- I love a good transformation!

Sources

If you're looking for any of the items we used for our laundry room makeover, you can find them via the links below:

• Aqua Paint Color (mixed at half strength)
• White Paint Color
• Gray Paint Color
• Washing Machine
• Dryer
• Floor Tile
• Shiplap
• Cabinets
• Cabinet Knobs
• Light Fixture
• Lint Bin
• Candle
• Round Mirror- HomeGoods
• White Bins- Large and Small
• Fabric Bins
• Hangers
• Cricut Explore + Adhesive Vinyl for Making Labels
• DIY Signs
• White Towels
• Hand Towels
• Washcloths
• Green Boxes
• Mesh Bags
• Wooden Box
• Lidded Glass Jars
• Dryer Balls
• Wooden Shelf Covers
• Collapsible Laundry Baskets
• Folding Stool- Dollar General (similar)

Thinking of using some of these ideas for your own small laundry room organization? Be sure to pin this image so you can easily find this post later:

And if you missed any of the other posts in our laundry room series, you can find them all here:

Planning a Small, Organized Laundry Room

Reverse Canvas DIY Wall Art for the Laundry Room

The Best Way to Install a Tile Floor

Installing a Vertical Shiplap Wall

How to Hide Wire Shelving

How to Organize a Small Linen Closet

DIY Shelf Above Washer and Dryer

Thank you so much for following along! Have a wonderful day!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.