DECLUTTER YOUR LAUNDRY ROOM

I have a small laundry room and if I am not very very careful it can get quite cluttered and disorganized. Does your’s get easily cluttered too? I tend to stash things in there that don’t have a home or I stash things I just need to “hide” temporarily.  It’s easy to shut a door and forget the laundry room until we can hardly get in it to do what this room was created to do… wash and dry our clothes! Today let’s talk about how to declutter your laundry room and keep it that way!

The very first thing to do when thinking about decluttering your laundry room is to DIG RIGHT IN! Thinking and strategizing is great but they won’t move an ant hill let alone a mountain of clutter and clothes!

Right now… get up and find 10 things to throw away in your laundry room. I’ll wait!

 

See you are on your way to a decluttered, well-organized laundry room!

picture of a laundry room with a drying rack and a denim apron and blue and white tea towels hanging from it. This laundry room is neat and not cluttered

 

PUT AWAY, GIVE AWAY, THROW AWAY

Grab 2 large laundry basket and one trash bag to start to declutter your laundry room. Don’t declutter any drawers, closets, cupboards or cabinets just yet. We are just dealing with the floor and any other surfaces that are not behind closed doors.

Depending on how long it’s been since your laundry room has had a good declutter session you might want to break this ugly chore down into manageable and doable chunks of time.

I can usually go a good half hour at breakneck speed and then I lose interest in the decluttering process. But before you leave decluttering and head out to do something else make sure you put the things away in your “put away” basket. And stick your “give away” basket in the car so you can drop everything in it at your favorite donation spot.

And of course, that trash! 

If you have not finished the first step to declutter your laundry room make a date and put it on your calendar for the next declutter session.

 

ORGANIZE WHAT YOU HAVE

The next step, now that the clutter is out of our way is to organize what is left in the laundry room. If you have a cabinet or drawer or closet or cupboard pull everything out and scrub down the inside of the cabinet (oops, did I forget to mention there is a little cleaning involved). 

Before you put one more thing back into a laundry room cabinet ask yourself if you use it and if you love it. If the answer is “no” on either account then it goes!

If you use your laundry detergent but don’t like the way it cleans then get new laundry soap!  If you love those darling little sock-holder-together-thingies but don’t use them then no matter how cute they are they have to go!

Now, put what is left back. And put it near where you use it. No sense in putting your wool drying balls on a shelf on the opposite side of your dryer, right! Even if it’s the only shelf in your laundry room don’t make things hard to put back “in their home”. We all get a little complacent when the thrill of a clean and organized space wears off and things slip through the cracks again!

 

I seriously LOVE these dryer balls. See how I made them HERE. And you can add a few drops of essential oil to them to make your laundry smell glorious! See beautiful smelling essential oils HERE. At checkout add my number when it prompts you. My # is 3098375

THE LAUNDRY CYCLE

 

I used to struggle with doing laundry. It is probably my least favorite job! But, now I do laundry every day! And I can honestly say, it’s not bad… and that is saying something coming from me. 

I used to wait until I had a big pile of sorted laundry before I started the washer/dry cycle. I really didn’t mind putting the clothes into the washer then dryer but I hated folding them and putting them away.

Now, my laundry schedule looks like this… whites, lights, darks, delicate and over and over again. If I don’t have lights then I move to the next color… darks. The setting on washers and dryer these days make it easy to do smaller loads. The real gamechanger for me having manageable piles of laundry to fold and put away.

So most of the laundered things in my home are clean and ready to wear or use! AND it keeps piles of dirty or clean or both off my laundry room floor!

HANG IT UP AND HOOK IT

 

One of the best things I had installed in my laundry room was a clothes drying rack for air-drying wet things. Oh, this made such a difference! Things like wet bathing suits or clothes that get washed but can’t handle the dryer are easily dried on the drying rack 

My little drying rack works like a charm. As long as I remember to take the clothes off it once they are dry. 

