Many homeowners would love to have a dedicated laundry room in their house, especially in an area that is near their bedrooms. Gone are the days where washers and dryers were hidden away in a basement. Instead, homeowners are choosing to convert closets into laundry rooms or to create a laundry room area within their bathroom. This can result in your laundry room being a bit on the smaller side.
However, even if you’re facing the challenges of a small space, there are certain tips and tricks you can use to help make the most of your laundry room.
Brighten the space with white walls
If you have a tiny laundry area, brighten up your space with a coat of white paint. White paint can help light bounce around the room, making your small space look bigger. White paint also contrasts nicely against stainless steel appliances to create a timeless look. You can then use decorative wall items to help further personalize your space.
If white walls are too sterile for you, an alternative is a light pastel, such as pink or yellow. This allows you to get a slight hint of color while still brightening the room.
Utilize wall storage
While it might be tempting to hang artwork or other decorations in your laundry room, that wall space is better utilized as a storage area. There are a number of laundry room essentials you’ll want to keep in stock, such as detergent, stain remover, and dryer sheets.
Instead of letting those supplies sit on top of your machine, consider investing in metal wire storage racks or shelving. The racks or shelves can go above your machines to provide you with plenty of storage space. Some people even end up creating enough space in their laundry room so that they can organize cleaning supplies and other miscellaneous household goods.
Organize your supplies in baskets
If you do opt to use shelves throughout your laundry room, you can further organize your items in baskets or cubes. This can help your tiny space from becoming overly cluttered and can help make finding items easier. Storage baskets come in all different sizes and colors, so you can easily find a style that matches your space. Another bonus of using baskets is it can free up more space on your shelves for other decorations.
If you have cabinets instead of shelves, you can still use baskets or wire drawers to help organize your room. Instead of rooting around cluttered cabinets to find what you need, all you have to do is pull out your baskets.
Dry your clothes on racks
Many people prefer not to use dryers because they aren’t energy-efficient and because they shrink your clothes. As an alternative, they hang up their clothes outside. But hanging up clothes isn’t always an option if it is raining or cold outside.
If you’re trying to find ways to dry your clothes inside but have limited space, consider a heated clothes airer or another type of drying rack. Drying racks are more cost-effective and provide plenty of space for you to hang clothes. They also fold up when you’re not using them so that they can be easily stored.
Lift your machines
An alternative to utilizing wall storage is to lift your machines and create storage space underneath of them. Pedestal drawers are meant to raise your washer and dryer several inches off of the floor so that you can store your laundry supplies underneath of the machines. Raising your washer and dryer can also make it easier to reach your machine. You can choose to buy pedestal drawers or you can choose to build your own.
Install a countertop over your machines
If you have front-loading machines, you can further utilize the space above your machine by creating a countertop made out of plywood.
Installing a countertop above your machine allows you to have a folding station right in your laundry room. Instead of having to drag your clothes into another room to fold them, you can take them right out of the dryer and fold them on a hard surface. This flat surface can also double as an ironing surface so that you can take care of all your laundry needs in the same room.
Final thoughts
Lucky enough to have a dedicated laundry area in your home but discouraged about the lack of space? Consider using some of the above tips to better utilize your laundry room! Careful planning can make even the smallest of laundry rooms completely functional.
