Laundry Room Woes
We all have laundry, most of us have to do our own laundry - the sorting, the washing, the drying, the folding, the putting away... And most of us have a lot of laundry, my household is made up of three humans and we could do laundry every. single. day. The average family in the US does eight to ten loads of laundry per week, that’s a lot of laundry.
It is not glamorous, or fun. Your laundry room is probably not on your home tour for new visitors and guests. This space is also not likely to be on your list of places that you want to spend money on. We want to throw our money on the spaces in our home that we, or our visitors, see and enjoy. I disagree. If doing laundry is such a part of our [daily] life, if we are spending so much time in the laundry room, it should be beautiful, we should enjoy it.
A Working Home has completed a few laundry room makeovers, and we will be starting a new mudroom makeover soon. I’ll share with you what some of my clients hated about their laundry rooms and how we helped create a space that made doing laundry more “fun”ctional.
Starting point.
This blog is specific to folks who bought a home with a crap laundry room or for those luck ones who are building a home. I hope to build a home one day and while I want a great kitchen and a killer master bathroom - I’d be remiss in overlooking the mudroom of my dreams. If I was building a home, I know exactly the layout and I know exactly how and what I want my laundry/mudroom room to look.
So far all of my clients have moved into homes that were already built and previously lived in. Aside from having a laundry room, none of them cared about what it looked like, until they lived there, until they realized how poorly it was constructed and how useless it was for the chore of doing laundry.
Where do we go from here?
None of these laundry rooms had any storage, they either had the stock wire shelving or a leftover piece of building material screwed into the wall above the washer and dryer. Nothing conducive to doing laundry or to the home in general.
There are so many options when it comes to incorporating storage into your laundry room. Take a step back and inventory what you have in your home that belongs in the laundry room, aside from the obvious laundry room must-haves like detergent… Think: cleaning supplies/rags, back up or bulk items, candles/scents. Then decide how much storage you will need! You can do so many different things: cabinets, open & stylish shelving with great containers and such, or a combination.
My personal favorite is the combo and what I have in my home.
The cabinets were originally in our kitchen, basic stock upper’s from Lowe’s. We used basic boards with my favorite Minwax stain, Early American #230, for the open shelving. The wallpaper was actually leftover from our accent wall in the kitchen, which is adjoining, no waste is always a goal.
Put the “fun” in Functional
Even if I wanted to count how many products there are these days for storage, organization, or function, I wouldn’t be able to, I don’t even think that the all-knowing Google has an answer for this. But, trust me, if you can imagine it, you can find it out there, order it and have it in your laundry room in record time.
And, if you have space challenges, you can get creative in how you use it - consider using blank wall space… They sell just about anything wall-mounted - drying racks (link #2 below), holders for ironing boards/irons, utility racks. The space in between your washer and dryer might even be viable space, take the measurement and use it in your search, or DIY a simple shelf and add stylish boxes and bins.
I recommend that you buy a few things that will elevate your laundry room experience… several of these links are affiliate links…
30" x 24" Leigh Wood and Metal Wall Shelf - Kate & Laurel All Things Decor
Youngever 60-Ounce, 30-Ounce and 15-Ounce Clear Plastic Apothecary Jars Set of 3
Style it up.
Making your laundry room functional is one thing, and a great place to start. Making it pretty is another thing. As you can see in my laundry room, I definitely went budget-friendly by using things from other parts of the home and leftover paint from another room. And you could probably do that too, if you put your thinking cap on.
It is easy enough to tape off a fun design and use a color palette that you love to create a visually interesting backdrop.
If you get to go as far as I did with the Piper Mudroom and get to redo the floors - OMG - consider yourself lucky because this could be huge for your design and your budget! We used Mohawk Soho Blue and Grey vinyl sheet flooring from Home Depot and paired it with Sherwin Williams Needlepoint Navy for a killer combo.
Here are a couple of other quick and easy style tips.
Hardware. Another great option, with yet again, endless options that cover the range of budgets. For me this is KEY in taking stock cabinets or inexpensive storage furniture to the next level.
Art. Loose term here, “art,” is 100% subjective, the only requirement is that looking at it makes you happy.
Lighting. Find a gorgeous chandelier, these are no longer reserved for your dining room table.
Bad News: You still have to do laundry.
I hate to finish with bad news, but unfortunately, the laundry does not do itself. You have to actively participate in doing the laundry in order for it to get done. I have two recommendations for you:
Do it often and do it all together, I’m serious. Put a full load of all of the colors in and put the water on COLD.
Recruit help. If you are reading this as the wife or mother of the household, you complete 70% of all laundry in your house and it does not have to be this way. My daughter is 2.5 and she helps me with laundry, I am confident that you have help and the muscle to flex to get littles and spouses on team housework. #flexfriday
Laundry can become overwhelming and can very quickly become a burden if you don’t develop a system or routine. It can be done. You can get to a point where you don’t have stacks of laundry anywhere but in the drawers or closets where they belong. But, you have to actively participate!!
A Working Home is not a laundry service, but we do love to help families find freedom from the chores of life that bring you down. Scroll down a bit to sign up for the AWH newsletter and follow me on Instagram for more helpful hints or to schedule some time with me!
Now, go do a load of laundry.