10 Tips For a Laundry Room Makeover

Unless you adore doing laundry, you could list a hundred other places you’d rather be than your laundry room. You’re not alone. For many people, washing clothes, sheets, and towels is a necessary chore, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be overly taxing.

Having an efficient and comfortable space to handle this common household task makes a big difference. However, this doesn’t mean you need to do a complete overhaul of your utility room. After all, everyone’s watching their pennies these days, and life is busy.

What you need are some quick, easy ideas you can put into practice now. Check out these tips for making your laundry room more functional so you can spend more time on the things you want to do.

1. Include Open Shelving

If you have some wall space to spare, add an open shelf or two. Other options are a standing shelf unit if you have the floor space, or removing a cabinet door if you already have wall-mounted cabinets.

Yes, cabinets are great ways to hide things you need to store. But open shelves provide easy access to the things you use every day, like detergent, fabric softener, and stain removers.

2. Is There Room for a Sink?

Okay, yes, we said these were going to be easy tips you could do now, and here we are talking about plumbing. But stay with us. You can get a simple camping-style sink that requires no plumbing hookups.

These sinks are completely self-contained and you can find small ones for under $100. Having a sink in your utility room makes it so much easier to tackle stains, handwash delicates, and presoak items.

3. Maximize Hanging Space

You need a place to hang clothes in your laundry room. A rack or rod is a must if you’re drip-drying pieces or want to hang things up straight out of the dryer.

If you don’t have a place to add a rod, use a simple over-the-door rack that provides ample hanging space. Or get a collapsible clothing rod that tucks away in the corner or hangs on the wall or back of the door when not in use.

4. Make Laundry a Household Activity

If you live with others, then everyone gets to do laundry or at least assist with the task. Give everyone in the home their own laundry basket.

When a load of clothes is done, separate pieces into these baskets to make it easy for people to grab it and take it to their room. These baskets also double as hampers so everyone can carry their dirty stuff to the laundry room when it’s time for a wash.

5. Check the Lighting

If the laundry room is too dark, it can make you feel like you’re trapped in a cave until the chore is done. Or maybe you simply can’t see well enough to get all the stains.

Increase the wattage in the overhead light bulb if you’re able. Add a lamp or wall sconce (you can use a plug style, no need to hire an electrician to hard-wire anything) to provide task lighting for small projects.

6. Take Laundry Tasks To-Go

If your laundry room is small, use a rolling utility cart to take advantage of space elsewhere in your home. Stock the cart with stain remover, a sewing kit, and other essentials.

If your laundry room doesn’t have a sink, roll the cart into the bathroom to handle pretreating and soaking. No room for sewing repairs? Roll the cart to your desk to fix rips, loose buttons, and dragging hems. You can also use the cart as a folding surface.

7. Incorporate a Flat Surface

If you don’t mind using the tops of your washer and dryer for folding, sorting, and other tasks, fine. But if you don’t want to scratch them up, cut a piece of wood to fit across the tops to give yourself a workable surface. Sand it and stain or paint it to make it safe and stylish.

If your washer and dryer aren’t side-by-side, cut two pieces of wood, one for each. Another option is to add a small drop-down, wall-mounted table. They’re easy to install and you can find them for $100 to $200.

8. Get a Folding Drying Rack

For pieces you need to dry flat, use a folding rack that mounts to the wall and folds out when you need it. If you don’t have the wall space, get a tabletop model. It sits on top of your dryer or any surface and folds up when you’re not using it.

9. Don’t Underestimate a Laundry Sorter

Why wait until laundry day to sort a mountain of clothes? Sort as you go with a laundry sorter for your various load types. For example, “Delicates,” Whites,” etc. As people bring their laundry baskets into the room, have them put their items into the appropriate bins.

10. Make Clean-Up Easy

Make quick work of wiping up spills or blotting stains with a wall-mounted paper towel holder. Hang a small lift-top mailbox on the wall to hold dryer lint and small pieces of trash. These simple items don’t take up any floor space, and add convenience to your laundry room.

Laundry might never be your favorite chore, but with a few easy changes, your laundry room can become a more functional and efficient space—especially during the hectic back-to-school season. From adding open shelving for quick access to essentials, to creating more hanging space and incorporating portable solutions, these small updates can make a big difference. With a well-organized laundry room, you’ll spend less time on chores and more time focusing on what matters most. Give these tips a try, and transform your laundry routine into something that works better for you and your family.

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