In a perfect world, small laundry rooms would come with small laundry piles. In reality, just because your laundry quarters are tiny doesn’t mean you don’t wind up with as many dirty towels as everyone else. It’s time to get creative.
Laundry closet organization for small rooms means thinking outside the box. You may not have room for a lot of counters and custom cabinets, but you can still create a fluff, fold, and sort station that makes life a lot easier. Here are three ways to rethink how you keep a cozy laundry space in order:
Lift Your Machines Up
Most people keep their washer and dryer tucked underneath a counter so they’re out of the way. But raising your washer and dryer up can reveal a new storage potential. Pedestal drawers under your stacked washer and dryer give you a place to put detergent, dryer sheets, lint rollers, and more.
Not every washer and dryer will have a pedestal drawer option, but the next time you’re shopping for a new set, it’s something to keep in mind. With most of your storage underneath the machines, your shelves and counters are free to become a part of your fold and sort process. With your washer and dryer out from beneath a counter, you can also use that floor space for dirty laundry baskets.
Fold Your Tables Down
Some laundry rooms are so small that putting in a folding table or countertop makes it hard to move around with a basket in your hands. This is a time to leverage all that wall space that’s just standing there, unused. Fold down tables, ironing boards, and shelves are a clever way to access a surface when you need it without losing vital room to walk around. Tilt-down drying racks can be creatively affixed above your dryer or in a vacant corner near the window. You won’t need to wrangle with a stand-up rack again.
Use Your Ceiling Space
When in doubt, look up. If you’ve used every bit of wall space and you still haven’t created a laundry room that works for your family, don’t despair. Your ceiling space can come to the rescue. Creative laundry closet organization should always include the square footage that looms just overhead.
You can hang drying racks, baskets, and hooks from the ceiling that make sorting much easier. Small laundry closets may not have a lot of floor space to work with, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Even a removable wire strung from one side of the ceiling to the other will create a useful way to hang things.
When you think outside the box, there is no organization challenge that a small laundry room can’t overcome. With custom shelving, fold-down tables, and a strategy for maximizing ceiling space, you can begin to love your petite laundry closet. Better yet, you’ll be able to shorten your laundry routine. Customization is easier (and more affordable) than you might think!