Tired of your laundry room looking like a broom closet with clothes tumbling out from every corner? Don't have enough space to stuff your towels and bedsheets? It's time to bid farewell to the mess.
But how can you do that? After all, you want to maximize every inch of your laundry room's space while keeping it stylish, right? That's exactly what this article is all about.
Let's check out space-saving washer-dryer combos, smart sorting systems, and hidden pullout hampers that help you reclaim valuable floor space.
1. Go Vertical
Anybody who has washed clothes knows they need dozens of items like fabric softeners, bleach, stain removers, detergent bottles, an iron, clothes pins, and dryer sheets. And these items require storage space - lots of it.
So if your laundry room is on the smaller side, vertical cabinetry may be the best way to maximize storage while making sure the room looks good.
For instance, you could place your washing machine and dryer under a granite, wood, or engineered stone Luna Ash countertop - a fixture of ArchiPro laundry products - with cabinets reaching the ceiling above it.
These cabinets will store all your supplies, and if you run short of space, you could always use hampers and place them on the counter.
2. Install Shelves
If you've got three kids and a house to manage, you might not have the time to search cabinets for a softener scent your partner likes. That's where shelves come in. This open-to-the-air cabinetry option provides quick grab-and-go functionality.
You could pepper your walls with equidistant floating shelves (maybe a foot apart for maximum efficiency) and designate each shelf for specific products. For instance, you could store detergents (mild, soft, and hard) in hampers, softeners in easy-fill bottles, and more.
Also, if you're looking to create some gorgeous visuals, you can easily transfer all your products into clearly tagged bottles. The various whites, greens, and blues will dazzle the eye. And you can make them look even more eye-catching by complimenting them with Stainmaster rugs.
3. Remodel Your Cabinets
If you aren't in the mood for a complete overhaul, you could always remodel your cabinet design for maximum functionality. For instance, if you have tall cabinets (a foot wide and two feet long) with a cavernous interior, you could add shelves inside them to maximize space.
Similarly, if your cabinets don't extend to the ceiling, you could add a block of cabinets up top, making sure to match your current style.
4. Put in a Multi-Purpose Island
If you've got a big kitchen-sized laundry room, think about installing an island. It'll double as an extra work surface (or your only work surface) and provide you with more storage, especially if you've got a million different towels on hand.
For instance, you can add drawers to your island for storing laundry products, brushes, and sewing supplies to repair torn keepsakes. Similarly, pullout storage with hangers can help you store ironed shirts or pants your partner might need when going to the office.
You could also get drying racks built into your island, helping you chase away moisture from fresh laundry without having to hang it outside.
5. Get a Wall-mounted Ironing Board
Don't have space to fit your ironing board? You can easily slap a hinge or an L-bend bracket on a laundry room wall and hang your ironing board up here. The hinges will allow you to fold the board, while the L-bend will keep it in place.
But if that sounds like a hassle and seems way too cluttered, you could always get a padded pullout board installed under your workspace - sort of like a drawer, but flat. This way, when you need to iron your jeans, you could pull it out, work your magic, and stuff it back in.
6. Stack Your Machines
Washing machines and dryers are big, bulky, and broad. And fitting them into a laundry room without them looking like sore thumbs is challenging. However, you can reverse that brain freeze by stacking your machines on top of each other.
For instance, you could place your washing machine up top so it's easy to reach and you can put in the detergent without bending or crouching, which isn't comfy at the best of times. But make sure you separate both machines with a stone or strong wooden shelf that doesn't break.
Regardless, once the spin cycle is done, all you need to do is take your clothes out of the front loader and toss them into your dryer, which will dry them in a jiffy.
7. Add Lots of Laundry Hampers
A foot-deep stack of detergents, soaps, bleach, and other laundry essentials in your cabinets can make finding what you want when you want it almost impossible. This can add hours to your laundry time, which is already upwards of five to seven hours per week.
So, set up a smart sorting system that stores all your laundry supplies in one place. For instance, you could dedicate one hamper to detergents, another to various fabric softeners, and still another to stain removers. However, make sure to label everything so you know what's what.
Aside from that, you could also create separate hampers for coloured and white clothes. This way, everybody will put their dirty laundry where it needs to be and make washing them much less time-consuming.
Plus, the hampers will keep the smelly and dirty clothes hidden, making your space look nicer.
The Bottom Line
Hygiene is essential to life, but you can't maintain it without doing laundry. Unfortunately, laundry supplies and essentials can take up a lot of space, with most people needing at least 10 to 36 inches of space on each side of their machines for pre-washing prep.
The good news is, there are a million ways to maximize the storage space in your laundry room, even if it's closet-sized. So, if you're looking for ways to make the most of your space, try one of the methods above. They'll help you get the mix of function and style you want.