Organizing Your Laundry Room on a Budget
Laundry day doesn’t have to be boring and time-consuming. Follow these tips on organizing your laundry room so laundry day will go smoothly and quickly!
Sorting, washing, drying, and folding laundry is boring. Not to mention time-consuming. I get it! I hate doing laundry, too!
Mainly because to get to my laundry room I have to go down to the basement. And to get to my basement I have to go outside. So, for me doing laundry when it’s 100 degrees or 20 degrees outside is NOT fun. (Now do you understand why I cannot wait to move into a new home?)
However, keeping the laundry room clean and organized makes it a little less horrible and a little easier to manage. When everything is organized and put away, things go a little smoother and quicker.
Organizing a laundry room doesn’t have to cost you a pile of money, either. Keep reading to learn how you can start organizing your laundry room on a budget so laundry days become a little more bearable.
- See all of my organizing tips here!
What to keep in your laundry room
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Before you start organizing your laundry room, consider the items that actually need to be in the room. Here’s a list of items that should be stored in your laundry room.
- Detergent (learn how to make your own here)
- Bleach
- Dryer sheets
- Stain and odor removers
- Baking soda (learn how to pretreat stains with baking soda here)
- Ironing and sewing supplies (for mending torn items quickly)
- Extra rags (for cleaning spills or leaks)
- Cleaning supplies (learn how to make your own here)
- Small trash can
- If you have space:
- Folding area
- Indoor drying rack
- Ironing board and iron
- Clothespins
- Steamers
- Sorting hampers
Organizing your laundry room on a budget
1. Remove everything
The first step in organizing your laundry room is to remove everything. Empty any cabinets and take everything off the shelves. Check dates on products and throw away anything that is expired. If you have products you bought years ago and never used, consider passing them on to someone who will use them.
Take out anything that doesn’t belong in the laundry room. Put it in a box or basket to be put away later when you have more time.
Next, wipe off detergent bottles that have spills and anything else that needs cleaning. Wipe down shelves and cabinet doors.
2. Group items together
After you’ve cleaned out everything, start grouping like items together. For example, place cleaning supplies together, laundry supplies together, and so on.
3. Organize
Start organizing your laundry room by placing items in storage containers or baskets. Dollar Tree has some great plastic storage containers that work perfectly for keeping items together. And you can add a tag to the outside of the container so you know what’s inside without taking it off the shelf.
Frugal organizers for your laundry room
- Large glass containers are great for storing laundry tabs (Tide Pods), powdered laundry detergent, and clothespins. Sometimes you can find these jars at thrift stores. (Think oversized cookie jars.)
- Cleaning caddies are a great idea to keep cleaning supplies in. Then on cleaning day, it’s easier to just grab the caddie and carry it around with you. Dollar stores usually have cleaning caddies so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on them.
- Turn shoeboxes into storage containers by covering them with scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or fabric.
- Use baskets or bins to hold extra items such as dryer sheets, baking soda, clothes, pins, etc. Our local thrift stores always have a ton of baskets, and usually, they are around a dollar apiece.
- Install a wire basket on the wall for lost socks.
Small space organizing ideas
- Install a shelf with a clothing rod near or over your dryer. Once clothes come out of the dryer, hang them up to avoid wrinkles. This also makes it easier to put them away. The shelf gives you extra storage space for storing extra items.
- Hang a drying rack from the ceiling for hanging clothes that need to dry. An old ladder will work great for this.
- If you have a door to your laundry room, use the back of it for storage. Look for an over-the-door shoe organizer and use it to store cleaning supplies or extra laundry supplies.
- Use a slim rolling cart between your washer and dryer if you don’t have space for cabinets or extra shelves. Keep detergent and other laundry supplies on the top shelf for easy access.
- Consider using a foldable ironing mat instead of an ironing board to save space.
What tips do you have for organizing your laundry room? What’s the best organizing idea you’ve ever had?
Be sure to check out these other ideas for organizing your home:
Sorting Your Laundry for the Best Results
Getting Rid of Dresser Drawer Clutter
10 Best Organizers for Your Bedroom
Bedroom Organizing Ideas That Will Work for Anyone
Organizing a Small Closet on a Budget
My Clutter-Free Series
Cool. those are some interesting ideas!
Thank you! 🙂
My laundry room is very small so I appreciate these ideas! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help! 🙂
#1 sounds like the best option.
Haha! I’d have to agree. 😀
great ideas! I need to organize mine, so I’m definitely saving this for later ?
Thank you so much! I’m glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Great tips!
Thank you!!
Great post Michelle, I know what you mean, when I lived in NY my laundry room was in the basement and I hated going to it, it was a chore. It was never fixed up pretty so I really didn’t like doing laundry. Having your laundry room organized and smelling pretty makes all the difference. Keep well xoxo
Thank you! It’s no fun doing laundry when the space isn’t fun. 🙁 Having a pretty, clean, and organized space always makes me feel more motivated. 🙂
I have the tiniest laundry room. There was a small metal cabinet on the wall. I made my husband take it down and put up a much larger wooden cabinet. I am so happy with all the extra space in the laundry room cabinet.
It sounds like the cabinet really helped add some extra space! That was a great idea! 🙂
I love your ideas, Michelle! Especially when we are dealing with smaller spaces. Utilizing every little piece of corner you can becomes a must! Our laundry room isn’t technically small but they put it in a terrible spot! Although I’ll concede, having to walk outside to get inside the laundry room would be worse! Bless your heart. That’s terribly inconvenient for you when you’re hauling baskets, etc.
Those rolling carts are brilliant for storage in cramped spaces, aren’t they? If you’re already frustrated from not having enough room – at least everything is at your fingertips!
Love your idea about shoeboxes too! You always come up with some of the best tips and tricks. Thanks my friend. You’re amazing! ♥ Sending BIG bear hugs and prayers that you and your family are well.
I agree! Sometimes you just have to get really creative with your space, especially if it’s small. And having a laundry room in a weird spot means you have to get even more creative! 😀
I love the rolling carts! They’re so easy to keep out of the way, yet still easy to access when you need something.
Thank you so much! We are doing well! Sending bear hugs right back as well as many prayers for you!
We redid our laundry room a few years and now it’s not an awful dungeon like it used to be! We have new cabinets above the washer-dryer where we keep all our supplies organized. It’s amazing what an organized space can do for your mind and mood!
That’s awesome! I feel more motivated to get things done in a nice organized room. 🙂
Nicely penned ??
Thank you so much!
We have a laundry closet, well sort of, in our dank basement. I think we could use a few of these tips. Thanks, Michelle.
You’re welcome! Happy to help. 🙂
Well done ?
Thank you so much!
You are welcome ???
OOooh, love this! I just organized my laundry room as well and it felt so much better after! 😀
Thank you! I love the feeling of accomplishment after organizing! 😀