How to Organize Your Laundry Supplies

Knowing how to organize your laundry supplies can make your laundry tasks go more smoothly. It also makes better use of your space, which is nice even if you have plenty of it.

You may be struggling with bottles of product that don’t seem to fit on any shelf. Or you may have nowhere to put a laundry basket that’s convenient. Or maybe you buy bulk, which is smart, but finding a place to put those huge bottles is a real challenge.

Pin

Keep reading, because we have ideas! Yes, even if you have a closet with stacked machines and no storage room, we have suggestions!

How Much Space?

If you have a bigger laundry room, staying organized is easier. But when you have a smaller one, organizing becomes even more important.

You may have a nice sized room with space for shelves, or you may have a closet-sized area that’s just bit enough for you, the washer and the dryer.

Another possibility is stacked machines in a closet with few or no shelves. This means going outside the laundry “room” to find places to store your supplies.

Storing Your Supplies

To begin organizing your laundry supplies, start by sorting and categorizing them. Group similar items together, such as detergents, fabric softeners, stain removers, and cleaning tools.

Think about what order you want to put them in. I’d suggest you put them in the order you usually use them. Pre-treaters before detergents, then softeners, etc.

Or if some other order makes more sense to your brain, that’s the one to go with.

Storing Detergent

You can store your detergent in several ways.

• Keep frequently used detergent on a shelf or in a cabinet for easy access
• Use labeled containers to store detergent pods or capsules
• Organize detergent bottles by type or brand
• Use a storage caddy or carousel for easy transport
• Dispose of empty detergent containers

Dryer Sheets

To prevent dryer sheets from getting lost or damaged, keep them in a dispenser box or a container with a lid. This will also help keep them fresh and ready for use.

Scent Beads

If you enjoy using scent-boosting beads, storing them in a sealable jar will help maintain their scent and prevent them from spilling or getting scattered around.

Fabric softeners

Heat and sunlight can degrade the quality of fabric softeners, so it’s best to keep them in a cool, dark area, away from direct sunlight or heat sources like radiators or the dryer.

Storage Solutions

So where are you going to store these supplies?

Wall Shelving

Most actual laundry rooms have room above the machines for some wall shelves. So that’s a good place to start. You can install a wall shelf or two if you don’t already have one built in.

Use these wall shelves to store detergent, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets. You may be able to simply line up your supplies on this shelving.

You can also use bins on the shelves to separate supplies, and label the bins so you don’t have to rummage around to find the one you want.

Cabinets

If you have cabinets in your laundry room, take advantage of them. You can assign specific shelves or drawers for different categories of supplies.

Again, storing the supplies in the order you use them is ideal, but you may not have room. Do the best you can.

Over-the-door organizers

Make use of the back of your laundry room door by installing an over-the-door organizer. Hang items like drying racks, clothes hangers, or even a mesh hamper.

Or get an mini-shelf organizer to hold stain removers, spray bottles and brushes.

Pegboards and Hooks

Use hooks to hang items like laundry bags or cleaning tools. Or install a pegboard on the wall to hang tools and accessories.

This is ideal for keeping items like clothespins, measuring cups, and small brushes easily accessible.

Rolling Carts

Rolling carts are especially great for stacked laundry closets, where you have little or no storage space built in. A rolling cart can hold all your supplies, and when you’re not doing laundry, you just put it somewhere out of the way.

Look for a cart with multiple tiers to store larger items like detergent bottles or extra towels. This allows for easy mobility when doing laundry.

Do You Need Refillable Bottles?

Sometimes product bottles and boxes just don’t want to fit. They may be too tall for a shelf, too heavy for a wall hook. They can also be awkward to use or heavy to pull down from a high shelf

One solution is to get refillable bottles and pour the supplies into them. This can be especially useful if you have very little space.

If you have room, you can also get a beverage dispenser with a spigot for liquid products. Then you only have to get them off the shelf when it’s time to refill.

Ironing Supplies

Wherever you do your ironing, there are some supplies you’ll need to keep on hand.

• Consider a wall-mounted ironing board if you have an out of the way place to put it.
• Keep ironing accessories like sprays, starch, and water near the ironing board for convenience. A shelf is great, but so is a caddy you can put away in a cabinet or closet when it’s not in use.
• Hang ironing board covers on the back of the door to keep them out of the way when not in use.
• Organize sewing and mending supplies in a nearby drawer or a sewing box for easy access.
• Store extra hangers near the ironing area so you can hang freshly ironed clothes immediately.

Laundry Baskets

If your main trouble is finding a place to put laundry baskets when transferring clothes to and from the machines, consider using collapsible or stackable ones to save space in your laundry room. While these still take up space, they are a little easier to work with because they’re collapsible.

I actually use a huge, very lightweight bag I have that, oddly, came with a computer printer I bought a decade ago. It’s big enough to carry the printer, so I guess they… thought people carry printers around?

Pin

Whatever! The printer is long gone now, but the bag is great for transferring clothes out of hampers and carrying them down to the laundry room. Any big roomy tote or duffle bag can work.

Another option is a wall or door hook for your hamper. If you can hang the hamper or bag you use for clothes while you’re transferring laundry, it frees your hands.

Household Hampers

You may not think of hampers as laundry supplies, exactly, but they’re an important part of keeping the chore organized. There are several ways you can organize your household hampers.

• Assign a specific hamper to each family member. This will help streamline the sorting process and avoid mix-ups.
• Label or color-code the hamper for easy identification. Use labels or tags to indicate whose laundry belongs in each basket.
• Keep extra laundry hampers for sorting purposes. Having additional baskets on hand can make it easier to separate different loads.
• Consider using collapsible laundry baskets as hampers. These can be folded and stowed away when they’re not in use, freeing up valuable space.
• Rotate laundry baskets to distribute wear and tear evenly. By rotating the baskets, you can ensure that they are used equally and prevent any one hamper from becoming worn out.
• Consider using a laundry sorter with compartments for easy sorting of dirty clothes.

Labeling Your Supplies

Labeling keep laundry supplies visually organized. It helps everyone in your household locate and return items to their designated places.

You can use adhesive labels, chalkboard labels, or even a label maker for a more polished look. Be sure to label shelves, bins, baskets, and containers.