Professional Organizers Share Laundry Room Hacks To Make Your Routine Easier

Rather than setting up the drying rack to air dry clothing, a wall-mounted drying rack folds directly into the wall to save space. Here, the bloggers behind Chris Loves Julia installed custom racks and painted them the same color as the cabinets.

SHOP WALL-MOUNT DRYING RACK

"If you’ve got that narrow gap between your washer and dryer, slide in a slim rolling cart for detergent, fabric softener and cleaning supplies," suggests Tonia Tomlin, founder of Sorted Out. That's exactly what Sarah Vandiver of Sarah Joy Blog does in her modern laundry room and the three-tier cart offers an impressive amount of extra storage.

SHOP NARROW ROLLING CART

Tuck an ironing board inside the cabinet, so you can discretely store it when it's not in use. If you don't want to invest in custom cabinetry, go the easier route with a wall-mounted ironing board.

If you're working with limited square footage, it's important to maximize vertical space."An over-the-door organizer is one of our favorite solutions for small laundry closets," says Ashley Murphy, co-founder of NEAT Method and author of The NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book.

"Separating laundry as it comes out of the dryer into individual laundry bins by person will save lots of time," says Melissa Klug, owner of Home By Eleven. "Then each family member of age can take their own laundry to their rooms." Here, blogger Arin Solange uses a three-bin sorter with wheels to stay organized.

The bloggers behind Sugar & Cloth put a tension rod over the washer, creating a place to hang dry clothing. "Bonus points if you use S-hooks on the tension rod to hang baskets, clothespins or cleaning gloves," says Tonia Tomlin on the popular organizing hack.

Sort laundry behind closed cabinet doors, which designer Sarah Stacey makes possible by installing pull-out hamper hardware. You can easily slide the hamper in and out of the cabinet as needed.

Whether on the counter or tucked in a cabinet, store regularly used items — like detergent and dryer balls — on a turntable. "Turntables make it easier to reach items that may end up 'lost' at the back of a cabinet shelf," says Murphy.

Turn a spare closet into a dedicated zone for sorting dirty laundry. Rachel from Craving Some Creativity builds three shelves and puts a laundry bin on each.

"Make your washer and dryer work overtime by taking advantage of their metal surfaces," says Bright. Try magnetic shelves to store laundry supplies, magnetic lint and trash bins that stick directly to the side of your appliances.

Create a dedicated bin, basket or custom hanging station for lone socks. "Single socks and other miscellaneous items — think loose change or your teen's earbuds — muddle folding stations so give them their own real estate," says Bright.

"An elevated, rolling laundry bin will make clothing transport seamless," says Bright. "If you already have a hamper you love, just add your own wheels with casters or a dolly, and designate a 'parking spot' where you can tuck it away when not in use." See how Chris Loves Julia pulled it off in their space.

Store laundry baskets in a vertical space (a great way to save space) and label each for easy sorting. This way, when the bin is full, all you have to do is dump it into the washing machine.