24 Laundry Room Storage Ideas That Actually Work (And Look Good Too)

Let me be honest with you. The laundry room is the most ignored space in the entire house. We spend hours obsessing over the living room sofa or the kitchen backsplash — but the laundry room? It gets a shelf, maybe a basket, and that’s it.

I’ve been helping people style and organize their homes for years. And the laundry room is always the space that surprises people the most. When you get the storage right, the whole room changes. Suddenly laundry day feels less like a punishment and more like a routine you can actually handle. The good news? You don’t need a big room or a big budget. You just need the right ideas.

In this post, I’m sharing 24 laundry room storage ideas — from small, budget-friendly fixes to larger built-in upgrades. Every single idea is different. Everyone is realistic. And every one is something you can actually pull off, whether you’re renting a flat or renovating your forever home. Let’s get into it.

24 Best Laundry Room Storage Ideas

Here is the one stop list:

1. Floating Wall Shelves Above the Washer & Dryer

The space above your machines is some of the most wasted real estate in your home. A few well-placed floating shelves turn that blank wall into a proper storage zone — holding detergents, softeners, stain sprays, and folded towels right where you need them. Clean, simple, and incredibly effective for everyday use.

Why It Works

The shelves keep your most-used supplies at arm’s reach. Nothing is buried in a cabinet or shoved under the sink. You grab what you need, you put it back. That simple habit keeps the whole room tidier without any extra effort on your part.

Best For

Any laundry room size. Works especially well in narrow rooms where floor space is tight. Great for renters too — use bracket shelves that require minimal wall holes.

Styling Tips

Use matching containers or baskets on the shelves to keep things looking neat rather than cluttered. A small trailing plant on the top shelf adds life to the space. Stick to two or three shelves maximum — overcrowding makes the room feel smaller.

2. Slim Rolling Cart Between Appliances

That narrow gap between your washer and dryer? Most people ignore it. But slip a slim rolling cart in there and you’ve just created a whole new storage column. These carts usually have three to four shelves and are narrow enough to disappear into the gap without sticking out.

Why It Works

The cart uses dead space you weren’t using anyway. It keeps laundry essentials — pods, dryer sheets, stain removers — right next to the machines. No reaching across the room, no searching through cabinets.

Best For

Side-by-side washer and dryer setups. Best in rooms where wall space is already taken. Also works alongside a single appliance in a closet-style laundry space.

Styling Tips

Choose a cart with a white or matte finish to blend with most appliances. A cart with a top rail keeps bottles from tipping. Add a small hook on the side for a measuring cup or a microfibre cloth.

3. Floor-to-Ceiling Built-In Cabinets

If you’re serious about storage and you want it to last, floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets are the gold standard. They cover the entire wall from floor to ceiling, giving you enclosed storage at the bottom, open display in the middle, and bulk storage up top. It’s the most complete storage solution you can put in a laundry room.

Why It Works

Built-ins use every single inch of vertical wall space. Nothing is wasted. You get enclosed cabinets to hide the mess, open sections for everyday items, and deep lower cabinets for bulky cleaning supplies or extra appliances.

Best For

Larger laundry rooms or rooms being fully renovated. Also a great fit for laundry rooms that double as utility rooms or mudrooms where you need to store a lot.

Styling Tips

Use shaker-style cabinet doors for a classic, timeless look. Add soft-close hinges — they make the whole room feel more premium. Paint the cabinets in a warm white or soft sage green to keep the room feeling light and airy rather than heavy.

4. Over-the-Door Pocket Organiser

The back of your laundry room door is a forgotten storage goldmine. An over-the-door organiser with clear or fabric pockets gives you instant storage for the small stuff — lint rollers, stain pens, dryer sheets, safety pins, and even small spray bottles. No drilling, no tools, no fuss.

Why It Works

It uses a surface you were already walking past every day. Small laundry essentials tend to scatter across surfaces and get lost. Pockets give everything a home, and because the organiser is on the door, it’s completely out of the way until you need it.

Best For

Renters and anyone who doesn’t want to drill into walls. Perfect for small laundry rooms or combined bathroom-laundry spaces where every centimetre counts.

