Organize laundry room shelves

These small laundry room organization ideas make the most of every inch of space you have in your laundry or utility room.

Sponsored By: The Home Depot
A portion of this piece was created in partnership with The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the United States.

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Family Handyman

Behind-the-Door Shelves

The space behind a door is a storage spot that’s often overlooked. Build a set of shallow shelves and mount it to the wall. The materials cost about $40. Get the project drawings here.

Locate the studs. Drill clearance holes and screw the shelves to the studs with 2-1/2-in. wood screws. Put a rubber bumper on the frame to protect the door. Don’t have an electronic stud finder handy? Learn how to locate studs without a stud finder here.

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Install a Shelf and Clothes Rod

This diy laundry room hanging rod project will save you hours of ironing and organizing. Now you can hang up your shirts and jackets as soon as they’re out of the dryer – no more wrinkled shirts at the bottom of the basket. You’ll also gain an out-of-the-way upper shelf to store all sorts of odds and ends.

Just go to your home center and get standard closet rod brackets, a closet rod and a precut 12-in.-deep melamine shelf. Also pick up some drywall anchors, or if you have concrete, some plastic anchors and a corresponding masonry bit. Fasten shelves to the wall and add the closet rod for instant laundry room storage.

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Sponge Holder

Wet sponges always end up the ledge of the utility sink. They never dry properly and become moldy and smelly. Here’s a better for your laundry room solutions. Screw a sieve to the back of the sink to hold the sponges. They dry nicely, they’re out of the way, and they last forever.

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Create an Ironing Center

To keep your ironing gear handy but out from underfoot, make this simple ironing center in a couple of hours. All you need is a 10-ft. 1×8, a 2-ft. piece of 1×6 for the shelves and a pair of hooks to hang your ironing board.

Cut the back, sides, shelves and top. Align the sides and measure from the bottom 2 in., 14-3/4 in. and 27-1/2 in. to mark the bottom of the shelves. Before assembling the unit, use a jigsaw to cut a 1 x 1-in. dog ear at the bottom of the sides for a decorative touch.

Working on one side at a time, glue and nail the side to the back. Apply glue and drive three 1-5/8-in. nails into each shelf, attach the other side and nail those shelves into place to secure them. Clamps are helpful to hold the unit together while you’re driving nails. Center the top piece, leaving a 2-in. overhang on both sides, and glue and nail it into place. Paint or stain the unit and then drill pilot holes into the top face of each side of the unit and screw in the hooks to hold your ironing board. Mount the shelf on drywall using screw-in wall anchors.

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Under-Sink Shelf

Tired of moving all that stuff under the sink every time you mop the floor? Just buy a melamine closet shelf from a home center and a length of suspended-ceiling wall angle (sorry, it only comes in 10-ft. lengths, but it’s cheap and you can have it cut for transport). Also pick up four 1/2-in. No. 8-24 bolts, washers and nuts. Attach it to the underside of your laundry room utility sink for a handy place to store old painting supplies and create some small room organization.

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Family Handyman

Skinny Laundry Room Cart

A lot of laundry rooms have a narrow wasted space either next to or between the washing machine and dryer, and it’s usually a hideout for socks and lint. To take advantage of this space, build a simple plywood laundry room cart on fixed casters to hold detergents and other laundry supplies. By the way, these carts work well for maximizing storage in bathrooms, too.

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Family Handyman

Instant Laundry Room Cubbies

If you don’t have cabinets or shelves in your tiny laundry room, buy inexpensive plastic crates at a discount store and create your own wall of cubbies for some small room organization. Screw them to the wall studs using a fender washer in the upper corner of each crate for extra strength for DIY laundry room shelves. The crates hold a lot of supplies, and they keep tippy things like your iron from falling over. Here are some more ideas for small space storage solutions.

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Family Handyman

Clothes Hanger Holder

If you have shelves or cabinets above your washer or dryer, you’ve got the perfect spot to store clothes hangers. Just mount a towel bar to the bottom of the cabinets. This puts hangers at your fingertips so you can hang up shirts and slacks fresh from the dryer.

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Family Handyman

A Laundry Workbench

This sturdy workbench is not just for carpentry – it’s also perfect as a potting bench or laundry room table. If you want a surface that’s easy to clean and protects against spills, apply two coats of polyurethane varnish to the top and the shelves. We used a water-based finish that dried quickly and was hard as nails by the next day.

