Laundry Room Organization Ideas That Actually Work

I’m not picky about laundry. My husband does all of ours, so I’ve honestly never gotten into buying specialty detergents for this and that, and I don’t have any favorites. What I do get particular about is the system.

A laundry room is asked to do a lot. You’re washing and drying in there, sure, but you’re probably also keeping detergent, cleaning supplies, backstock paper towels, the vases that have nowhere else to go, and who knows what else. Laundry rooms can be kind of a catch-all. Here’s how our team sets up a laundry room that actually works.

Start With How You Actually Do Laundry

Before we move a single thing, we ask a bunch of questions.

• Who does the laundry?
• How often do you do your laundry? 
• What are you washing?
• What steps do you take? 
• What products do you use? 

Everyone does it differently. Some people are very specific about their process and some people are not, and there’s no wrong answer. We just need to know, because it changes how we set the whole room up.

Then we look at the space. Some laundry rooms are spacious, while others are barely large enough to contain a washer and dryer. Some have built-in storage and counters, while others are bare. We also measure the space, including any existing cabinets, shelves, and surfaces, so if we need to purchase anything, we know what size it needs to be.

Decant, Contain, and Group Your Supplies

A lot of the time, someone has bought their detergent in bulk to save money, but there’s no room on the shelf for that big container, so it lives on the floor. When that’s the case, we decant. Decanting just means moving your supplies into containers that fit your space and are easier to use.

For a big bulk jug of liquid detergent, we pour it into an easy-to-pour laundry detergent dispenser or carafe and then put the bulk container in a cabinet. The Laundress makes a silicone laundry detergent measuring cup that you can pour your detergent in and then throw the cup right in the wash to clean it. I love those. If you use powder or pods, same idea: decant it into a canister and drop in a little scoop if you need it. Buy your dryer sheets in bulk? You can decant those too.

As for which detergent to actually buy, I’ll leave that up to you. You can use liquid, sheets, powder, pods, and the eco-friendly options keep getting better. I don’t have a strong opinion, so use what your family loves. A lot of people swear by The Laundress products. 

Organizing the Space

Most of the organizing for a laundry room is really just grouping like things together. We love a Lazy Susan for all the laundry stuff, either right on top of the dryer or inside a cabinet, so nothing disappears into the back. And we make a little bin, or bins, for things like:

• Lonely socks. Every house needs that one.
• A pocket stash, for the coins, buttons, and random bits you find when you’re emptying pockets
• Stain removers
• The mesh laundry bags

On the ledge above my own washer, I keep little glass jars filled with clothespins, dryer balls, some OxiClean, a bit of stain remover, and some Tide, each with its own little scoop.

For the bins themselves, we like the multi-purpose ones from The Container Store, because they’re easy to wipe out when something leaks, and because they’re tall and vertical, they max out the space in your cabinet instead of wasting all that room up top. We always love it when storage can be both beautiful and functional, and this is one of those spots where it easily can be.

And since laundry rooms collect everything, take a look at what else has ended up in there. Sometimes it’s vases, sometimes cleaning supplies, sometimes candles. If you’re keeping backstock like toilet paper and paper towels, give it a designated shelf and label it, so it’s easier to keep up with.

Make Room to Dry and Fold

This goes back to our original questions. If you’re washing items that need to be hung up to dry, we need to make space to do that. If you like to fold clothes in the laundry room before taking them to bedrooms, linen closets, and other parts of the house, we may need to designate or add a surface for that.

We’ve sourced drying racks for a lot of people, and the ones I like best mount on the wall or door and pull down when you need them, then fold right back up. That way you’re not giving up floor space to a drying rack when you’re not even using it. You can also get a freestanding drying rack that expands when you need more room and tucks away when you don’t.

And if you don’t fold in the laundry room, get yourself a basket on wheels. Then you can wheel the clean clothes out to the living room and fold in front of the TV. There’s no rule that says it has to happen standing next to the dryer.

The Biggest Laundry Room Mistake We See

The biggest mistake we see is just not having enough storage for the stuff that matters most: dirty laundry and clean laundry. And that comes down to the hampers and baskets. When there’s not enough room for those, the laundry spills onto the floor, and the second you get that floor creep, things get overwhelming fast.

So start with the dirty clothes. Put a hamper in each bedroom or bathroom, wherever people are actually taking their clothes off, because a hamper right there gets used and one across the house does not. Then, wherever all that laundry lands, make sure the room can actually hold it.

For the clean side, I always assign one laundry basket per person. It’s just way easier for putting things away. If you don’t have the space to store a basket for everyone, the collapsible ones are great. 

My laundry room is also my mudroom, and when we built it, I had the cabinets made to hold one basket per person. We do all our laundry on one day of the week, sort it by person, and then each person puts their own away, and the baskets go back to their cabinets. But that’s just us.  Plenty of people run a load a day, and that’s totally fine. Set the space up for your needs. 

When something isn’t working with your laundry process, look at where the system is actually breaking down. Is it the putting away? The folding? Are you waiting too long between loads? Ask yourself what’s working, what’s not, and what you can change. That’s exactly what we do with every single client.

Get the Kids Involved

My husband does all our laundry on Sundays, but the kids have been trained to do their own too, and even on his laundry day they bring their stuff down and sort it into piles in the laundry room. If your kids are going to do their own, train them early. We’ve got a whole post on how to teach kids to do laundry if you want the age-by-age version. The key, basically, is setting a timer, so the load doesn’t sit forgotten and sour in the washer.

When I taught mine, I made a little printable and posted it right by the machines, so they could just look and see, okay, my darks, what’s the setting for those again? It should be specific to your own washer and dryer: when I put in whites, this is the temperature, this is the setting. Make it easy, and give them a visual to look at.

When Laundry Is Genuinely Too Much

I want to say this part plainly. If you have ADHD or executive functioning difficulties, laundry could be a real challenge, and learning to lean on a timer on your phone is one of the single most helpful things for adults and kids alike. You have to set a timer so your laundry doesn’t sit forgotten in the washer or dryer.

And if you can afford it, just outsource the whole process. Have someone come pick it up and drop it back off, twice a week. That can be a game changer, and well worth the money. It really isn’t that much when you think about what it costs you in your time. Even if it’s only for a season, like when your kids are little, it will make you feel so much better and save you so much stress. If you’re in the Annapolis area, Admiral Cleaners offers a laundry service that includes free pick-up and delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s Make Your Laundry Room Work

A laundry room set up around how your family actually lives is a calmer room, and it takes one never-ending chore off your mental list. If yours has turned into a catch-all you’d rather not open, we’d love to help. Our Professional Organizing team sets up laundry rooms for families all over the Annapolis area, and our Membership Program keeps them running with seasonal refreshes. Reach out for a free consultation and let’s build a system that lasts.

Happy organizing!