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This post is all about very small laundry room ideas that will make you actually want to do laundry.
Very small laundry rooms can be just as good as normal-sized laundry rooms! But functionality is going to mean a whole lot more to you than the average laundry room user.
You already have limited space, there’s no room for messing around. But functionality doesn’t have to mean your laundry room can’t be the most adorable thing either. Sometimes the cutest things come in the smallest packages! And we’re about to put a bow on your laundry room. 😉
In this post, I’ll be going over 11 of the best very small laundry room ideas for a functional, cute, and clean space. That way you can focus more on washing those clothes, instead of struggling through laundry day.
Very Small Laundry Room Ideas
I’ll be the first to admit, I have a VERY small laundry room. You can take one step in any direction and be across the room haha. So I am completely with you in the struggle to maximize your small space, while still thinking about ways to make it cute.
One of the best ways to keep your tiny laundry room feeling spacious is constantly keeping it clean and keeping things up off the floor. There are times when life gets crazy and you’re going to have shoes on the floor, clothes hanging in your face, and maybe that thing you need to take back to Target all crowded in one room.
When you have a very small laundry room, you’ll want to try your best not to use your space as a holding ground for all extra things.
Make it purposeful and intentional!
1. DIY Laundry Room Shelves
Okay, so this is going to be a HUGE space saver when it comes to a super small laundry room. Not only will you save space, but you’ll be saving that money with this DIY small laundry room idea!
DIY laundry room shelves are customizable to your space since you’re making them specific to your laundry room. They are the perfect storage solution for organizing all of those laundry room essentials.
Stain them and seal them so they look good and last for years to come!
Check out my post Cheap DIY Laundry Room Shelves For A Cute And Functional Space (Step By Step Guide) for an in-depth tutorial on how to DIY your own laundry room shelves! So you can take it from this to THIS!
This is an awesome idea for small laundry rooms with a top-loading washer because you’ll need room to open and close your washer lid. If you get a 12” deep shelf, or even narrower, then you’re going to have more than enough room for the washing machine lid to open!
2. Storage Baskets for Organization
Out of sight, out of mind is what I like to call this one! If you’re looking for small laundry room organization ideas, this one’s for you.
Laundry room organization baskets will help your laundry room look crisp and clean all year round. Store trash bags, oxi-clean, hats, gloves, outdoor power tool batteries, or whatever miscellaneous items you may want to keep in your laundry room.
Then you can display them on your DIY shelves! What a perfect combo.
Find some really cute baskets, that way they double as organization AND cute laundry room decor!
These are the ones I have and they fit perfectly on my 12” deep shelves. I love the two-tone color – it adds a little bit of excitement to the laundry room. Plus, they can surprisingly hold a lot!! The jute material is great quality, and these baskets have held up for YEARS! Still just as good as the first day I started using them as my laundry room organization!
Pair them with these adorable decorative white baskets from Target for smaller items that you may want to be more accessible.
For instance, my laundry room leads straight into my garage, so we store our outdoor power tool chargers and batteries in one of these to grab on the way out to the yard. I love the 13” size, but they do come in a few different sizes to meet all of your laundry room needs!
These are great options for how to organize a small laundry room.
3. Wallpaper Accent Wall
I told you there would be ideas to make your small laundry room cute! This is specifically one to make your laundry room feel a little more dreamy and design-like.
Instead of wallpapering an entire room, apply wallpaper to one wall to create an accent wall. In such a small space, this is going to make one BIG impact.
The great thing is if you have a narrow laundry room just like me (literally it’s only wide enough to fit my washer and dryer), then you won’t even need that much wallpaper.
I recommend putting wallpaper on the wall behind your washer and dryer. This will spice things up, and if you want to go the extra mile, pair this idea with the DIY laundry room shelves idea to really give your very small laundry room the WOW factor!
4. Wall Mounted Clothes Drying Rack
When you’re looking for very small laundry room ideas that are functional, this is going to be one of the most helpful things you could include in your space!
