Small laundry room organizing ideas
Six ideas for a small laundry room, from a wall-mounted ironing board holder to a rolling hamper, each matched to a problem and its dimensions.
A small laundry room has the same jobs as a big one, with a fraction of the floor. Detergent, dryer sheets and stain remover need a home. The ironing board needs to be somewhere other than the middle of the room. And the dirty clothes need a place to wait that is not the floor in front of the machine. When everything competes for the same few square feet, the answer is usually to stop using the floor: go up the wall, behind the door, or into a drawer.
Each idea below names one problem, the product that answers it, and the dimensions that decide whether it fits. Before choosing, measure three things: the wall space beside the machines, the width and depth of any cabinet or shelf you already have, and the clear floor you are willing to give up.
The ironing board is always in the way
The most obvious floor-clearing move is to hang the ironing board on a wall. Wall Mount Ironing Board holder is built from steel and wood and measures 9.75 x 5 x 2 inches (24.8 x 12.7 x 5.1 cm). The maker says it installs with standard wall hardware in a laundry room, utility closet or garage, and that it fits most full-size ironing boards. Hang it where the board can come down without hitting a machine door, and at a height you can lift it from without stretching.
You rent, or you cannot drill
If the walls are off limits, use the back of a door. Over the Door Iron & Ironing Board Hanger holds both the iron and the board and measures 16.75 x 9.5 x 4.75 inches (42.5 x 24.1 x 12.1 cm). The maker says it fits most standard laundry room or utility room doors with no drilling or permanent installation, and that it is made of strong steel. Two checks before you commit: the door must still close with 4.75 inches (12.1 cm) of depth on its back, and the iron should have somewhere to cool before it goes up.
The cabinet shelf wastes half its height
A single tall cabinet shelf above a machine often holds one row of bottles with a foot of dead air above them. UpSpace® Adjustable Shelf is built to use that height. It measures 9.0 D x 16.0 W x 7.7 H inches (22.9 x 40.6 x 19.6 cm), and its clearance height adjusts from 3.7 to 5.7 inches (9.4 to 14.5 cm). Its steel wires support up to 25 lb (about 11.3 kg), and soft feet keep it from sliding. Assembly snaps together without tools.
The arithmetic is simple: measure the tallest item you want underneath, such as a detergent bottle, and make sure it is no taller than 5.7 inches, or choose another solution. The cabinet itself needs at least 16 inches (40.6 cm) of width and 9 inches (22.9 cm) of depth, plus the 7.7-inch height.
Small supplies are loose and hard to find
Dryer sheets, dryer balls, lint rollers and clothespins have a way of migrating. Laundry Drawer Organizers with Handles are clear, stackable plastic drawers. The maker lists detergent, dryer sheets, lint rollers, dryer balls, baking soda, bleach, clothespins and cleaner as suitable contents, and the clear plastic lets you see what is inside. They come in three sizes, all 13.25 inches (33.7 cm) long on the outside:
- Small: 4.75 x 4.25 inches (12.1 x 10.8 cm) outside, 13 x 4 x 3.5 inches inside.
- Medium: 8 x 4.5 inches (20.3 x 11.4 cm) outside, 13 x 7.5 x 4 inches inside.
- Large: 8 x 5.5 inches (20.3 x 14.0 cm) outside, 13 x 7.5 x 5 inches inside.
The maker calls them stackable, so measure the gap between your shelves against the drawer heights above. The built-in carry handles let you move a whole category of supplies to wherever you are working.
The hamper takes over the room
Floor space is the scarcest thing in a small laundry room, and a hamper is the biggest object on it. Collapsible Laundry Hamper with Lid folds flat when not in use. The maker says its lid keeps laundry concealed and that the fabric hamper has a removable bag for easy transport. The one-compartment version is about 16.5 x 12.5 inches (41.9 x 31.8 cm) on the floor and 29.5 inches (74.9 cm) tall; the bag is about 13.75 x 12.5 x 29.5 inches. Two- and three-compartment versions are about 22 x 15.75 inches (55.9 x 40 cm) and 25 x 15.75 inches (63.5 x 40 cm) on the floor, at the same height.
You want sorting and supply storage in one piece
When one piece of furniture has to do two jobs, Pull-Out Laundry Hamper with Wheels is the largest answer here. It has a metal frame, an MDF top and a three-compartment polyester hamper bag with carry handles and lockable caster wheels. Assembled it measures 31.5 x 13.5 x 33 inches (80 x 34.3 x 83.8 cm). Each compartment is 9 inches (22.9 cm) wide, and the maker lists a capacity of 15 to 20 lb (about 7 to 9 kg) per compartment and 45 to 50 lb (about 20 to 23 kg) overall. Each dresser drawer measures 15 x 13 x 4 inches (38.1 x 33 x 10.2 cm), and the maker calls it ideal for storing detergent and fabric softener.
Its 13.5-inch (34.3 cm) depth is slim, but at 31.5 inches (80 cm) wide it needs a clear stretch of wall. Measure the space, and the swing of any door, before you order.
Choosing the one or two that matter
Pick by the problem you see most. If the ironing board is the obstacle, the wall holder and the over-the-door hanger are the two ironing-board options, and the choice between them comes down to whether you can drill. If you are short on shelf height or lose track of small items, the UpSpace shelf adds height and the clear drawers keep small items visible. If the hamper is what crowds you out, the collapsible one gives the floor back when empty, while the rolling one trades floor for an all-in-one station. Check the current price at the retailer before you buy.