I love this drying rack from Pottery Barn.  See it HERE

Another handy gadget to have to hang things up in your laundry room are some rust-proof hooks. I have a couple on the back of my laundry room door to hang up dog leashes and a clothespin bag.

 

OTHER HANDY CONVENIENCES

I don’t have room to fold the clothes in my laundry room but I did invest in a laundry basket on a rolling stand. That way I can easily take the clean clothes out of the dryer and roll the laundry basket into my kitchen where I fold clothes on my kitchen island.

I love these lidded baskets to keep my laundry room items hidden in pretty sight!  See them HERE

Here are some other great little items to include in a laundry room if you have the space. Click to see more…

  • laundry bags and bins
  • drying rack
  • hanging drying racks
  • large glass containers with lids (for laundry detergent or clothespins)
  • laundry baskets
  • hooks
  • ironing board
  • iron
  • in wall ironing board
  • work table
  • baskets

These are some of my favorite laundry room picks…

If you want your laundry room to stay decluttered (and organized) don’t put one thing in it that does not belong AND keep up with your laundry! 

Do you have a tip to declutter your laundry room? Please share!

 

this post contains affiliate links

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

48 Comments

  1. Laundry room was off the kitchen in our previous home and was a catch-all space. Then we downsized and I hated that it was in the unfinished part of our basement. The awesome realization is, thanks to your post Yvonne, it’s no longer the ‘stash it’ zone because it’s just too inconvenient to go down there just to hide something! Thx for helping me realize that! Have a spectacular wkend!!

    1. Marcia, love that “stash it” zone!!! Have a fabulous weekend too!

  2. KittyLuvt says:

    Love the idea of adding essential oils to my dryer balls. I had never thought of that….can’t wait to smell my bed sheets after today’s laundry session. Thanks for the clever idea!

  3. Carol Matthews says:

    Great tips Yvonne, and laid out so that those of us (me) can go about decluttering in a way that will work! Our laundry room is off the kitchen (so convenient), but so easily collects clutter that I’m glad you chose to write about it… gotta go get started! Thanks!

    1. Mine is too, Carol. I think it’s a little too convenient at times! Easy to toss things in there.

  4. My laundry is off the kitchen and is never cluttered because there is no room for anything !It fits the washer, dryer and a sink in a cabinet.There is a shelf above the machines with baskets hiding some essentials, that’s it.Wish it was bigger but I have to work with what I have.

  5. What great ideas. Where did you find your cute laundry sign? I love it.

  6. Karen VanLoo says:

    I needed this! I try to keep my laundry room de-cluttered, as it’s very small. I like the way I have it decorated, it’s right off my kitchen and I want it to be cute in there. We also have our “drink refrigerator” in there so guests help themselves to cold drinks, so I need to keep it neat and tidy. But my shelves where I keep things tends to get cluttered. I need to dust in there, and clear the shelves a bit. Thanks for this inspiration today!

  7. Dryer fires happen – clean the lint out of the exhaust hose

  8. This post came at the perfect time. I have a laundry sink full of stuff that needs to be put away, thrown away or given away. I’ll be doing that while I’m doing laundry! Thanks for the great tips!

  9. Thank you for the steps in organizing the laundry room. As you pointed out, it can easily become an “out of sight, out of mind” catch-all. our

  10. Mine is more like a laundry closet behind bi-fold doors
    I really need to get into those shelves above the washer and dryer and sort stuff!!

  11. John Manix says:

    You have a room dedicated to laundry. I have no such luxry. 410 sq. ft. cottage apartment. Portable washing machine that stays in the kitchen and no room or desire for a dryer. Have a folding drying rack that works great. Then again I live by myself so my needs are much less than most households.

    1. John, I love my folding rack. Most of my clothes go on it and go outside!

  12. UGH! Busted. I’m on it. Thanks for the encouragement.

  13. Also busted! Can I wait for cooler weather? Sigh…this is definitely not my “pretty space”! I always take my laundry to fold on my bed because I like my bedroom better and there is not a place in the laundry room, although it is really large. Is there such a thing as a laundry room island?

