Make Laundry Day Easier: Laundry Room Storage Ideas

The old phrase that “work expands to fill the time available” also applies to laundry rooms! It seems like laundry expands to fill the space you have – no matter how large or small the area is. The key to managing the piles of clothing that seem to multiply is to learn how to organize your laundry room. At Pottery Barn,  we’re here to help! Whether you’re thinking of remodeling your laundry room or just tweaking it to work better, we’ll help you find beautiful storage solutions.

 

Rethink the Space

Laundry room storage ideas can inspire you to rethink your space. Are your washer and dryer installed in a small second-floor niche behind bi-fold doors? Or are they down in the basement between the furnace and the cat litter? No worries! You can still make the laundry area a pleasant place when you choose the right storage. Re-frame how you think about the space. Focus on how you can transform the area. Begin looking at all the laundry room decor ideas that are out there. Maybe it’s time to move the cat litter, for example, to give you more room for storage. How about that sliver of space next to the furnace? Maybe there’s a slim, roll-out shelving unit that fits there. Look at all that bare wall space around the washer and dryer, too.

 

Add a Shelf

Is there a gap behind your washer and dryer? The installers can’t put the appliances right up against the wall because of vents and hoses. But you can make use of that gap with one of the simplest laundry room shelving ideas. Install a long storage shelf right above and behind the washer and dryer. This works for top loaders, too! To corral any clutter, add baskets and canisters with customized labels to hold odds and ends. The beauty of this idea is that there’s still room for cabinetry above the shelf.

 

Add a Cabinet

Laundry room cabinet ideas can quadruple your storage. Off-the-shelf stock kitchen cabinets come in all widths. Why not use them in the laundry room to fill the gaps? A slim, 9"-wide stock cabinet can easily fit between appliances. To make the cabinet height flush with appliances, add a pedestal and a sliver of a countertop to raise the unit. Replace a single shelf above the appliances. Install two stock upper cabinets side-by-side to multiply your storage. Another small space idea is to add a rail system with hooks, hangers and baskets underneath the cabinets. This will hold even more small items, like those loose socks looking for partners. If you have top-loading appliances, just make sure there’s enough room to freely open the lids.

 

Add a Bookcase

Relocate a sturdy bookcase, bureau or mobile kitchen island. Place it in an empty spot in the laundry space. Low or high bookcases easily hold baskets and containers for organized storage. It’s one more practical way to fill in empty space in the laundry room to make it beautifully functional and organized.

 

Add a Countertop

A countertop can be one of the most useful additions to a laundry room for storage. It’s also a wonderful place to fold clothes. And it’s easier to do than you might think! Measure and order or find one that’s pre-cut at a lumber yard or home improvement store. Feel free to stick to wood, butcher block or laminate. Any material will equally transform the space.

 

Set the countertop over your front-loading appliances and stock cabinetry. Affix the countertop to the wall instead of placing it directly on top of appliances. Make sure you can lift the countertop off and away if you need to access the wall behind the appliances.

 

Add a Pedestal

Put storage space right under your front-loading washer and dryer with a laundry pedestal. They’re available ready-made. However, you can also try DIY options. These include using side-by-side upper cabinets placed under the appliances or making a wood frame with room for pull out baskets. If you have a sturdy old coffee table, repurpose it as a pedestal. Fit it with baskets underneath. Pedestals under the appliances also eliminate your need to continuously bend down while loading and unloading clothes.

 

Add Wall Storage

Transform empty walls into storage pods in your laundry room. Wire storage racks hold found items in the laundry (combs, pennies, a stray sock). A row of hooks is ideal for drying light clothing, such as lingerie. Add over-the-door closet storage solutions if there’s a place to hang them. This can be an ideal place to wrangle those laundry room necessities and cleaning solutions. Now that your space is new and improved, you’ll want to keep it clean. 

 

It really doesn’t matter where or how big your laundry space is, there are wonderful, helpful solutions designed for closets, bathrooms or kitchens that easily translate into laundry room storage.