When it comes to organizing your home, the laundry room poses a real challenge. “Laundries are actually one of the more difficult areas in a house to organize and clean,” says Delah Gomasi, the managing director and CEO at MaidForYou. “Unlike bedrooms, you will be hard-pressed to find two laundries that are the same size, shape and layout in any home.”
Fortunately, there is no shortage of clever organizing ideas and products for storing all your laundry essentials, such as detergent, stain removers, dryer balls, ironing boards and even clothes hangers.
How to keep your laundry room organized
When setting up your laundry room, experts caution against turning the area into a catchall storage space. “Generally we recommend only storing items related to washing and drying clothing in a laundry,” says Ashley La Fond, founder of the home organization company Of Space & Mind. “This would include detergents, stain removers, dryer balls, your iron or steamer and other accessories like lint rollers and your sewing kit. If you have a ton of cabinets and extra storage, then the laundry room is also a great place to store cleaning products, vacuums and other supplies.”
Gomasi echoes that advice. “For example, inflatable pool toys, chairs, dog and cat food and cleaning chemicals are all items we commonly see take up unnecessary space in laundries where they could be put elsewhere in the home,” Gomasi says.
Experts also say to keep visual clutter in mind. “For me, opaque cabinets are essential for keeping the room looking organized,” says Seamus Nally, the CEO of TurboTenant. “A lot of people go for open shelving for rooms like laundry rooms these days, but I find that even the most well-organized open shelves can look cluttered. With opaque cabinets, not only can you effectively keep things organized, but you can keep the room looking more clean and minimal.”
Ahead, we’ve rounded up 35 of the best laundry room organizers, problem solvers and space savers, along with expert tips on how to make the most of your laundry room.
Best laundry room organizers
Storage bins are a staple of organizing, and in a laundry room, they can be incredibly useful catchalls. When picking products for use in the laundry room, ease of cleaning and durability are features to look for, says Ashley Murphy, the co-founder of Neat Method. "These versatile clear acrylic bins are lightweight, durable and easy to wipe clean."
"These big bins are great for keeping your laundry room tidy," says Tina Priestly, an organization expert and CEO of Ready, Set, Refresh. "They’re perfect for holding laundry detergent, fabric softener and other items. They fit well on shelves and can be stacked to save space. Plus, they have easy-to-grip handles for carrying them around."
“This wooden turntable comes in two sizes and maximizes surface space in cabinets, shelves and larger spaces too,” Murphy says. “We love using it for laundry and cleaning supplies, so you can easily find what you need.” It’s a great choice for storing a collection of stain-removing products.
"Using hanging shelves above your washing machine is another laundry organizational hack," Gomasi says, suggesting them "for all your washing machine detergent and fabric softener."
For storing linens in a laundry room, Murphy likes these durable fabric bins. “They come in two colors and three sizes, and the fabric interior makes them an ideal solution for storing sheets and towels because they won’t snag the fabric,” says Murphy.
Best laundry room labels
“We love labels!” Murphy says of chalkboard tape labels, which she says "allow you to cut, peel and stick wherever you need it, so you know exactly what’s inside each of your containers.”
Murphy tells us that she “tested every white marker on the market” to find the perfect one to use with chalkboard tape. “This is hands down our favorite one to use with chalkboard tape."
"These simple bin clip labels are great for attaching a label to a variety of different types of bins and baskets," Murphy says. "They are repositionable and you can write directly on them, or use the chalkboard tape and place it right on the clip."
Best drying racks, folding and ironing stations
"I swear by the Oxo Good Grips Folding Sweater Drying Rack," says Meaghan Kessman, a professional organizer and founder of Meaghan Kessman Home Organization. "It's a versatile and space-saving solution for delicate items that can't go in the dryer. The mesh surface allows for optimal air circulation, and it folds flat for easy storage."
"A retractable clothesline is perfect for small spaces," says Joseph Passalacqua, the CEO of Maid Sailors Cleaning Service. "It can be pulled out when needed and neatly tucked away when not in use. It’s ideal for hanging clothes that need to air dry without taking up permanent space. You usually see the foldable drying racks, but this takes much less space."
"This drying rack offers a large drying area with multiple hanging options," Kessman says, "including space for flat drying delicate items. It's sturdy, durable and folds flat for easy storage."
"Foldable bamboo drying racks are sturdy, eco-friendly and fold flat when not in use," Passalacqua says. "The multiple tiers provide a bunch of space for hanging various items, and the natural bamboo material is gentle on clothes."
