Whether you’ve got the luxury of having a full-sized laundry, or you’re living in an apartment with a compact European-style laundry, knowing how to maximise storage space is key to making the laundry as functional as possible.
In an ideal world, laundries would have a variety of hanging and storage spaces, but as our homes have decreased in size, the notion of squeezing ample storage and drying space into one laundry is sometimes a little tricky.
That’s why we’re sharing our top laundry storage ideas, including our favourite small laundry storage ideas.
Laundry storage ideas – all laundries
Whether you have the luxury of a full-sized laundry room, or live in an apartment with a compact European laundry, these laundry storage ideas will help you to save space, while ensuring your laundry remains fully functional.
Invest in wall storage
Wall storage can be a practical solution to alleviating the untidiness that sometimes comes with a busy laundry. Some of the best wall storage options include:
- Floating shelves. Installing one or two floating shelves can be an inexpensive way to create additional space for storing cleaning products or stacking towels. Their sleek, minimalist look is perfect for adding extra storage space without cluttering the room.
- Wall-mounted cabinets. If you need space to store more items, and don’t like the idea of having them on display on a shelf, a wall-mounted cabinet is a great storage option. They keep everything looking tidy without taking over any floor space.
- Adjustable shelving. Adjustable shelves slot into wall-mounted brackets, allowing you to change the height between shelves to store different items. They’re a great option if you want to install multiple shelves, but keep the storage space flexible enough to accommodate different objects over time.
Install a laundry bench
If you have a long narrow laundry, installing a laundry bench is a great way to maximise storage space by cleverly dividing your laundry. You can install a front-load washing machine, dryer and storage bins or shelving beneath the bench, and then install additional storage above the bench.
Cupboard and drawer storage
In terms of laundry storage ideas, maximising space can be as simple as investing in cupboards of varying sizes and adding compartments within them to keep your items as organised as possible. For example, using dividers on existing cupboard shelves can help to separate things like linen and towels.
Similarly, labelled laundry baskets within larger pull-out drawers can help you separate whites, darks and delicates prior to washing. Adding plastic tubs or adjustable shelving to cabinets and drawers can also help keep items separate while allowing you to change the height of your storage space when you need to.
A multi-basket trolley is another great storage idea that can save you space by keeping washing outside of the laundry until you have to do your washing. Keep it in the bathroom to collect towels and dirty clothes, and then all you need to do is wheel it into the laundry when it’s weekly washing time!
Fold down ironing boards
Thanks to drip-dry clothing, most of us don’t do that much ironing anymore, which makes cumbersome full-size ironing boards even more annoying to store. If you’re short on space, consider installing a fold-down ironing board. They can be mounted inside a cupboard, on a wall or even behind a door, and folded away easily after the ironing’s all done. Custom-designed cupboards are also an option – these have a height-adjustable ironing board inside that can be rotated depending on your preferred ironing style.
Laundry storage ideas – Small laundries
Optimising your storage is particularly important if you have a small, or European-style laundry. In addition to the laundry storage ideas mentioned above, here are our top small laundry storage ideas.
Stack your washer and dryer
Stacking your washing machine and dryer on top of each other is one of the most common European laundry storage ideas, but it’s also great if you have a small laundry. Typically, the washing machine is installed on the ground, with the dryer wall-mounted above the washing machine. While they can sit close to each other, it’s a great idea to leave about half to three-quarters of a metre between them to give you space to fold laundry or store laundry items on top of the washing machine.
Install tall cupboards
In terms of modern small laundry storage ideas, investing in tall wall shelving will give you room for multiple bins or laundry baskets that will enable you to separate clothes by colour, type and required care. Tall cupboards are particularly helpful if you’re working with a narrow space.
Install laundry pedestals
A laundry pedestal is a platform that sits underneath your washing machine or dryer to raise it off the floor, making it sit at a more ergonomic height. If you’re short on space, you can install one that doubles as a drawer, meaning you can tuck your detergents and cleaning products out of sight.
Make the most of the space between appliances
If you’ve got a European laundry with a washing machine on one side and a sink on the other, chances are there’s a small gap in-between them. It might not look like much, but this is a great spot to slot in your clothes horse or ironing board.
Hanging storage
If you’re short on space in the laundry then you need to take advantage of every available nook and cranny. One of the best small laundry storage ideas for this is hanging storage. Some of our favourite hanging storage ideas include:
- Wall or door hooks. Just like you can have wall hooks in an entranceway to hang coats or hats, installing wall hooks in your laundry will allow you to hang wet umbrellas, peg baskets, or mesh laundry bags for storing small items. Over-the-door racks are also a good option if you don’t want to install hooks.
- Rods for drying items or hanging freshly ironed clothing. You can install rods inside cupboards, under shelves or on the wall above your countertop.
- Ceiling-mounted clothes airer. These beauties are installed on the ceiling, and operated by a pulley system. You simply pull it down to hang your wet washing, then pull it back up to dry your clothes out of the way.
Retractable drying racks
If you’re sick of fiddling with clothes and horses every time you need to dry your washing, built-in or retractable drying racks are a great option to consider. They take up hardly any space when tucked away, and expand enough to dry a full load of washing. You can place them under shelves, or on the wall, but they can also be hidden inside a cupboard. And if you install a heating vent in the floor below them, you’ll maximise air-drying, minimise wrinkles and hopefully decrease ironing time!
Fold-up benches
Out of sight truly is out of mind, particularly when it comes to laundry storage ideas. Benchtops mounted above your dryer or washing machine can give you ample room to fold and sort laundry, particularly if they are hinged versions that fold up when they’re not in use.
Inspired to change up your current laundry? We don’t just ‘do’ bathrooms! Contact the experts at All Bathroom Gear today on (07) 3391 8628.