Styling Tips

Choose a fabric pocket organiser in a linen or cotton neutral — it looks far more intentional than plastic. Label each pocket with a small handwritten tag. Add a hook at the bottom for hanging a fabric bag of clothespegs.

5. Pegboard Wall Storage System

A pegboard is one of the most flexible storage solutions you can install. You mount a flat board to the wall and use pegs, hooks, small shelves, and holders to organise everything from spray bottles and scrubbing brushes to laundry bags and measuring cups. The layout is completely yours to decide.

Why It Works

You can move everything around whenever your needs change. There’s no permanent commitment to a layout. If you add new supplies or want to reorganise, you just shift the pegs. It’s also visual storage, which means you can see what you have at a glance.

Best For

People who love a functional, slightly industrial aesthetic. Works in both small and large laundry rooms. Great alongside a utility sink or cleaning station.

Styling Tips

Paint the pegboard the same colour as your wall for a seamless, built-in look. Or go bold and paint it a deep forest green or dusty terracotta as an accent wall. Keep the items hanging on it looking uniform — matching spray bottles and labelled jars make a pegboard look curated, not chaotic.

6. Pull-Out Hamper Drawers Inside Cabinetry

Dirty laundry sitting in a pile on the floor is the number one reason laundry rooms look messy. Pull-out hamper drawers solve this completely. They’re built into your cabinetry as deep, fabric-lined drawers that pull out when you need them and tuck away completely when you don’t.

Why It Works

The dirty laundry is hidden from sight at all times. You can have multiple sections inside one drawer unit — one for colours, one for whites, one for delicates — so by the time you’re ready to wash, the sorting is already done.

Best For

Families with multiple people doing laundry. Also great for anyone who hates the visual clutter of hampers sitting on the floor taking up space.

Styling Tips

Label each drawer section clearly, even with small chalkboard labels inside the drawer. Use a pull-out unit with a ventilated front so damp clothes don’t create a smell. Pair the hamper cabinet with matching upper cabinets for a fully integrated look.

7. Ceiling-Mounted Pulley Clothes Airer

This one goes all the way back to Victorian homes — and honestly, it’s one of the smartest laundry storage ideas that ever existed. A ceiling-mounted pulley airer hangs from the ceiling and lowers down for loading. You hang your clothes, pull it back up, and it dries overhead while keeping the floor completely clear.

Why It Works

It uses the one space that almost no other storage solution touches — the ceiling. Warm air rises, which means your clothes dry faster up high. And when it’s raised, you barely notice it’s there.

Best For

Rooms with high ceilings. Brilliant in utility rooms, basement laundries, and any space where you need to dry a lot of clothes without a tumble dryer. Also very eco-friendly.

Styling Tips

Choose a traditional wooden airer in a natural finish for a farmhouse feel. Paint the pulley hardware in matte black for a more modern edge. Keep other ceiling elements simple — pendant lights or spotlights look cleaner alongside an airer than a busy ceiling fan would.

8. Wall-Mounted Fold-Down Ironing Board

A traditional ironing board takes up enormous floor space and becomes a permanent obstacle the moment you bring it out. A wall-mounted fold-down version solves this completely. It mounts flush to the wall, swings down when needed, and folds flat again in seconds.

Why It Works

You get a full-size ironing surface without dedicating any floor space to it permanently. Many wall-mounted models also include a built-in storage cabinet behind the board for the iron itself, so everything lives in one spot.

Best For

Small laundry rooms and combined laundry-mudroom spaces. Perfect for anyone who irons regularly but doesn’t have room for a freestanding board.

Styling Tips

Mount the board inside a recessed cabinet niche if you’re renovating — it disappears entirely into the wall when closed. Choose a cover in a neutral linen or stripe pattern to keep it looking intentional. Install it at a height that suits the person who uses it most.

9. Open Shelving with Labeled Glass Jars

Swap out bulky, mismatched detergent bottles for a row of matching glass jars or canisters on open shelves. Decant your washing powder, pods, pegs, and dryer balls into clean containers, label them neatly, and line them up on a shelf. It takes twenty minutes to set up and transforms the look of the room instantly.

Why It Works

It removes the visual noise of branded packaging. Laundry products come in all sorts of clashing colours and sizes. Putting everything into matching containers creates calm and order. It also makes it easy to see when you’re running low on something.

