So, I’ve noticed a trend among my clients and friends lately. A laundry room trend. Several of them are organizing it, remodeling it, or WANT to remodel it. Most of us have small laundry room, so here are some great ideas how to make the most of your space.

Space saving Ideas for a small laundry room

Last year, I remodeled my laundry room. Quite a process. I thought it would be this easy little project. Wrong! A lot goes into a laundry room, literally. I started out with my inspiration: a picture I clipped from a magazine.

Sure, it wouldn’t be hard to get that look in my little laundry room? It is little, it measures 10 x 6. And it’s an odd shape, with a weird angled wall.

Space saving idea #1 Get stackables if you can.

This enabled me to have room for a laundry sink which – gasp – mine didn’t include. Getting a sink in there was my main motivation for remodeling the room.

Space saving idea #2: Utilize your wall space.

When I looked up, I noticed all the space we could use on the walls. Things I installed on the wall:

An expandable drying rack.
A shelf for large items.
A closet rod to hang delicates, white shirts, etc.
Don’t forget the back of the door! A good place for a hook or even a towel bar (with some hooks or clothespins) for some air-drying.
A cupboard or open shelf to hold detergent and cleaning supplies.

Other ideas for laundry room wall space:

Cute square baskets for small laundry supplies.
Large hooks.
A retractable clothesline (see the picture on my Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/jennyrossomorin/organized-laundry-room/
Hang the ironing board and iron on a nifty rack installed on the wall.
If you have side-by-side washer & dryer, install a shelf directly over them to hold cloths, detergent, etc.

Don’t forget the ceiling!

One idea I love is to hang a painted ladder from the ceiling and use hangers for air-dry items. Others hang sweater dryers or even decorative items like washboards or eye-catching pendant lights from the ceiling. It can look cute even if it’s a laundry room!

I do this. I got a few stackable drying racks at the Container Store. A little assembly is required, but it is easy. And Voila, dry 2 or 3 sweaters right there in your laundry room! I used to have to dry one sweater at a time on my cedar chest in my room. Those days are over.

Part II Declutter your laundry room

I’ve noticed more friends and clients lately are frustrated by waaay too much clutter in their laundry room! I worked for one Mom a month ago whose laundry room was a catchall for all kinds of clutter. And another client said hers is a sore spot, too.

What can be done? Well, if I was in your laundry room, first of all, take off my blindfold, and then I would look around. Remember, a little planning can save you a lot of work in the long run. So, my first action as an organizer: I would notice what is piling up. In fact, this is the first question I would ask you:

What kinds of clutter is piling up? Just notice and jot down what stuff is lying around on your washer, dryer, the floor, and any counters in there. What do you have too much of? Whatever you don’t have a place for ends up as clutter, so give it a home. And if your answer was too much laundry . . . I do too!
What is in here that doesn’t belong? Remember that awesome Sesame Street song: One of these things is not like the other . . . Well, that is a great guide to help you sort out the things that don’t belong in your laundry room. Items like kids’ shoes, golf balls, toys, vacuum, kitchen appliances, baseball gloves and other sports equipment, tools, et cetera, et cetera. All the random stuff that doesn’t have a “home” in your home ends up getting dumped in the laundry room.
Get Ideas. What’s the best place to find solutions to your clutter pileups? Pinterest, of course! So many great ideas for lots of life’s clutter dilemmas. Collect some pictures for inspiration. I actually stumbled across my dream laundry room in a magazine while in a waiting room. A link to the article is in the Resources section. Also, search for solutions to your unique issues. Just use your search engine and see what pictures come up. You will be amazed!

Click here to follow my Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/jennyrossomorin/organized-laundry-room/

Ideas to make it easy for the kids:

First, train them how to do their own laundry. A little bit of training will save you hours of work later on! Try having a basket for each child’s clean laundry. Also, have a laundry sorter. Label it whites, darks and mediums as a guide. On the wall by the washer, I have a sign telling what temp different colors get washed in so they can do their own laundry with confidence. To make it easy, I have the laundry soap sitting on the counter beside the sink so everyone can reach it.
Decisions, decisions

Yes, you must decide level of organization you want. Open shelves or closed cupboards? Decide how many bottles of detergent you need, how many cleaning cloths. We end up storing some of our lightbulbs and other cleaning supplies in our laundry room cabinets. But if I buy too many as a “backup” they will end up overflowing. So be careful of that!

How many towels, rags, etc. Do you have a place for everything that needs a “home” If not, create one.

6. How much time are you willing to spend organizing your laundry room?

This is going to be different for everyone. If you have plenty of time and the right skills, DIY is a good idea. If time is short, and/or you’d rather have a tooth extracted than organize, seek help from a professional. Many professional organizers have a good eye for design or know a good designer, if you want some advice there.

If you follow these instructions and still need more help, or get stuck, or if you need more than just You on the job, consider hiring a professional organizer!