By Manasa Reddigari
Do you think you’re too tight on space, time, or budget to maximize style and efficiency in a lackluster laundry room? Get started on one or more of these 20 fast, fun, and functional laundry room updates—no costly renovation required!
Basket Case Solved
Unruly laundry baskets take up too much space, cluttering your floor as well as your mind. Clear both by repurposing your baskets into drawers for this deconstructed dresser. By attaching metal angles to two rectangular plywood frames, you can create two dressers—one for sullied garments and one for clean!
No Stitch in Time
Sidestep both harsh sunlight and time-consuming tailoring with this no-sew window dressing. Mount a curtain rod, hang a curtain panel on the rod, roll the fabric to the desired length, then tie some rope around the rod and knot it attractively below the rolled fabric. Adjust light levels by further rolling or unrolling the curtain and retying the rope.
Marker My Words
Save your delicates from harsh treatment and possible damage by setting up a washing machine memo board for laundry care notes. To make your own, use vinyl lettering and adhesive tape to create a letterhead for your board, then grab some magnetic dry-erase markers to write your list of dryer no-no’s.
Get on Your Soapbox
Relocated from the kitchen to your laundry room shelves, mason jar drink dispensers can instantly dispense with clutter. Create labels from wooden cutouts that have been coated with chalkboard paint, then hang them from the mason jar lids with twine before filling the dispensers with essentials like soap and fabric softener
Trash Talk
If your laundry room is overflowing with more dust than you can handle, swap your on-the-floor rubbish receptacle for a closed-top box that’s been spray-painted and stenciled, then secured to the wall at eye level. Make sure it’s close to the dryer, so the lint trap will be well within reach for easy cleaning at a moment’s notice.
Get Rolling
Keeping your appliances away from the wall lets you get in and out for maintenance, but it can also create an awkward dead space. Bring that ill-used space back to life with portable storage like this DIY cabinet that can be assembled using a single sheet of plywood. It’s perfect for housing detergent and dryer sheets, and when it’s off laundry duty, you can simply roll it out of sight!
Back on Track
If your laundry room shelves subtract wall space without adding sufficient functional storage, replace them with a customizable closet system. Featuring adjustable track shelves, this handy solution can be topped with wood for added stability and can store everything from hangers to cleaners.
Over the Wire
This easy DIY wire hamper proves that hampers don’t have to hamper style in the laundry room. Affix casters to a wooden round, then top the base with wire that’s been welded to form a cylindrical receptacle. Line the hamper with a patterned laundry bag to cloak dirty clothes in modern sophistication.
Skirt Around Trouble
Utility doesn’t have to be synonymous with boring if you adorn your plain utility sink with a fashionable skirt made using simple sewing techniques. Just hem and pleat fabric curtain panels, then line the inside top edge of the skirt with a hook-and-loop Velcro strip, attaching the adhesive backing of the strip to the lip of the sink to allow for easy installation and removal of the skirt.
Curtain Call
Most laundry rooms are jammed into idle corners and closet-size spaces, especially if you live in an older home. If you have an awkward nook above your machines, transform that dead space into useful hanging storage by adding a strong curtain rod that will keep clean clothes wrinkle-free and out of the way until it’s time to put them away.
Your True Colors
Let barren walls be gone with the simple addition of color, texture, and personality. Apply paint in bold solids or eye-catching patterns, or put up contact paper or wallpaper to create an easier-to-remove finish that will be a memorable touch.
Over-the-Counter Cure
By working smarter—not harder—you can create a makeshift yet sophisticated workstation even in a petite laundry room. With just a humble sheet of melamine or scrap wood, you can transform the top of your washing machine or dryer into a stylish, smooth surface for folding and sorting clothes.
Back Door Route
Don’t be afraid to look behind closed doors for the answer to your laundry room storage dilemmas. Paint the back of the door in an attractive shade, let it dry, and then hang an inexpensive multitier rack over the door to house toiletries, towels, and laundry supplies.
Top-Shelf Idea
A laundry room closet may not be the first place you’d position a bookshelf, but it’s a great way to make use of the empty space next to the washing machine or dryer. Situated so efficiently, the humble bookshelf becomes an organizational oasis for toiletries, linens, and even lightweight tools.