Best For

Anyone who wants their laundry room to look more like a styled space and less like a utility cupboard. Great in open-plan homes where the laundry area is visible from other rooms.

Styling Tips

Choose wide-mouth glass jars or white ceramic canisters with bamboo lids for a clean, organic look. Use a label maker or hand-lettered tags for a personal touch. Group the jars by type — washing supplies together, ironing supplies together, cleaning supplies together.

10. Stackable Washer & Dryer with Side Storage Tower

When you stack your washer and dryer vertically, you instantly free up half your floor width. Use that reclaimed space beside the appliances to install a tall, narrow storage tower. This gives you a dedicated column for everything from spare towels to cleaning supplies, all without expanding the room’s footprint.

Why It Works

You double your floor-level storage by simply going vertical with your appliances. The storage tower beside them becomes your entire laundry command centre — neat, contained, and right next to the machines.

Best For

Small laundry rooms, hallway laundry setups, and closet-style laundry spaces. Works brilliantly in apartments where every square foot matters.

Styling Tips

Match the storage tower to the cabinet finish in the rest of the room. Use adjustable shelves inside so you can customise the height for tall bottles or folded items. Add a small drawer at eye level for odds and ends like spare buttons or safety pins.

11. Built-In Laundry Basket Cubbies

Instead of free-standing hampers taking up floor space, build cubbies directly into the lower section of your cabinetry. Each cubby holds a basket. You pull the basket out, carry it to the machine, load it, and slide it back in. Simple, tidy, and it makes sorting laundry genuinely effortless.

Why It Works

Baskets in cubbies never tip over, never get pushed into odd corners, and never take up floor space. The cubbies give each basket a defined home, which is the whole key to keeping a laundry room tidy over time.

Best For

Families with children, or anyone managing large volumes of laundry. Great in laundry rooms with enough cabinet width to accommodate two or three side-by-side cubbies.

Styling Tips

Use woven rattan baskets in the cubbies for a warm, natural texture. Label each basket with a small leather tag — whites, colours, delicates. Keep the cubby openings uniform in size so the baskets sit flush and the whole unit looks built-in rather than thrown together.

12. Under-Counter Basket Drawers

If your laundry room has a countertop, the space underneath it is prime storage territory. Slide in a set of open basket drawers on a low frame — no doors needed. Each basket pulls out independently like a drawer. You get visible, accessible storage without the bulk of full cabinetry.

Why It Works

Under-counter space often goes completely unused. Basket drawers fill it with practical storage in a way that’s easy to access. No reaching into deep, dark cabinets — everything is visible and close to hand.

Best For

Rooms with a dedicated folding counter or countertop above front-loading machines. Also works beautifully in a laundry-mudroom combo, where the baskets can hold sports kits, cleaning cloths, or seasonal items.

Styling Tips

Choose baskets in a matching colour or weave for a uniform look. Add a small label holder to the front of each basket so the contents are clearly marked. Mix one or two closed wicker baskets with open wire baskets for visual variety.

13. Tension Rod Under a Shelf for Spray Bottles

This is one of those ideas that costs almost nothing and genuinely makes a difference every single day. Install a tension rod underneath a wall shelf and hang your spray bottles from it using their trigger handles. They hang neatly in a row, off the shelf surface, freeing up shelf space for other things.

Why It Works

Spray bottles are one of the most awkward things to store in a laundry room. They tip over, clutter shelves, and take up more space than they deserve. Hanging them uses the underside of a shelf — a surface that was doing nothing before.

Best For

Any laundry room with existing open shelving. A perfect zero-cost upgrade for renters or anyone on a very tight budget.

Styling Tips

Decant cleaning sprays into matching refillable bottles before hanging them — it looks far more intentional than a row of mismatched branded bottles. Use a tension rod in a matte black or brushed nickel finish to match your other hardware.

14. Corner Floating Shelves

Corners are the most underused spots in any room — and laundry rooms are no different. A set of corner floating shelves fits right into that awkward angled space and gives you extra surface area for supplies, small plants, or decorative storage jars. They’re small but surprisingly useful.

