The average family with children does 300 loads of laundry per year, according to professional cleaner Molly Maid, and most laundry rooms are used once a week. Make this chore more pleasant and improve efficiency by creating a space that’s attractive and organized specifically for the task.
If it’s been decades since your last laundry room remodel—replacing the washer and dryer don’t count—or if the room has never been properly finished, you’re probably overdue for an update. It can be as simple as installing new lighting, or even just the right bulbs (as close to CRI 100 or “sunlight” as possible), to brighten up the task and make stains easier to see and pre-treat.
No More Wasted Space
One of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest fixes—and one that provides instant gratification and inspiration for the rest of the revamp—is to hang your ironing board on the wall, using double coat hooks available at any hardware store. It clears up floor space and you can use a pretty new cover to convert even an old ironing board into a perky DIY form of “wall art.”In a similar vein, add a skinny laundry room cart with three-shelf slim storage slide-outs, designed to maximize the tight space between a side-by-side washer and dryer. A laundry cart on wheels hides and organizes detergents, the clothes iron, and other laundry supplies.
If you have matching front-load machines, maximize function by topping them with a washer/dryer countertop. It can be as simple as a piece of wood cut to size and painted to create a large, flat surface for sorting and folding. Or, you could insert custom-made cabinets, or a store-bought model. You can also consider a washer pedestal that raises the twin front-load machines to make them easier to use and creates storage space beneath.
Box shelves offer a wide variety of sizes to be hung over, in between, and around the room. Fill them with baskets to organize your detergent, dryer sheets, and spray starch neatly. Consider hanging a clothes rod between them for wet clothes (be sure there’s a protective surface underneath to catch the drips) or dry clothes that you don’t want to wrinkle before you iron them. Lastly, if your layout allows, adding a shelf behind the door can maximize an otherwise typically overlooked storage opportunity.
The Beauty of Laundry
New paint tops the list of budget-friendly updates for most projects, and the laundry room is no exception. For the cost of a brush and a gallon of paint—or less if your room is very small—you can totally revamp the space. Simple white is an easy choice, followed by a pristine gray; yellow brightens the room, blue is soothing, and sage green is zen. Or you can go for tuxedo formal: White machines, shelves, and cabinets set against black walls. It’s all about personal taste.Which leads to the next thought: This room is a great place to test a paint color before spreading it to larger areas of the home. If you hate it, it isn’t that big of a fix. A small laundry room is also the perfect spot to use leftover wallpaper or remnants bought on sale.
Doing a wash load means being on your feet, so consider adding a nice rug to soften the room. Another thing that has a big effect but isn’t often considered is to hang a piece of art, perhaps something whimsical, that makes you smile. Avoid tongue-in-cheek prints with laundry themes.
Sorting Station
A well-designed laundry room adds value to your home; organized systems are highly coveted these days. Additionally, creating a laundry room that everyone enjoys spending time in can lead to better organization throughout the rest of the house.Start by taking the hampers out of each of the bathrooms and put them in the laundry room. If you have little kids, this may not be possible, but even a single laundry basket hidden in a hall closet can go a long way to keeping floors and chair backs neater.
Organizing laundry for a big family is an art form. Make it easier by using a light/dark/color sorting basket for incoming attire, and giving each family member a labeled decorative basket or mesh drawer in a shelf unit for their newly clean shirts, socks, and other clothes. This will also save you valuable “delivery” time.