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Quick Washer and Dryer Shelf

Clean up the clutter of detergent boxes, bleach bottles and other laundry room stuff. Install a shelf that fits just above the washer and dryer. Screw ordinary shelf brackets to the wall and mount a board that just clears the tops.

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Laundry Organizer

Make laundry day easier with this shelf for all your detergents, stain removers and other supplies. Build this simple organizer from 1×10 and 1×3 boards. If you have a basement laundry room, you may need to cut an access through the shelves for your dryer exhaust.

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Hanger Shelf

Sometimes you just need another place to hang clothes, like on the shelf over your washer and dryer. Turn the edge of that shelf into a hanger rack by predrilling some 3/4-in. plastic pipe and screwing it to the top of the shelf along the edge. Get more laundry room organizing ideas.

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Paper Towel Holder

If the roll of paper towels on the shelf in your laundry or utility room keeps falling off, try this: Slip a bungee cord through the roll and hang it from the wire shelving. And here are some tips for hanging a more permanent solution.

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Minimize Liquid Detergent Mess

Dripless liquid detergent containers always drip just a little. Keep it under control with a special shelf on the corner of the laundry tub. Just cut a 1-1/2-in. aluminum angle long enough to support the front edge of the container, then glue it to the tub with silicone caulk. Rest the container on the ledge and drips will just fall into the laundry tub instead of creating a gooey mess somewhere else.

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Utility Sink Shelf

Cut a section of leftover wire shelving and set it over the front of your utility sink. It’s the perfect place to set items to dry. Hang paintbrushes from S-hooks so they can drip right into the sink. When you’re done with the shelf, hang it over the side of the tub so next time it’s right at hand.

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Pretty and Practical Box Shelves

These simple box shelves work equally well in a formal setting and a utilitarian room, like the laundry or garage. They offer an unlimited number of uses and arrangements. Hang some above the washer and dryer to store detergent, dryer sheets, and other laundry room necessities without taking up any valuable floor space.

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Laundry Room Wall Cabinet

Turn that wall space above the washer and dryer into a valuable dust-free storage space by adding a utility wall cabinet. Chances are, a dryer vent or some other obstruction exists right where the new cabinet goes. To solve this problem, simply cut away the back and insert a 4-in. galvanized duct as a liner to give the cabinet a 1-in. clearance from the dryer vent, preventing heat from building up inside the cabinet. With the liner in place, the vent is isolated behind the cabinet, keeping everything inside cool and clean. Here’s how to install cabinets like a pro.

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Family Handyman

Install a Laundry Chute

Save space in the laundry room by eliminating all of the extra clothes hampers. Install a laundry chute instead! You’ll love the convenience of a laundry chute. In addition to saving space, it’ll also save you time and energy with fewer trips up and down stairs. Here’s how to install your own laundry chute.

You may also want to consider whether to stack your washer and dryer or leave them side by side.

Home Depot offers a wide range of custom Home Organization solutions including: 

1. Complete Custom Closets
2. Laundry Room Organizers
3. Garage Storage Solutions
4. Kitchen Pantry Refinishes
5. Home Office Upgrades

From December 1 through January 4, take 10% off Home Depot home organization services (closets and garage). Learn more.

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Originally Published: February 03, 2020

How to organize a laundry?

What is a laundry room? This is a great opportunity to improve the apartment, save its area and make it more practical.

Laundry room is something most modern apartments cannot do without. The thing is that even with a small area, you can allocate space for it. Laundry corner in the bathroom or toilet rooms is the best option in which you save space. In this case, the washer and dryer are stacked on top of each other.

So that the laundry room does not distract attention from the general interior, it is usually hidden behind cabinets. Baskets, detergents, powders and more are hidden behind stylish facades.

If finances and the size of the apartment allow, then a separate room will be allocated for the laundry room, in which, as a rule, there are a washing machine and a dryer, a heated towel rail, an ironing board, linen boxes, open and closed hanging shelves, niches and cabinets.

FORWARD

Planning should take into account functionality, comfort and safety. Furniture, appliances and objects should be located in such a way that a person can easily perform household chores.