Why It Works

Corners are dead space in most laundry rooms. Floating corner shelves are compact enough that they don’t crowd the room, but they add a meaningful amount of extra storage. They’re also a great place for the things that don’t fit neatly anywhere else.

Best For

Smaller laundry rooms where wall space along the main walls is already taken. Also ideal when you have a corner that catches clutter and want to give it a purpose.

Styling Tips

Use corner shelves to hold the things that make the room feel nice — a small candle, a trailing plant, a pretty jar of clothes pegs. Keep the practical items on the main shelves and use corner shelves for a softer, more styled look.

15. Overhead Cabinet Bridge Between Two Units

If you have two separate cabinet units flanking your washer and dryer, connect them overhead with a bridge cabinet. This runs across the top of the appliances, closing the gap between the two side units and creating a long, continuous storage shelf above the machines.

Why It Works

The bridge cabinet ties the whole wall together visually — it looks custom and built-in, even if the two side units were separate purchases. It also adds a significant amount of enclosed storage directly above your machines, right where you need it most.

Best For

Laundry rooms with side-by-side cabinets flanking the machines. Also a great finishing touch in a renovation when you want the space to look fully thought-through.

Styling Tips

Use the same door style and finish across all three units so they read as one continuous piece of furniture. Recessed LED strip lighting under the bridge cabinet illuminates the workspace below beautifully. Install inside-cabinet lighting for the bridge unit if it’s used for everyday supplies.

16. Drop-Down Fold-Out Countertop Folding Station

A fold-out countertop is one of the most practical upgrades you can make to a small laundry room. It mounts to the wall on a bracket, folds flat when you don’t need it, and drops down to full countertop height when you’re ready to fold. When it’s folded up, it takes up no floor space at all.

Why It Works

Folding clothes on top of the washer is uncomfortable and inefficient. A proper flat surface makes the task faster, easier, and far less annoying. The fold-down design means you only use the space when you actually need it.

Best For

Small laundry rooms and closet-style setups. Brilliant for anyone who doesn’t have enough room for a permanent countertop or folding table.

Styling Tips

Choose a countertop in a wood finish or white laminate to match the rest of your cabinetry. Install a small lip on the edge of the drop-down surface to stop folded items sliding off. Add a hook underneath the countertop for hanging a laundry bag when the counter is folded up.

17. Magnetic Strip for Small Metal Tools & Clips

A magnetic strip is a kitchen favourite — but it works just as brilliantly in the laundry room. Mount a magnetic strip to the wall and use it to hold metal tools like scissors, seam rippers, safety pins, and small metal tins. It keeps tiny items visible and accessible without cluttering a shelf or drawer.

Why It Works

Small laundry tools are constantly getting lost. They’re too small for a shelf on their own, too easy to misplace in a drawer. A magnetic strip holds them exactly where you need them, at eye level, visible at all times.

Best For

Anyone who does a lot of hand sewing, clothing repairs, or detailed laundry work. Also great in family laundry rooms where small tools tend to disappear into the mess.

Styling Tips

Choose a slim magnetic strip in matte black or stainless steel. Place it at eye level near your folding station or ironing board. Add a few small matching tins with magnetic bases to hold safety pins, spare buttons, and needle and thread.

18. Wall-Mounted Drying Rack with Fold-Flat Arms

A wall-mounted drying rack gives you a full row of drying arms that unfold when you need them and collapse completely flat against the wall when you don’t. It’s the cleanest, most space-efficient way to air-dry delicates without permanently occupying floor or wall space.

Why It Works

Air drying is gentler on clothes and saves energy — but traditional drying racks are bulky and permanently in the way. A wall-mounted version gives you all the drying capacity with almost zero footprint when it’s not in use.

Best For

Any laundry room where clothes need to air-dry regularly. Especially useful in homes without a tumble dryer or in households that prefer to air-dry delicates and woollens.

Styling Tips

Mount the rack at a height that allows long items like trousers and dresses to hang freely without touching the floor. Choose a stainless steel or matte black finish. Install it on a side wall rather than the main feature wall so it fades into the background when folded.

19. Tiered Wire Basket Tower on the Floor

A tiered wire basket tower is a tall, slim floor unit with three or four open wire baskets stacked at different heights. It holds a lot of laundry supplies, towels, or cleaning products in a small footprint. It’s completely moveable and costs very little.