Wall-mounted clothes drying racks won’t steal your space, but they can fold down when you’re ready to hang dry!
For the longest time, I was using a dinky little foldable clothes drying rack that never wanted to stay up. It was easily the worst part about doing laundry!
If you’ve been drying clothes on the backs of chairs, rails, and anything else in sight that you can find, those days are over. Trust me, you need to get one of these – it will greatly improve your laundry days!
I got mine from Pottery Barn which couldn’t have been a better fit in my super tiny laundry room, but there are awesome options on Amazon as well.
5. Laundry Room Rug
No laundry room is too small for a cute laundry room rug!
Laundry room rugs soften up your laundry room and add a nice cozy element to it.
Depending on how small your laundry room is, I find a 2’x3’ or 3’x5’ to fit nicely – whether it’s in front of a door leading outside, or in front of your washer and dryer.
Rugs are a chance to throw a little bit of your personality into your room, plus it’ll be great to stand on while you’re doing laundry!
Sometimes it can be a little bit overwhelming looking for rugs, so I’ve put together a list of the absolute cutest laundry room rugs here.
RELATED POST: The 16 Cutest Laundry Room Rugs You Need In Your Life
6. Laundry Room Shelf With Hanging Rod
Okay, so I know that I talked about DIY laundry room shelves as a great small laundry room idea. But if you’re looking for a way to DIY a shelf WITH a place for clothes hangers, then you’re going to love this one.
The first step, buy these steel shelf brackets. The second step, buy a dowel from your favorite hardware store. For the third step, check out step 7 on my Cheap DIY Laundry Room Shelves post. 😉
I’ll walk you through exactly how to go about creating these too. It’s seriously the best way to have a hanging rod for clothes hangers on the bottom of your DIY shelf!
I stumbled upon these curled shelf brackets when I was doing my small laundry room makeover. I had already purchased all of the wood and then had the thought, “How am I going to hang my clothes??” After A LOT of searching for the absolute best solution, I came across these bad boys and the rest is history.
7. Laundry Room Hamper
The days of the plastic basket are nearing the end if you’re looking for the cutest very small laundry room ideas!
A tall laundry hamper will keep small, low baskets out of the way – and better yet, they’re going to save you the back pain from constantly bending down to pick them up!
Along with your storage baskets, this can count as one of the best laundry room organization hacks. If you give this hamper a permanent home in the laundry room, then it will look purposeful and help keep any clothes that find themselves in the laundry room in between loads out of sight.
You may walk past your laundry room and just toss a dirty shirt or towel in there to lie on the ground until it’s time to do laundry! I’ve definitely been there in my busiest moments, so I’m no stranger to this. But adding a laundry room hamper will keep those clothes and towels up off the floor until you’re ready to do laundry!
For a very small laundry room, you might not have the space for a hamper to live in your laundry room. But a cute new hamper that lives in your bedroom for most of the week, and in your laundry room just on laundry day is a must!
8. Modern Lighting For Your Laundry Room
What do builders LOVE to put in small laundry rooms for lighting? Boob lights. Yup, everyone’s favorite LOL. Upgrading that light fixture to something more modern and less outdated is going to dramatically help your small laundry room.
The best lighting option for a very small laundry room is going to be a flush mount. Flush mounts barely hang off the ceiling which is perfect for a small space. Why? Because anything hanging too low off the ceiling in a small room is just going to make the room feel even smaller. And most flush mounts will hang less than a foot off the ceiling.
I personally love how a flush mount can make the room a little bit more interesting, and that’s why I went with one for my super small laundry room! I just think it adds another beautiful element to such a small space!
9. Cute Laundry Room Decor
Remember, it’s not ALL about doing laundry…okay well maybe it is, but adding decor to a laundry room will make it feel a little bit homier, and less of a room you really dislike haha.