Here are some basic rules for furnishing a utility room:

• Place clean and dirty laundry bins and a floor dryer next to the washing machine so you don't have to carry mountains of clothes from one place to another.
• It is better to arrange household chemicals so that a small child could not get it, but you could get it without any problems. The ideal solution would be low hanging shelves.
• Divide the laundry into several areas to maintain hygiene - organize a separate corner for mops, rags and buckets.
• In the case when the size of the room and the budget allow, you can invest in a drying cabinet for clothes and shoes. This technique, which looks like a refrigerator, dries things in a short time and eliminates unpleasant odors thanks to internal ventilation that does not allow fabrics to have a musty smell.
• Provide a niche for appliances - iron, vacuum cleaner.
• Since many people spend a decent amount of time ironing clothes, it would be logical to equip the utility room with a TV so that the monotonous process does not seem so boring.

If we talk about placing a laundry room in a private house, then the best solution would be to choose a heated basement. You can also consider the following options: attic or understair space. The only condition that must be observed is the presence of good ventilation and several windows in order to ventilate the room and rid it of moisture.

Few people enjoy household chores. This is usually tedious and not the most fun pastime. So create for yourself a cozy and comfortable laundry room, in which hours of ironing will fly by unnoticed!

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Unique laundry ideas

Laundry ideas

Simple and practical laundry ideas to help you organize your household. The 10 useful tips in this article will create a concrete image of a functional, modern and attractive space in which the laundry routine becomes a pleasant household chore.

If you're confused and can't decide on a location, place the laundry room where dirty laundry is collected and waiting to be washed, or closer to the bedroom and closet where clean clothes are dried. Other popular places are near the front door, in the hallway, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, near the closet or in the dressing room.

Laundry room with washer and dryer

Be aware of unexpected floods, so waterproof the floor, especially if the laundry room is on the second floor. Several ways to increase the water resistance of the floor: make plastic flooring, install a shallow tray under the washing machine, tile the floor.

Another important point to pay attention to is the noise from the washing machine. If it is located on the second floor, it must be equipped with special vibration-proof cushions that will muffle the sound.

Handy Laundry Shelves

Although our inspiring photos show large rooms, the laundry room can be set up in a small space or closet.

Here are 10 ideas for a functional and practical laundry room in your home.

1. Choose a bright color scheme

Paint the laundry room walls in a bright, cheerful color of your choice. It's easy and inexpensive. Choose colors that lift your spirits. Citrus tones such as lime green, yellow and orange are good choices. Another option is a refreshing, pure white color that makes the room brighter and happier.

Laundry room in light green

2. Add a worktop

The work surface is very important for rolling and stacking things. You can put a laundry basket on it. A washer and dryer standing next to each other will look prettier if they have the same surface.

Full Length Glitter Countertop

3. Built-in Wardrobe

A custom-made built-in wardrobe adds a unique touch to your laundry room. And around the machine and dryer, you can hang inexpensive kitchen cabinets. Brightly colored walls or wallpapers will add expressiveness to them.

Replace standard furniture with a very practical combination of vertical and modern drawers. If you're on a budget, visit the secondhand section of a restaurant supply store. Stainless worktops and shelves in your laundry room are a great alternative to built-in wardrobes.

Laundry cabinets

4. Get creative with your washing machine

If you don't have enough space to put your washer and dryer side by side, stand them upright. This will help keep the space functional.

Vertical Laundry

Another creative way to install your washer and dryer is to lift them off the floor. This will make it easier to load the machines by eliminating the need to bend over. In the space formed below, you can store something.

Ways to Install Washing Machines

5. Combine Multiple Furnishing Options

Wall-mounted line cabinets, open shelves, baskets and clothes hangers are great laundry options.

You can also save a lot of time by asking all family members to sort dirty laundry at once and put them in different baskets.

How to set up a laundry room

6. Lighting upgrade

Often the laundry room is located in a dark room with no windows. Therefore, good lighting is a matter of great importance.

Additional horizontal lamps under the cabinets or a large chandelier on the ceiling illuminate and enlarge the space. It also helps to detect stains to pre-treat them before washing. A combination of built-in light bulbs, pendant lights and wall lamps under the cabinets would be ideal, as in the photo.

Laundry Lighting Ideas

7. Hide Equipment

An ironing board bolted to a wall or folded out of a cabinet is a great way to avoid clutter and save space. Most projects hide not only the board, but also the iron itself.

The vertical dryer is another good option for drying delicate items.

Built-in equipment

8. Decorate the walls with an interesting pattern

In addition to painting, there are 2 more ways to make the walls of the laundry room original:

• Waterproof vinyl wallpaper with a bold modern pattern.

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