Why It Works

Wire baskets are lightweight, ventilated, and very easy to see into. The tiered tower format means you can store a lot of different items in a very small floor area. It’s also a brilliant option if you’re renting or don’t want to commit to fixed shelving.

Best For

Small laundry rooms, basement laundry areas, and anyone looking for an affordable, no-tools-required storage solution.

Styling Tips

Use the top two baskets for everyday supplies and the lower basket for bulkier items like extra cleaning cloths or spare sponges. Line each basket with a linen cloth to soften the industrial look and stop small items falling through the wire gaps.

20. Hidden In-Wall Ironing Board Cabinet

This is a full renovation-level idea — but once you see it, you’ll want it. An in-wall ironing board cabinet is recessed directly into the wall cavity. The door closes flat and flush with the surrounding wall. Open it up and the full ironing board swings out. The iron sits in a holder inside. Then it all disappears again.

Why It Works

It genuinely takes up zero room in the laundry space because it lives inside the wall. There’s no cabinet projection, no floor footprint, and no visual bulk. When closed, you’d never know it was there.

Best For

Laundry rooms being renovated from scratch. Works best in rooms with a stud wall where the cabinet can be recessed cleanly. An investment worth making if ironing is part of your regular routine.

Styling Tips

Frame the cabinet door in the same trim as the rest of your cabinetry so it reads as a panel rather than a cupboard. Choose a door with a mirror finish for dual-purpose functionality — an ironing station and a full-length mirror in one spot.

21. Over-Appliance Open Shelf with Woven Baskets

A single wide open shelf mounted just above your machines — at a height that’s still easy to reach — lined with matching woven baskets. Each basket holds a different category of laundry supplies. It’s simple, it’s functional, and it makes the room look put-together with very little effort.

Why It Works

The combination of one clean shelf line with uniform baskets is one of the easiest ways to make a laundry room look styled and organised at the same time. The baskets contain the clutter. The shelf gives it all a clear visual anchor.

Best For

Rooms where you want storage that also looks good without spending a lot. Great in open or semi-open laundry spaces that are visible from elsewhere in the home.

Styling Tips

Use baskets in a natural seagrass or rattan weave. Choose odd numbers — three baskets look better than four on most standard shelf widths. Label each basket with a small handwritten or printed tag tucked into a leather loop on the front.

22. Tall Locker-Style Storage Cabinet

Think of those slim, tall lockers you see in schools or gyms — then imagine one designed for your laundry room. A tall locker-style cabinet is typically 30–40cm wide and full ceiling height. It holds cleaning gear, spare supplies, or clothing items in a narrow, vertical column that barely takes up any floor space.

Why It Works

Its height-to-footprint ratio is unbeatable. You get enormous storage capacity in a very slim profile. One or two lockers side by side can hold everything from a mop and broom to folded spare linens — all hidden behind closed doors.

Best For

Larger laundry rooms or utility rooms that double as cleaning storage areas. Great in family homes where a lot of cleaning and household supplies need a home.

Styling Tips

Choose lockers with simple, flat-panel doors in a matte finish rather than the industrial metal look — they blend into a home environment far more naturally. Install the lockers at the end of a run of base cabinets so the height difference creates a deliberate design rhythm.

23. Repurposed Bookshelf as a Laundry Supply Station

A slim bookshelf — the kind you’d normally find in a bedroom or living room — becomes a surprisingly capable laundry room storage unit when you repurpose it for this space. Load the shelves with baskets, jars, folded towels, and cleaning supplies, and you have a full storage wall at a fraction of the cost of custom cabinetry.

Why It Works

Bookshelves are affordable, widely available in many sizes, and have adjustable shelves that you can reconfigure to fit your exact supplies. A coat of paint ties it into your laundry room colour scheme beautifully.

Best For

Budget-conscious projects, rental properties, and anyone who wants a quick, no-renovation upgrade. Also great for laundry rooms in transition while a bigger renovation is planned.

Styling Tips

Paint the bookshelf the same colour as your walls for a seamless, built-in effect. Add fabric storage boxes or woven baskets on each shelf to hide clutter. Put your prettiest items — a plant, matching jars, a small diffuser — at eye level for instant style.

