Give your home’s most hardworking room an easy makeover with a few key organization updates. On top of washing and drying duties, laundry rooms usually serve other roles too: linen closet, mudroom, storage room, multipurpose room, etc.

If your laundry room is on the smaller size, you know that utilizing every inch of space is important. First, make a point to keep the clutter and piles of dirty clothes to a minimum; letting even little messes pile up can quickly make the room look and feel smaller than it is.

Your home can’t operate efficiently without cleaning products and other household essentials, so start the organization process by giving them designated areas. Try these 12 Brilliant Ways to Organize a Small Laundry Room On a Budget so it can stand up to the toughest of tasks.

Add a countertop

A butcher-block slab morphs the top of your machines into usable workspace. Plus, pull the cute curtains, and your utility room is suddenly just cozy nook. It’s a clever trick for holiday party season — washing machines aren’t exactly festive.

Shop a similar look: butcher block countertop ($299, amazon.com), curtains ($10, amazon.com)

Hang handy baskets

No room for a shelf? These little caddies are the perfect size for your cleaners, and they can fit on even the bittiest bare wall.

Shop a similar look: plastic caddy ($14, amazon.com), wire basket ($24, amazon.com)

Try tilt-out drying racks

If a standalone version is out of the question (this blogger’s laundry room is in her bathroom), line the walls with racks instead. Hinges help them tuck neatly out of the way when you’re done.

Shop a similar look: drying rack ($82, amazon.com)

Float a shelf over the machines

Much like a sofa table can offer a much-needed spot to rest your coffee, this handy ledge turns the top of your machines into storage – without requiring a much extra room at all.

Shop a similar look: shelf ($50 and more, etsy.com)

Floating white shelves

First of all, this might be the loveliest garage laundry space we’ve ever seen. But it also reminds us to hang shelves and cabinets as high as they will go — no vertical space left behind.

Shop a similar look: floating white shelves ($25 for a 2-pack, etsy.com)

Maximize narrow spaces

Even the diagonal ceiling in her laundry room didn’t stop this blogger. She took advantage of the awkward nook by hanging lay-flat drying racks that flip up when not in use.

Shop a similar look: hanging drying rack ($15, amazon.com)

Sneak in your shelves

Shelving tends to offer more flexible storage than bulkier bookcases. And anchoring shelves on the side of a laundry closet (instead of bracketing them to the back wall), will allow you to hang the widest ones possible — and claim every inch of empty space.

Shop a similar look: white shelving unit ($88, amazon.com)

Squeeze an ironing board in the wall

Make extra space magically appear by adding a hidden closet in-between wall studs. This one holds a recessed ironing board, so it can always stow completely (and we mean completely) out of the way.

Shop a similar look: cabinet ironing board ($160, amazon.com)

Choose shelves with hooks and rods

Souped-up shelves work much harder than their sleek floating cousins. This set has hooks (great for holding lingerie bags as you stuff them) and a rod that makes the teeny space between the machines available for hanging shirts as you press them.

Shop a similar look: shelving unit ($150, amazon.com)

Install a pegboard

In a small laundry room, not even wall space should go to waste. This blogger installed a pegboard that serves as storage for all of her tools and dirty clothes baskets.

Shop a similar look: pegboard ($54, amazon.com)

Use Curtains to Separate Your Space

If you don’t have a door on your laundry room but would like to separate the space, consider using a simple curtain rod and curtains. This is a great option if your washer/dryer is somewhere more visible in your home. While curtains won’t provide any sound protection, it’s a perfect solution for hiding your washer/dryer.

Shop a similar look: tension rod stall white ($6.49, target.com), curtains ($20, amazon.com)

Use a Bookshelf for Storage

Don’t be afraid to make use of furniture and items from other parts of your home in your laundry room, especially if you have an odd corner or wall. This bookshelf was certainly not intended to be used in a laundry room, but it fits perfectly in the space and provides some much-needed storage space for sorting baskets.

Shop a similar look: small bookshelf ($29, walmart.com)