Not every home has a dedicated laundry room with space for a row of full-size hampers. Most Australians are doing laundry in a bathroom, a corner of the kitchen, a shared laundry nook in an apartment block, or a small cupboard that barely fits the washing machine.
The good news is that you don't need much space to have a functional laundry system. You just need the right baskets in the right places.
Go Vertical: Stacked and Slimline Solutions
When floor space is limited, the answer is usually to go up. A few options that work well:
• Stacked multi-bin carts (three narrow bins mounted vertically) can occupy a very slim footprint, often narrow enough to slot between a washing machine and a wall, or beside a dryer. Each bin handles one laundry category.
• Tall, narrow baskets, rather than wide, shallow ones, make better use of vertical space in tight laundry corners or small bathrooms.
• Over-door organisers and hooks are useful for mesh bags, delicates, or small sorting items that don't need a full basket.
Corner Baskets: Put Dead Space to Work
Corner and wedge-shaped baskets are designed to fit into the awkward dead space that a standard rectangular basket can't reach. Small bathrooms and laundry nooks often have usable corners that go to waste, a corner hamper turns this into functional storage without adding to the room's footprint.
Collapsible Baskets: The Small-Space MVP
If you only have one piece of laundry organisation advice to take from this guide, it's this: collapsible baskets are the standout solution for small living spaces.
When expanded, they're full-size and fully functional, with a capacity equivalent to a standard basket. When not in use, they compress to a fraction of their height (a typical collapsible basket goes from around 27–30 cm tall down to roughly 7–10 cm) and can be stored:
• Flat under a bed
• Hanging on the back of a door
• On a shelf or stacked in a cupboard
• Inside the washing machine drum when not in use
Our laundry basket range includes collapsible options designed specifically for small-space storage, full capacity when you need it, minimal footprint when you don't.
According to Apartment Therapy, collapsible hampers are "the single best solution for renters and small apartment dwellers who can't afford to give permanent floor space to a laundry basket." (Source: Apartment Therapy)
The Two-Tier System: Small Basket + Central Hamper
In homes where bedrooms or bathrooms are separated from the laundry area, which is most apartments, a two-tier approach works well:
• A small basket in each bedroom or bathroom for day-to-day dirty laundry.
• A larger central basket or hamper near the washing machine where smaller baskets are emptied on laundry day.
This keeps dirty laundry contained in the right rooms without needing a large hamper in every space. The small bedroom basket can be a compact, collapsible, or a neat fabric option that suits the room's look.
Sorting in Small Spaces
One of the most common concerns with small spaces is that there's no room for multiple baskets. But you don't need a lot of room to maintain a basic sorting system:
• Two smaller baskets (~25–35L each) placed side by side in a cupboard or stacked with a shelf between them can handle a lights/darks split without needing dedicated floor space.
• A divided two-section sorter takes up the footprint of one basket but handles two laundry categories, a practical option when floor space is the hard constraint.
For a full walkthrough of how to set up a colour and fabric sorting system, see our guide on how to sort laundry like a pro.
Rolling Baskets for Shared Laundry Facilities
If you're in an apartment building with communal laundry, transporting your laundry there and back is part of the routine. A basket with wheels, or a compact laundry trolley, makes this significantly easier, especially for larger or heavier loads.
Look for sturdy casters that roll smoothly on different surfaces and a frame stable enough to manage when the basket is full. For more on what to look for when choosing a basket, our laundry basket buying guide covers features in detail.
Make It Look Good: Style in Visible Spaces
In small spaces, your laundry basket is often visible rather than tucked away in a dedicated room. That makes material and style more important than it might otherwise be:
• Wicker or woven hampers coordinate easily with bathroom or bedroom décor and look intentional rather than functional.
• Fabric baskets in neutral tones or a colour that matches the room blend in rather than standing out.
• A collapsible fabric basket in white or grey can sit on a shelf and look like storage rather than a laundry basket.
For a full overview of materials and what each one looks like and suits, our complete guide to laundry baskets covers every type and material in detail, a useful starting point if you're not sure what kind of basket you actually need.
Dual-Use Ideas: When Your Basket Does More Than One Job
In homes without a dedicated linen cupboard, a spare laundry basket can do double duty, storing extra towels, out-of-season bedding, or bulky items that don't have another obvious home.
A quick note on hygiene: for this to work without issues, the basket used for storing clean linen needs to be different from the one used for dirty laundry. Using the same basket for both is easy to do by accident, but as we cover in our guide to keeping your laundry basket clean and fresh, dirty baskets carry bacteria and odour that transfer to clean items.
Small Space, Smart System
The key takeaways:
• Go vertical with stacked bins or tall, narrow baskets when floor space is tight.
• Use corner baskets to turn dead space into useful storage.
• Choose collapsible baskets; they solve the space problem better than any other design.
• A two-tier system (small basket in each room, central hamper at the machine) works well when the laundry area is separate from living spaces.
• Keep sorting simple in small spaces: two baskets or a divided sorter handle most households' needs.
• Choose a basket that looks good, since in small spaces, it's almost certainly going to be visible.