Small Laundry Room Storage Ideas, Starting on Top of the Machines
Four places to find storage in a small laundry room, from the tops of a side-by-side washer and dryer to the gap between them, plus when stacking the machines makes more sense.
A Slate Grey Washer Dryer Countertop in a tight alcove under wall cabinets: raised edges on the back and both sides turn the machine tops into one shelf.
The short answer: In a small laundry room, the storage space most people skip is the top of the washer and dryer. On a side-by-side front-load pair, a countertop with raised back and side edges, like the one OfficeSimpli sells, turns those tops into a shelf that nothing falls behind. After that, go up the wall with shelves or cabinets, use the gap between and beside the machines, and keep the floor for a sorter. Stacked machines and top-loading washers cannot take a countertop, but the wall and the gap still work.
What are the best small laundry room storage ideas?
Most laundry room storage ideas for small rooms start on the wall. These four start one step lower, on top of the machines, because that is the surface you touch every load. Then they work up the wall, into the gap and down to the floor.
1
Make the machine tops a shelf that nothing falls behind
Jars of laundry supplies on a walnut-tone Washer Dryer Countertop, with a wall shelf of bottles beside it and a hanger rail on the side of the washer.
Fixes: socks lost behind the machinesNo drilling
Bottles slide off bare machine tops, and small things drop into the gap behind them. A countertop across a side-by-side front-load pair gives you one flat shelf with raised edges along the back and both sides, so detergent, dryer sheets and socks stay put. The front stays open, so you can still load the machines.
Nothing is screwed to the wall or the machines: rubber pads under the corners keep it from sliding, and you can lift it off to get at the hoses. The top is engineered wood with a factory-fused laminate surface and a clear coat, so it resists water and scratches.
Small children at home? Keep detergent pods and bleach up high or behind a cabinet door, not on the machine tops.
Try this: clear the tops, then put back only what you use every load. Everything else goes up on the wall (idea 2).
Storage within easy reach
“It provided additional storage for laundry detergent and other items neatly and within easy reach.”
Yolanda · Verified review · January 2026
2
Go up the wall with shelves or cabinets
A styled render, not a customer's room: a Battle Creek Oak Washer Dryer Countertop with two wall shelves above and a ladder shelf beside the machines.
Good for: extra bottles and refillsRenting? Ask before you drill
The wall above the machines is the next-biggest storage space in a small room. Open shelves are easy to reach and quick to put up. Small laundry room storage cabinets hide the clutter behind doors, so a tiny room looks calmer.
Put what you grab every load on the lowest shelf and extra bottles up high. That top shelf, or a cabinet with a door, is also where detergent pods and bleach belong if small children live with you. For a hanging rod under a shelf and ideas for styling the wall, see our laundry room makeover ideas.
Try this: leave enough room between the countertop and the first shelf to lift a detergent jug off without tipping it.
3
Use the gap between and beside the machines
Fixes: no floor spaceRenter-friendly
A few inches between or beside the machines can hold more than you think. With a countertop on top, the gap under it becomes a storage slot: our product page suggests pushing the machines slightly apart so a lint bin or an ironing board fits between them. How far apart they can go depends on how wide your machines are and on the countertop, which tops out at 58 inches across, so check your numbers in our sizing guide first.
Beside the machines, a slim rolling cart slides into a narrow space and pulls out when you need it. A rail on the side of the washer can hold hangers, like the one in the photo in idea 1.
Try this: measure the space beside the machines at its narrowest point before you buy a cart.
4
Save the floor for one sorter
Fixes: piles on the floorRenter-friendly
In a small room the floor is for walking, so give it one job: a narrow sorter with a bag for each load, such as darks, lights and towels. Collapsible baskets carry clean laundry out and fold flat behind the door when you are done. Labeled bins on the wall shelves keep extra supplies off the floor.
Try this: label each bag or bin by load, so anyone in the house can sort.
Should you stack your washer and dryer to save space?
Stacking frees floor width, but you lose the machine tops as a shelf. Side by side takes more width and gives you a surface to store on. Here is the trade when storage is the goal.
