The Forgotten Room: The Laundry

Most of us don’t do much in our laundry room besides the laundry, right? Even if it is a combined space—like a laundry/sewing room or laundry/bathroom—most of us think of the laundry as a work area; like most work areas, a few thoughtful updates can make that area work for you. 

Getting Organized

The first step in bringing order to your laundry room is to consider what tasks you perform there. In addition to washing & drying you might be sorting, ironing, steaming, and pressing. Perhaps you have a lot of clothing that requires air drying, or that needs to lay flat to dry. Ask yourself: Is your laundry room also a room where you perform other tasks? If your laundry is also your sewing room, or if it is a combination laundry/bath, you need to consider storage and organization for the other tasks you perform in the shared space. Does your laundry room have outdoor/exterior access? Laundry rooms that double as mud rooms will benefit from additional storage for shoes, coats, and other items we tend to “drop” when we walk through the front door.

Sorting and Storage

Creating an easy, functional way to sort laundry is something that can be done in the laundry room, or in an individual bedroom or bathroom. No matter where laundry is sorted in your home during the laundry process, you can streamline the system. Several tall laundry baskets placed behind cabinetry doors will keep all of the sorted laundry in once place, and have the added benefit of keeping any musty or stain-related odors from permeating the entire space. Whether you are sorting in the bedroom, bathroom, or in the laundry room itself, a combination of cabinets and bins keeps your laundry process organized and hidden from view. Plus, you know at a glance when you have a full load for the washer!

Adding shelving is another great way to improve the storage capabilities of your laundry room. Installing floor-to-ceiling shelving can serve as storage for laundry room items like baskets, hangers, laundry detergents and dryer sheets, clothespins, etc. You can also create “grab-and-go” areas for each member of the household: assign each family member a laundry “color” and keep their clean laundry in color-coded bins, so everyone can grab their own basket and put away their own clothes.

Ironing & Steaming

Not all laundry is done once the dryer stops. Mounting ironing boards is a great way to save space while still keeping your equipment in one place. Dedicating a cabinet to all of your post-laundry items keeps things organized and at the ready; helpful when you are settling in for a long session of pressing clothes, and crucial when you need something ironed fast! Keep your iron, steamer, starch, water bottle, and ironing cloths in one place for easy access. Install bars for clothes that need to dry, for clothes that need pressing, and/or for clothes that are ready to be put away in closets.

Upstairs, Downstairs

In new construction, homes designed with second (or third) floor laundry rooms are becoming more common; imagine, no more trips up and down the stairs with overfull laundry baskets! Optimize the space of an upstairs laundry room by adding a linen closet or a long folding table where you can keep laundry items—and duties—separate from the rest of the house. If you are starting from scratch with a new home construction, or just with a major renovation that includes your laundry room, the laundry room is the perfect place to install cabinets for storage. Whether you need space to rotate seasonal clothing, or extra guest linens, our outdoor gear and equipment, your laundry room can do the “heavy lifting” when it comes to storage in your home.

Are you ready to come clean and revamp your laundry room? Visit our showroom, Cabinets & Designs, and talk to one of our designers about how you can put your laundry room to work.