    Declutter first…on it.

  14. Pamela Blied says:

    Love your ideas….where did you purchase your metal rolling laundry cart?

  15. Picture this:
    In my laundry room, you will find a hot water heater/cleaning supplies behind a screen, commercial ice maker, four burner range, washer and dryer~
    All necessities!
    I will clean out the cabinet though. Thanks for the inspiring post.

    1. wow, Susan. You laundry room has it all… and more! Sometimes we just have to go with it!

  16. Barbara Vance says:

    Thanks for the DIY on the wool dryer balls. I want to make some for myself and also for Christmas gifts. My space is very small also, but my Mother gave me her metal cabinet,my hubby installed over the washer and dryer. He installed a wooden shelf over the water softener and I use mod podge decorated empty shoe boxes and baskets painted from thrift stores for storage on that shelf. The water heater and water softener are behind doors, but the washer and dryer are open to the kitchen.

  17. Oh my goodness I just need to this, ASAP! I appreciate the guidance and your knowledge and wonderful sense of humor!
    Thanks

  18. My laundry room is a train wreck but you have inspired me to be diligent in decluttering. I love your wooden drying rack have you had that awhile? I love the idea of the wool dryer balls. thank you always for sharing your ideas.

  19. Robin Burke says:

    How timely! My room of the weekend. What is “allowed” in laundry room cabinets? I thought of storing empty canning jars and perhaps seasonal dishes. I almost feel it needs to be laundry related. Any guidelines?

  20. My laundry room use to be in my dark dank basement. Not only did I have to carry down the laundry basket, but also some sort of make shift weapon to ward off spiders.This being said it led to a whole new remodel of the basement and laundry room. I went into this remodel with the thought that I spend a lot of time doing laundry and I wanted this room to be bright, functional, and organized. I painted the walls Ocean Green which is bright and like looking out on the sea (perhaps from fantasy island) I have large front load washer and dryer that I chose to stack. next
    to that I put in a folding table that has tall cupboards on either side. I keep all my laundry supplies in the one next to the washer and dryer, and cleaning supplies the other tall cupboard. Under the folding table is also a cupboard that I keep paper towels a small tool kit and picnic stuff. The countertop is formica that resembles marble which I put a large glass jar with a galvanized scoop for laundry soap. There is also a large laundry sink in this space which I highly recommend . I don’t know how anyone survives without one. the cupboard, washer & dryer, sink are all bright white. We put a vinyl floor down that is 100% water proof so if there is any type of flooding you just pull the flooring up let it dry and put it back down. It’s actually a floating floor that snaps into place like laminate flooring does. I went with a light barn wood look. I also went with a New York closet to hang up clothes as I take them out of the dryer. I have a drying rack that I just keep in the closet. I needed one that offered a lot of drying area for sweaters, so the ones that retract from the wall really didn’t suit my needs. I also have a large bright painting of flowers which hangs over the laundry sink. Not that laundry is my favorite chore, but it is a much better experience now that I have an area that is bright, clean and organized.

    1. I have the same kind of flooring, Cindy! Your laundry room sounds so pretty!

    2. Gabrielle Jones says:

      What is a New YOrk closet?It sounds interesting! Your laundry room sounds like a dream!

  21. Thanks for the great tips, Yvonne! I always learn something useful each time I read your blogs. Here is a suggestion for storing dirty laundry. Reaching down into deep bins, sorting through piles and buying laundry baskets is no longer necessary. Our laundry is kept in a closet in two white rolling “drawer kits with wire baskets”. We chose to stack and fasten two units which together stand 17″W x 21″D x72″H. A side by side placement will create a lower/wider unit. I labeled my removable wire basket-drawers according to the types of wash loads I use most often. I think these kits are still available online and in several stores. I have enjoyed this unit since the 90’s.

