When it comes to keeping an organized house, it’s the little things that count. Nowhere in your house is this more evident than in your laundry room.
A cramped, cluttered laundry room can make doing laundry more of a chore than it already is. With so much room taken up by necessary appliances, it can be a bit of a challenge to squeeze out the extra space you need.
Fortunately, with some creativity, you can maximize whatever limited space you have. By organizing your laundry space in these ways, not only will doing laundry become more enjoyable, it may even inspire you to reorganize other spaces in your home.
Here are five creative ways to make additional storage space in your laundry room.
Assess What You Have
Before designing your dream laundry room, it can be useful to take a look at the laundry room you’ve already got. Think about the challenges of using it, as well as any advantages that it has. This can help you maximize its potential. After all, an apparent disadvantage, such as having a clunky washer and drier that don’t stack, could mean unexpected potential for extra counter space!
Get Creative with Shelving
Anyone who has reorganized a room knows that shelves can be your best friend. Instead of struggling to organize clean laundry and cleaning products in the same limited space, you can stack and easily separate with a couple of shelves directly installed into the wall. You might even consider installing small shelves into corners to best maximize space.
A stackable washer dryer cabinet, for instance, will help you utilize vertical space when you’re lacking in horizontal space. If you have the space for it, a bookshelf can serve this purpose as well, and create extra surfaces to install hooks for hanging laundry from. You can organize these shelves with small baskets, which can be attractively labelled for that extra touch. Wire storage baskets hung along the wall are also great for storing orphan socks or detergent.
Households without a drier can easily be cluttered with drying clothes. In addition to spaces for folded linen, towels, and clothes, you might also want to have some space to dry recently washed clothes. You can easily hang a drier rack from the ceiling of your laundry room or even install a collapsible rack under your shelves. Even if you have a drier, this can be helpful to safely dry delicate clothing items.
Lastly, don’t forget to utilize the space below. Overhead shelving may look nice, but pedestal drawers under your drier or other furniture are an inconspicuous space-saving solution.
Laundry room with wood floor, washing machine at closet,white wall, shelving,clothes with classic kitchen . 3d illustration
Minimize Unused Space
When you start redesigning any room, it can be tempting to prioritize aesthetics over functionality. Remember that few visitors will likely see your laundry room, so the priority is making it pleasing for you to spend time in and work in.
Forgo wall hangings and countertop ornaments. Instead, opt for painted designs and complementary colors to give your laundry room a pleasant look without sacrificing valuable space.
Apart from aesthetic considerations, make sure to scan your laundry room for small spaces that could potentially serve as handy storage spaces. Utility sinks, which are common in larger laundry rooms, can have a fair bit of space underneath them.
Even if you already store some odds and ends here, it can be a bit of a hassle to move everything when you clean the floor. Instead, you can install a shelf in between the legs of the sink, either keeping things off the floor or creating even more useful storage space. You can even use plywood to create shelves in any gaps between appliances—for example, the gap between your dryer and the wall can easily be fitted with a small shelf for soap products or air fresheners
Create Work Spaces
If you have a particularly small laundry room, it may seem like an impossible dream to actually fold your laundry in the laundry room itself. However, even the tiniest closet has the capacity for a small workspace.
Installing counter space and keeping it free from clutter is one of the greatest ways to make doing the laundry less of a hassle and will keep your clothes cleaner in the long run. If your washing machine opens from the front, install a plywood countertop above it to have a handy folding station.
If you have more space, you might also consider installing a workbench in a comfortable corner somewhere. To protect against inevitable spills, make sure to cover any wooden surfaces with waterproof varnish.
In a pinch, a foldable ironing board can work as a collapsible work surface. When not using it, hang it on two strategically placed hooks attached to the side of a sturdy shelf or to an unused section of the wall.
Wooden table in front of defocused washing machine and laundry
Don’t Forget Your Walls, Your Ceiling – or The Door!
As mentioned before, wall space can make a great spot for shelving; your ceiling can store a foldable drying rack. If you install hooks, the sides of any cabinet can also serve as an extra space to hang clothes from. But, one space that people forget to utilize is the back of the door to the room itself.
Small shelves, mounted hooks, or wire baskets on the back of your door can provide more valuable space to organize cleaning products and the like. If your laundry door doesn’t have a door, consider installing a curtain to separate this utilitarian space from the rest of your home.
Conclusion
Once you start reorganizing what seemed like an impossibly cluttered laundry room, you may be surprised to find how much usable space you actually have. With a bit of creativity and DIY inspiration, you can make any closet into an organized, good looking laundry room.
Rather than having it feel like another stressful chore, it’s possible that you’ll end up relishing doing the laundry. Who knows, you might even be inspired to take on reorganizing other parts of your house and making most of the space that you have!