“Search no further for the perfect way to quickly fold your clothing,” Murphy says. “This amazing gadget folds items to a uniform size, to neatly organize your drawers and shelves.”
"A mounted ironing board is a space-saver that also helps keep the room from looking too cluttered," Nally says. This highly rated Whitmor caddy can be hung on a door or mounted on a wall, giving you configuration options, and it can accommodate both T-leg-style and four-leg-style ironing boards.
"This wall-mounted rack is perfect for small spaces," Kessman says. "It provides ample hanging space and can be folded flat against the wall when not in use."
For laundry rooms that are short on space, this smaller-scale drying rack packs a lot of hanging room in a small unit. It’s designed to mount to the wall, so it won’t take up valuable floor space.
Best hampers for laundry rooms
“This stylish lightweight and collapsible hamper can definitely handle the demands of piles and piles of laundry,” Murphy says. “It’s made of fabric and has an inner coating that adds structure with side handles for easy transportation. When not in use, it folds flat to save space.”
"Choose laundry baskets and hampers that not only look good but are also handy," Priestly says, "like ones that fold up or have wheels."
"These have been so perfect to add in client’s homes," says Ria Safford, an author, celebrity home organizer and Command brand ambassador. "They are sturdy, durable and space-saving.?You can utilize wall space to add a hook to hang these bins when not in use."
"I use these carts to pre-sort laundry into categories (whites, colors, delicates) as I collect it, which saves time and makes it easier to manage loads when it’s washing day," Passalacqua says. "The wheels make it convenient to move around, and some models even have a top shelf for additional storage."?
Laundry room problem solvers
If you buy liquid laundry detergent in bulk, this little problem solver works with economy-size jugs to keep drips and spills from making a huge mess.
"A magnetic lint bin that attaches to the side of the dryer is a game changer," Passalacqua says. "It provides a designated spot for lint, making it easy to keep the laundry area clean and reducing the chances of lint buildup in the dryer vent."
“Having a step stool handy in your laundry room is a definite must,” Murphy says, “so you can access hard-to-reach spaces.” She recommends this step stool that folds flat, "so I can easily tuck it away when it’s not in use.”
When it comes to laundry room safety, a cardinal rule for households with children, seniors, pets and/or anyone with diminished neurological capacity is to store laundry products on a high shelf. Of course, that can make getting to them difficult for shorter people — but a grabber tool solves that problem.
"We find that vertical storage hangers are amazing for storing items inside your laundry sink cabinet and on the walls of your laundry," Gomasi says. "Think mops, brooms, irons and ironing boards."
Whether they’re for hanging clothes to air-dry, to await steaming or after being ironed, hangers have an important place in any laundry room. This magnetic hanger storage rack is a clever way to keep those oddly shaped essentials close at hand but also out of the way.
If your sheets get tangled in the washer or dryer, ending up in knots, this smart contraption is a must-have. It clips onto the corners, keeping sheets from getting tangled.
"Since most laundry rooms tend to be on the smaller side, we love organizers that maximize space like this magnetic holder for dryer balls," La Fond says.
Space-saving laundry room organizers
In a laundry room, a rolling cart can be used to store detergent and stain removers — or turn it into a portable ironing caddy that holds an iron, handheld steamer, starch or sizing, and extra hangers.
Wall-mounted solutions allow you to maximize otherwise unused vertical space, keeping the floor clear and giving you more space to move around. Laundry rooms are active spaces, so ensuring that you have a comfortable and open area to work is especially important.
"Laundry rooms tend to be smaller spaces," Safford says, "and it is hard to find functional solutions that don’t crowd the room." She recommends the Command Folding Clothes Hanger for people with limited space, or for renters looking for damage-free storage solutions.
Tension rods can be used in a laundry room to hang clothes to drip dry, or after ironing. It can also be used to hang stain remover spray bottles — just be sure if you do so that the rod is up high enough to keep vulnerable members of your household from reaching them.
A basic basket always has a home in a laundry room, and we like the look of this wire style with a sloped front. It has mounting tabs, so it can be affixed to the wall to create vertical storage or used on a shelf to hold everything from odd socks missing a mate to dryer sheets.
"These are wonderful to create storage where it didn’t exist, like empty wall space or the inside of a cabinet," Safford says.
Corner shelves are a fantastic way to maximize space in smaller or oddly shaped rooms. This four-tier corner shelf can hold a lot of stuff, from detergents and stain removers to odds and ends that are stored in a laundry room, in what would otherwise be wasted space.