Start off with the classic faux plant, or real plant if you’re a plant lover! Greenery in the laundry room can bring a sense of freshness and cleanliness, which is perfect for a room where you’re trying to get all of your clothes clean.
Then, you can add a small mirror to a wall or prop one up on those new DIY laundry room shelves! Like I always say, mirrors can help make a really small space feel bigger than it is, no matter how small the mirror is. Another great thing about laundry room mirrors is that if your laundry room is on the way out of your house, you can do one last check before hitting the road!
This is me telling you to go to HomeGoods, Target, TJMaxx, or your favorite store to shop around for little decor items. 🙂 Look for small candles, towels, and other adorable little items that you can display around your small laundry room (like this adorable box that holds dryer sheets).
10. Paint Your Walls!
One of my best tips for very small laundry room ideas, and small spaces in general, is to paint your walls a light or neutral color!
Light colors allow for small spaces to feel bigger than they really are. When you choose a dark color on all of your walls, it’s going to make the room crowded. And since we’re talking about VERY small laundry rooms, you’re definitely going to want to maximize the space as much as you can.
My favorite paint color for a nice creamy white, yet slightly warm tone is Toque White by Sherwin Williams. It has just a hint of grey in it which makes it so beautiful in any space it’s going in! I’ve used it in multiple places around my house, including my own laundry room!
11. Paint Your Door!
The last idea I have for your small laundry room is to paint the door!
What door am I talking about? If you have a door in your laundry room that leads to the garage, or even outside, painting it can give the room even more dimension and character!
If you’re going ahead with this idea and want to create that dimension, paint your door a darker color that’s in the same color scheme as your walls.
So for instance, my walls are Toque White by Sherwin Williams, and I painted my door to my garage Warm Putty by Valspar. This is the same color I painted my half board and batten wall in my first-floor half bath.
RELATED POST: How To Remodel A Bathroom On A Budget (11 Cheap Ideas For a Big Impact)
If you really want to take the leap of faith, paint your door any color you’d like! I was actually debating painting the door light pink lol, but I felt like for future-proofing purposes, Warm Putty might be a better option. Although that doesn’t mean I won’t change my mind down the round! 😏
How Do I Make My Laundry Room More Efficient?
The best way to make your laundry room as efficient and functional as possible is to be intentional with your laundry room design.
When you have a shelf for detergents, a basket for extra supplies, etc., you’ll know where everything is at all times. Plus since everything has a home, it’ll all be out of your way, allowing you to be even more efficient moving around the room.
The biggest thing for me is having the things I use most easily accessible in my laundry room. So my detergent, softener, and dryer sheets all stay within arm’s reach. Things like Oxi-Clean and other cleaning supplies I might not use as often go into a storage basket on the top shelf to keep my laundry room organized and tidy!
How Do I Maximize Space In My Laundry Room?
To fully maximize the space in your laundry room, keep as many things up and out of the way as possible. Shelving helps a tremendous amount with this because you can store and organize items on your shelves without them taking up any floor space.
Think smarter, not harder – something like the wall-mounted clothes drying rack is a genius idea for maximizing space, especially in a very small laundry room where you are crunched for space.
Keep everything organized, and be intentional with the placement of all of your laundry room items.
Do a deep clean to figure out what makes sense to live in your laundry room, and what needs a new home (or tossed out/donated).
This post was all about very small laundry room ideas to make your space adorable and functional!
There is no limit when it comes to making a very small laundry room cute and functional. Just because you have a smaller laundry room does NOT mean you can’t have the most adorable and functional laundry room out of anyone you know.
Hopefully, these very small laundry room ideas helped inspire you to make your space the best and most efficient it can possibly be!
Other Posts You Might Like:
- Cheap DIY Laundry Room Shelves For a Cute and Functional Space (Step-By-Step Guide)
- How to Remodel a Bathroom on a Budget (11 Cheap Ideas For a Big Impact)
- 31 Small Space Entryway Ideas For An Instantly Welcoming Space
