If we have a large home, we can set aside a space—or even an entire room—for washing and ironing our clothes. This has obvious advantages, as it helps us organize our clothes better and manage their preparation. But at the same time, it can also lead to new problems, because if we don’t devote the necessary time to it, clutter may end up taking over.
If this situation sounds familiar to you and you have a small laundry room at home, we have some good news for you: in this article, you’ll find the tips and recommendations you need to organize it properly, so you can wash and care for your clothes efficiently and conveniently.
How to Organize a Small Laundry Room
Design and Layout of Your Laundry Room
Usually, the laundry room is the smallest room in the house and is located next to the kitchen. This makes sense, considering that it serves a very specific purpose and doesn’t really require much space.
Let’s list all the essentials a laundry room should have: a washing machine, a dryer, storage units (cabinets) for clothes, and enough space—both to set up an ironing board or a clothesline (as needed) and to place baskets where we can organize our clothes.
With this in mind, and provided all the elements are well arranged, a space of a couple of square meters to set up our small laundry room. To do this, it’s essential that we choose a unit that fits our needs, since we can stack the washer and dryer to take up as little space as possible and have (both on the sides and on top) a series of shelves that allow us to store cleaning supplies, the iron, the ironing board, and the laundry.
Or, if you prefer, you can install the washer and dryer in a row (side by side), thereby making use of the space above both of them to install a countertop that’s convenient for placing a laundry basket or setting out cleaning supplies.
Hide the appliances
Let’s be honest: washing machines and dryers aren’t exactly eye-catching. And while functionality takes precedence over aesthetics when organizing a small laundry room, we can still treat ourselves by making this space as charming as possible. In fact, it’s not that complicated—if we build these appliances into the cabinetry or house them in a cabinet, we can panel them or close them off so they’re completely hidden.
Use containers and dispensers instead of keeping the original cleaning product packaging
A good tip for organizing a small laundry room is to store cleaning product containers in another area of the house. As you know, items like detergent and fabric softener are usually sold in bulky containers, and they’re even cheaper the more you buy. This makes it impractical to store them in these tiny rooms and forces us to look for alternatives.
So, as a practical solution, you can get containers and dispensers with smaller capacities, so you can refill them often and always have them on hand in your laundry room. For example: if you buy a reusable 250-milliliter detergent dispenser, you’ll avoid having a large, multi-liter container of detergent in this room that can take up so much space. This is a great advantage, but not the only one— you’ll also find these containers easier to handle when applying the products.
Organize your clothes in baskets
For clothes that still need to be washed, as well as those that are already clean and dry, use storage baskets to keep them organized. Dirty laundry is a source of clutter because we may be tempted to leave it piled up in a corner. And in a small laundry room, this leads to inconvenience and discomfort, since it can take up space and even cause us to trip.
Instead, if we have a designated space (with its own basket) for dirty laundry, another space for freshly washed clothes waiting to be hung up, another for unironed clothes, and another for clothes that have already been ironed and folded, we’ll always know exactly how to keep the laundry room organized. What’s more, the process will be incredibly easy, since the baskets will allow us to make the most of the available space.
Oh! And although this tip is optional, if you follow it, you’ll be glad you did: use clear storage baskets, because that way you’ll always know what’s inside and won’t waste time looking for the clothes you need.
A small laundry room is best with a sliding door
If your laundry room is next to the kitchen, you’ll probably want to clearly separate the two spaces. In this case, the best option is to install a hinged or sliding door so that it doesn’t take up any of the already limited space you have.
With a door like this, you’ll keep noise to a minimum when the washing machine is running and prevent kitchen odors from seeping into the clothes you’ve just washed.
If you have a clothesline instead of a dryer, make sure it’s well-ventilated
Having a dryer will save you a lot of time, because you can remove moisture from freshly washed clothes in the blink of an eye. However, it’s an appliance that takes up quite a bit of space and uses a significant amount of energy; so you might also want to consider using a clothesline.
In this case, be sure to include a ventilation option in your plans for organizing a small laundry room.Having a window or door that opens to the outside will help clothes air out more quickly and prevent odors from building up. And, of course, it will let in that ever-so-necessary natural light.
The iron and the clothesline, foldable
These two elements can be a real headache when trying to organize a small laundry room. Typically, you can’t use both at the same time, and they might even leave you with little room to move while you’re using them. So we have no choice but to get creative and adapt these two items to the layout of the space we have.
The basic idea is that both the ironing board and the drying rack can be folded up so they take up less space when you store them. This will allow you to store them vertically in a closet or against a wall. Or, if you’d prefer a more ingenious option, you can buy a table or cabinet with a small built-in ironing board. That way, you can pull it out whenever you need it, and the rest of the time, you’ll hardly even notice it’s there.
The walls matter, too
In a laundry room, you’ll also find other cleaning supplies, such as a broom, dustpan, brushes, rags, and cloths. And there’s no better place to store them than on the wall, because they take up very little space there and are always within reach. Therefore, all you need to do is install a few hooks or hangers on one of the walls to store them.
Sufficient and accessible electrical outlets
When organizing your small laundry room, you should also consider the importance of having at least one accessible electrical outlet, since this will allow you to plug in your appliances: washing machine, dryer, iron, etc. Also, keep in mind that these appliances require a significant amount of power to operate, so you should avoid overloading the outlets and ensure they are properly maintained.
Add your own personal touch
Finally, go ahead and decorate it to your liking. As we’ve already mentioned, the visual aspect is secondary when it comes to organizing a small laundry room, but it never hurts to put in a little effort to make it look nice. After all, there are many ways to achieve this: using light-colored wallpaper or floral patterns, decorating with plants, hanging paintings or art prints, installing modern furniture, laying down an eye-catching, non-slip rug, or giving the whole space a Provençal feel.
Start with the laundry room and finish by tidying up your entire house
Putting these 10 tips on how to organize a small laundry room into practice can be a great starting point for organizing the rest of the rooms in your home. In fact, we invite you to download our “ Guide to Keeping Your Home Tidy” for free, as it contains many more tips to help you keep your home in balance and harmony.
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