  22. I don’t have the wall space for a dryer rack but I have a long over the door hook where I place two plastic hangers with 4 clips attached to each. You can buy these clips where they sell the hangers. I use these to clip anything to that I don’t Place in my dryer, like bras, dust cloths, bathing suits etc. they hang until dry. My cat’s litter boxes are in that room and so I’m constantly battling litter dust!

  23. Dear Yvonne, once again great advise. I love your renovated bedroom, it’s just gorgeous. And talk about great ideas for a laundry room! My question is about hosting parties. We just celebrated Christmas and food ended up cold. How do you keep your food warm when sitting out on kitchen island. If anyone knows how it would be you! Thanks

  24. I love doing laundry…it has a start, finite/definable steps, and a visible finish. I consider the task completed only after the clothes are all folded and put away.

  25. Cecilia from Georgia says:

    Great tips! There is hope even for the laundry room! I looked in my laundry room and found that I have 4 mops! I asked myself “what’s up with this”? I really don’t have a favorite mop and would love some ideas for a good one. All your advice is great! Have a happy New Year. ?

  26. We just moved here in February and I’m a bit surprised at how quickly I was able to clutter up the laundry room. It’s tiny. I think in the old part of this house it used to be the bathroom. You step in and the tub is right in front of you. Toilet to the left and the sink to the right. I’m pretty sure this is how it went as the mirror/med cabinet that went over the sink was still there. I had the painters leave it. It has the slots for used razor blades, which I think is kinda cool. I have a shelf in there for cleaning supplies, an antique porcelain topped cabinet to use as a folding space (usually cluttered so I have to take the laundry to my bedroom to fold). And, I have no excuse. I have a broom closet. I also have a walk-in pantry that used to be the old kitchen. Small for a kitchen, good size for a pantry. And, I’m now inspired to declutter all three of these spaces, starting with the tiny laundry room!

    1. I’m so glad this post helped you Lynne! Congrats on your new home

  27. Not only should you keep your dryer’s lint filter cleaned out to prevent a fire, but you should wash the screen often with a mild detergent. Dryer sheets and fabric softener residue block the little holes in the filter, which makes it hard for air to flow through and dry your clothes efficiently. I wash mine once a month. My clothes dry quicker after I do. If you run water on your filter, you will notice that it puddles on the screen. The built-up gummy residue is blocking the air holes. After you wash with soap and rinse, the water will quickly pour through. I keep a soft toothbrush and give the filter a quick, but gentle scrub often. Works wonders!

  28. I’m going to try commenting again.
    My laundryroomhad a makeover and everything had its place. I find that the storage area is a mess again. I realize that no. I’m not going to make jars with trees nor trucks anymore. I need to purge and give those trucks to my grandson

  29. I totally love your decluttering laundry ideas. So many that I will be using in my own home. However, I can not imaging you having any spot in your fabulous home, cluttered. Happy Holidays!

    1. OH, Ivory! Don’t let my blog fool you! I have plenty of messy spaces! I just like organizing them.

  30. Cecilia from Georgia says:

    You really nailed it this time! Even if this is a re-post, it is exactly what I needed! Right before guests arrive I stash my drain board and anything else on my counter that is not necessary. I have lost keys, glasses, mail…well, you get the picture. My husband reminds me to check the laundry room after a party in case I put my purse in there (which I did once before and looked for it an hour). Anywho, thanks for the inspiration and great start to finish for a much needed laundry room clean up! XOXO

  31. Hi Yvonne, you gave me such a lot of inspirations again. I also have a small laundry room like you. And I am very glad about that room. In my old flat my washing machine was added in the bathroom and it always looked cluttered. But as you said: sometimes this extra room is used to hide things without a home… Now I will start decluttering my cabinet and throw away things that are not used for centuries ; – )
    Thank you for “wake me up” and stay healthy