Stacked
One machine on top of the other
Pros
+Frees floor width: the pair takes the floor space of one machine, so a narrow closet can hold both.
+Room beside it: the freed width can hold a cabinet, a cart or a sorter.
Cons
−No shelf on top: the top of a stacked pair sits high, so it does not work as an everyday shelf.
−No countertop: ours does not work on stacked machines.
−Not every pair can stack: check your machines' manual first.
Side by side, with a countertop
Two front-load machines next to each other
Pros
+A shelf within easy reach: both tops become one surface with raised back and side edges.
+The gap works too: a lint bin or an ironing board can fit between the machines under the countertop.
+Lifts off: the countertop comes off when you need to reach the hoses.
Cons
−Takes more floor width: you need room for two machines next to each other.
−Front-loaders only: a top-loading washer's lid needs the space a countertop would take.
−Clear it first: anything stored on top comes off before you lift the countertop to reach the hoses.
If your closet is narrower than two machines, stack them and build storage up the wall beside them. If the width is there, side by side gives you a storage surface you use every day.
One customer's choice
“Instead of stacking them, I put them side-by-side and ordered this awesome top.”
Danielle · Verified review · May 2024
Which machines can take a countertop shelf?
Check this before you plan around the machine tops. Our countertop is made for side-by-side front-load pairs only.
Fits
✓A washer and dryer that both load from the front and stand side by side
✓A pair up to 58 inches across, edge to edge (sizes 27.5 by 54, 27.5 by 58 and 30 by 58 inches)
✓Two machines of slightly different heights, once you level them with their adjustable legs or a folded towel under the low side
Does not fit
✕Machines stacked one on top of the other
✕A top-loading washer, because its lid would hit the countertop
✕A top-load washer next to a front-load dryer: the washer lid still has to open
✕Machines with rounded or curved tops
Have a top-loading washer? Skip the countertop. Open the lid all the way, measure how high it reaches, and hang a shelf above that point. The gap and floor ideas above still work too.
Worth knowing: a countertop does not create new space. It makes the tops of the machines usable, and it takes some of the space under low wall cabinets: our product page lists a 3.5-inch lip on the back and sides, on top of the board itself, so measure before you order (our sizing guide shows how). If you need room for extra bottles, you still need a shelf or cabinet on the wall.
From a very small laundry room
“It makes a very small laundry room more organized.”
H.M. · Verified review · January 2026
Not sure which size fits your machines?
Our sizing guide matches popular washer and dryer pairs to a countertop size and shows how to check the space under wall cabinets.
How do I maximize storage in a small laundry room?
Use every level. Start with the tops of the machines, then add shelves or cabinets on the wall above, use the gap between and beside the machines, and keep the floor for one sorter. Put what you use every load within reach and extras up high.
What storage works with a top-loading washer?
A shelf or cabinet on the wall above the washer's open lid: open the lid all the way and measure how high it reaches before you hang anything. A slim cart beside the machines works too. A countertop that rests on the machines does not, because it would block the lid.
Can you keep things on top of a washer and dryer?
Yes, with a little help. Bare tops let bottles slide and small things fall behind, so a countertop with raised back and side edges helps. Our product page says the rubber pads under its corners keep it from sliding during a spin cycle.
Can you store anything in the gap between a washer and dryer?
Yes. Under a countertop, the space between the machines can hold a lint bin or an ironing board, and a slim rolling cart fits in a narrow space beside them. How far apart the machines can sit depends on their width and the countertop's, which tops out at 58 inches across.
What are some simple ways to organize a small laundry room?
Clear the machine tops, keep only what you use every load within reach, move extras up to a wall shelf, and give each load its own labeled bin or bag. None of it needs a remodel.
Ready to use the tops of your machines?
The countertop comes in three sizes, in woodgrains and plain colors, and ships in 2 to 3 business days.
OfficeSimpli Washer Dryer Countertop product page: description, frequently asked questions and customer reviews, opened 2026-10-04. Reviews are quoted verbatim, spelling as written, with the reviewer's name and month as published.
Photos: the same product page's gallery, opened 2026-10-04. The image in idea 2 is a styled render.
