After Tidying Up, How to Organize Your Laundry Room
When you’re done giving your laundry area the Marie Kondo treatment, these storage tools can help keep it neat and clean
So you’ve gotten rid of the junk cluttering up your laundry room, perhaps inspired by organizer and author Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method. What’s next? After all of the sorting and culling, it’s time to get organized. Think of this as the crucial last step that completes the process of simplifying your space. Taking the time to arrange your tools and supplies with care will make it easier to maintain a neat, clutter-free space in the future.
To help bring order to the laundry room, we’ll look at the storage and organizing tools that are really key in maintaining a tidy space, plus a few optional nice-to-have extras.
To help bring order to the laundry room, we’ll look at the storage and organizing tools that are really key in maintaining a tidy space, plus a few optional nice-to-have extras.
Roomy baskets with handles. Laundry baskets come in all shapes and sizes. Choose one (or several, depending on your household’s laundry needs) that you can lift and carry with ease, and that pleases your aesthetic sense. If space is tight, choose baskets that can stack when not in use.
Supply bins. Keep stain removers and special cleansers organized in bins stashed in a nearby cabinet or on open shelving. Sort items by purpose, and label the bins so you can tell at a glance whether you’re grabbing the delicate washing supplies or the stain removers.
Shop for laundry hampers and bins on Houzz
Shop for laundry hampers and bins on Houzz
Tray. It makes sense to store laundry detergent and other supplies you use daily within reach of the washer and dryer. Keep these items neatly at hand, and make it easier to wipe up spills, by corralling them on a tray.
Create custom cabinets with help from a local pro on Houzz
Create custom cabinets with help from a local pro on Houzz
Nice-to-Have Additions
Glass jars. Almost any supply you can think of looks better (and takes up less space) when removed from its outer packaging. Fill glass apothecary jars with clothespins, bars of old-fashioned stain-removing soap, or decanted dry detergent (with a scoop).
This can make a small laundry space with little closed storage (such as cabinets with doors) look lovelier and stay neater — but it’s by no means necessary. So if you know you won’t keep up with the constant refilling, just let it go. The point is to simplify!
Glass jars. Almost any supply you can think of looks better (and takes up less space) when removed from its outer packaging. Fill glass apothecary jars with clothespins, bars of old-fashioned stain-removing soap, or decanted dry detergent (with a scoop).
This can make a small laundry space with little closed storage (such as cabinets with doors) look lovelier and stay neater — but it’s by no means necessary. So if you know you won’t keep up with the constant refilling, just let it go. The point is to simplify!
Sorting baskets. In-progress laundry has a way of winding up spread across the floor. Keep your loads organized with a multi-bin hamper. A hamper on wheels is ideal, since you can easily roll it out of the way when it’s not needed.
Hanging rod. Hanging shirts fresh from the dryer helps prevent wrinkling. Make it easier to tackle this little laundry chore by installing a sturdy rod above a counter, or over the washer and dryer. Keep a set of matching hangers at the ready.
Wall hooks. A row of simple hooks or pegs can hold a tote of clothes bound for the dry cleaner, a shirt awaiting stain remover, cleaning tools or a basket of supplies. In other words, once you have wall hooks in your laundry room, you’ll wonder how you did without them for so long.
Browse wall hooks
Browse wall hooks
Lost-and-found vessel. What to do with the stray socks and pocket change that inevitably end up in the laundry room? Dedicate a basket, pail or dish to collecting found treasures and you’ll always know where these little items are.
More on Houzz
7-Day Plan: Get a Spotless, Beautifully Organized Laundry Room
Find laundry room ideas
Look for a home pro to help with your project
Shop for laundry room products
More on Houzz
7-Day Plan: Get a Spotless, Beautifully Organized Laundry Room
Find laundry room ideas
Look for a home pro to help with your project
Shop for laundry room products
Hand wash basket or tote. Laundry that needs to be hand washed, or has an area that requires special treatment, deserves a dedicated spot.
Choose a smaller laundry basket, wire bin or cloth tote bag to earmark for this purpose.