24. Laundry-Mudroom Combo with Bench, Cubbies & Hooks

Combining your laundry room with a mudroom entry is one of the cleverest things you can do in a family home. You get a bench for sitting and removing shoes, cubbies for each family member’s bags and gear, hooks above for coats and hats, and the laundry machines right there so dirty clothes can go straight into the wash.

Why It Works

It collapses two rooms into one without compromising on either function. The mudroom keeps outdoor mess contained at the entry. The laundry area catches dirty clothes before they travel through the house. Everything happens in one zone, which is genuinely life-changing when you have kids.

Best For

Homes with a side or back entry near the laundry area. Ideal for families, dog owners, or anyone who deals with a lot of outdoor mess and sports kit coming in and out of the house daily.

Styling Tips

Assign a cubby and a set of hooks to each family member — personalised labels on each space work brilliantly for kids. Use a bench with a hinged lid and hidden storage inside for shoes, sports balls, or seasonal items. Choose durable, wipeable materials throughout — this space takes a lot of daily use.

Mistakes to Avoid in Your Laundry Room

Knowing what works is only half the story. Knowing what not to do saves you time, money, and a lot of frustration. Here are the most common storage mistakes I see — and how to avoid them.

Ignoring vertical space. Most people fill their floor and then stop. But the walls above the machines, above the door, and in the corners are full of untapped potential. Always go up before you go out.

Buying storage before measuring. A rolling cart that’s 1cm too wide won’t fit between your machines. A shelf that’s too shallow won’t hold your detergent bottles. Always measure first — width, height, and depth — before you buy anything.

Using open shelves without baskets. Open shelves look great in photos. In real life, without containers, they become clutter magnets. Always pair open shelving with baskets, bins, or jars to keep things contained.

Forgetting about ventilation. Laundry rooms are humid spaces. Wooden shelving needs to be sealed. Fabric baskets need to breathe. Avoid storing items in tightly sealed containers in this room without thinking about moisture.

Overcrowding the room with too many solutions. It’s tempting to try every idea at once. Don’t. Pick three or four storage solutions that work for your specific room and lifestyle. A focused, simple system beats a complicated one every time.

Leaving the door to the laundry room out of the plan. The back of your laundry door is free, useful space. If you’ve planned every wall and forgotten the door, you’ve missed one of the easiest wins in the room.

Conclusion

The laundry room doesn’t have to be the room you rush in and out of. With the right storage in place, it can be calm, functional, and genuinely pleasant to use.

You don’t need to do all 24 ideas. Start with one or two that match your room size and budget. Get those right. Then build from there. The goal is a room that works the way you do — where everything has a home and laundry day feels manageable rather than chaotic.

Even a single floating shelf with matching baskets can shift the energy of the room completely. Small changes really do add up here. Pick your starting point and go for it. Your laundry room is about to get a whole lot better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add storage to a very small laundry room? Go vertical first. Floating shelves above the machines, an over-the-door organiser, and a slim rolling cart between appliances can dramatically increase storage in a room of any size. These three alone can handle most of your everyday supplies without touching the floor.

What are the best storage ideas for renters who can’t drill into walls? Over-the-door organisers, tension rods, freestanding shelving units, and rolling carts are all renter-friendly options. They require no permanent fixtures and can move with you when you leave.

How do I keep my laundry room smelling fresh even with closed storage? Place a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball inside your cabinet. Use ventilated baskets for dirty laundry so air can circulate. Keep the room dry by wiping down machine surfaces after use and leaving the washer door slightly ajar between cycles.

What is the best way to organise laundry supplies on a budget? Repurpose glass jars from the kitchen, use tension rods, add command hooks, and look for secondhand shelving or cabinets. A tin of paint and some adhesive labels can make budget finds look completely intentional.

How many hampers do I really need? For most households, three is the sweet number — one for darks, one for lights, and one for delicates. If you have children, consider one hamper per person to reduce sorting time on laundry day.

Should I choose open shelves or closed cabinets? A mix of both works best. Use closed cabinets to hide cleaning chemicals, bulk supplies, and anything unsightly. Use open shelves for everyday items you reach for often and things that look good in baskets or jars. The combination gives you both function and style.