Cleaning & Organizing Laundry & Linens 15 Storage Ideas for the Laundry Room That Will Make It Easier to Use Keep your laundry room tidy (even on wash day) with these expert-approved storage solutions. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an associate editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home and pets. She has five years of writing and editing experience in the digital publishing industry. Editorial Guidelines Published on October 30, 2023 Close Photo: Liudmila Chernetska / GETTY IMAGES Part of having a successful laundry routine is setting up a laundry room that works for you. If you currently have to search for your detergent or your drying station takes up half your space, it's likely time to upgrade your laundry room's storage system. Whether you have a small laundry area that just fits a washer and dryer or you have a lot of space to work with, these storage solutions will help you tap into the underutilized nooks and crannies of your laundry room. Jean Prominski, certified professional organizer, member of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, and owner of Seattle Sparkle Tamar Prager, organizing expert and founder of tamarprager.com 10 Laundry Room Updates Under $100 That Will Make Wash Day Easier (and More Enjoyable) 01 of 15 Use a Rolling Cart GETTY IMAGES Rolling carts are a great storage solution in laundry rooms—especially in small spaces where there isn't room for installing cabinets and drawers. "They are a sleek and simple storage solution to make accessing supplies more convenient," says Jean Prominski, certified professional organizer, member of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, and owner of Seattle Sparkle. "They can be conveniently moved to where the supplies will be needed and then moved back to where they belong so that they’re not in the way." 02 of 15 Hang Floating Shelves evgenyatamanenko / GETTY IMAGES Make use of vertical space in your laundry room by hanging floating shelves. Not only do they allow you to see what you're storing, but floating shelves make it easy to add storage to oddly shaped spaces, says Prominski. "If you have a lot of small items to store on floating shelves, use containers to group like items. This organizational technique will also make your shelf look more aesthetically pleasing and make it easier to keep clean," she says. 03 of 15 Keep a Hamper in Your Laundry Room didecs / GETTY IMAGES Keep a hamper in your laundry room to separate clean clothes from dirty clothes. "There are times when we don’t have the time to finish our to-do list in the laundry room, so we need a place to put the clean clothes after they come out of the dryer," says organizing expert Tamar Prager, founder of tamarprager.com and host of the podcast The Paper Weight. "Or perhaps it’s used as a place to store an overflow of dirty laundry that has nowhere else to go while it waits its turn to get washed." Laundry & Linens 04 of 15 Stack Your Washing Machine and Dryer gerenme / GETTY IMAGES If you have a front-load washing machine (rather than top-load), stack it on top of your dryer to conserve floor space. "In apartments and other small spaces, stacking your washer and dryer may be the only option," says Prominski. "Make sure that the machines you purchase can be stacked, as not all models are stackable. You can also purchase washer and dryer combos that come as one stacked unit." The Difference Between Top-Load and Front-Load Washers 05 of 15 Hang a Drying Rod dit26978 / GETTY IMAGES Hang-drying clothes is essential for some garments, but the process can take up a lot of space in your laundry room. To conserve square footage, mount a rod from the ceiling. "Clothes can be hung on hangers and then hung on the rod so they can dry," says Prominski. "This method takes up zero floor or wall space." You can also mount rods to the wall, but this may cut down on potential places to install shelves or cabinets. 06 of 15 Utilize Sink Storage SolStock / GETTY IMAGES If your laundry room has a sink, put the area under it to use by storing extra laundry supplies there, like detergents, stain sticks, clothespins, and fabric softener sheets, says Prager. Be sure to clean it off first (if it hasn't been used in a while). 07 of 15 Install Hooks Beeldbewerking / GETTY IMAGES Hooks allow you to store items vertically, which is especially ideal if your laundry room is really narrow. "For instance, if you have a really narrow space and something that could be stored there (like a portable drying rack), you can use hooks to store it," says Prominski. "Hooks can be a great solution for hanging cleaning implements such as brooms, dustpans, mops, and dusters." 08 of 15 Install Cabinets Suchada Tansirimas / GETTY IMAGES If you have the space, cabinets are the ultimate storage solution in laundry rooms. "They are a wonderful way to make it easy to organize your things and find what you need," says Prominski. "If cabinets are deep, install pull-out shelves on the lower cabinets, and use bins to contain like items on the upper cabinets, so it’s easy to pull them out and see what you have." 09 of 15 Use a Garment Rack onurdongel / GETTY IMAGES Use a foldable garment rack for hanging up clothes that need to dry or pieces that are waiting to be dropped off at the dry cleaners. When it's not in use, fold it up and put it in a linen closet or under your bed. 10 of 15 Use Baskets Liudmila Chernetska / GETTY IMAGES Corral laundry supplies, like detergent and stain remover, in baskets to keep your laundry room organized. "To make the most out of your space, look for baskets that are square or rectangular rather than ones that are circular or ones with tapered sides," says Prominski. "Use baskets that are finely woven rather than ones with a wide mesh where things can fall out easily." 11 of 15 Decant Laundry Supplies brizmaker / GETTY IMAGES Bulky liquids and powders can take up a lot of room in your laundry room. Conserve storage space by decanting these items into smaller containers and storing the back stock in an area with less valuable real estate (like a spacious linen closet), says Prominski. 12 of 15 Opt for a Wall-Mounted Ironing Board onurdongel / GETTY IMAGES Having a way to get wrinkles out of clothing is a worthwhile addition to any laundry room, but an ironing board can take up precious floor space. An easy workaround? "Purchase a space-saving ironing board that can be mounted to the wall, or fold up your free-standing ironing board and store it out of the way," says Prominski. 13 of 15 Keep a Trash Can in Your Laundry Room Liudmila Chernetska / GETTY IMAGES Keep a small trash can in your laundry room for a convenient way to throw away miscellaneous items, like a threadbare sock, lint from the dryer, empty detergent containers, or any garbage found in pockets, says Prager. 14 of 15 Use Labels May Lim / GETTY IMAGES Laundry room cabinets can quickly become a hub for random items you don't have space for elsewhere, which is why labels are helpful. "It’s a good idea to create labels for where things belong, so the real estate doesn’t get hijacked," says Prominski. 15 of 15 Have a Laundry System onurdongel / GETTY IMAGES Creating stations in your laundry room will help keep the space organized, even when you have multiple loads of clothing to wash. "When we’re running on auto-pilot, having consistent stations helps streamline our work," says Prager. "It feels supportive to know exactly where to dump the dirty clothes vs. the clean clothes, the whites vs. the darks, or where all the bedding goes." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit