Laundry Design & Storage: Solutions for Cramped Laundries

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The laundry is one of those dreaded tasks around the home; trying to get it all done in a cramped, disorganised laundry design only makes it worse! Here’s how to UN-cramp that laundry and make it work best for you!

For more laundry design and storage tips, checkout our ultimate guide here!

Laundry Design & Storage Ideas

The best way to get your laundry in check is to organise your storage: Clean it out, Organise and Optimise!

The Clean Out: Take a minute to clear out any expired chemicals cluttering up the back of your shelves. Get rid of any household items that you do not use and keep only the necessities.
Organise: If you keep a mix of household bottles in your laundry, group what’s leftover into categories, for example: Laundry Detergents, Floor Cleaners, Insect Repellents, etc. Dedicate a logical space for each group; use rectangular baskets or boxes to keep each category of products together and organised.
Optimise your storage space: THIS IS IMPORTANT, GUYS. Having heaps of storage in your laundry doesn’t mean sh*t if it’s not OPTIMISED! Think about a basic laundry or kitchen cupboard: You open the door and there’s just a shelf there, cluttered and spilling over with junk. You have to kneel down and drag everything out just to get to that one little bottle right at the back. Not good. Include plastic drawer sets in your cupboards (handy for smaller bits and pieces that tend to float around the junk drawers of the house), your GROUPED baskets, add more shelving, use dividers – there are so many ways to make the most of your existing storage space!

The Organised Housewife - Laundry design and storage ideas — Laundry cupboard GOALS right here! For more mind blowing tips on home organisation, checkout **The Organised Housewife.**

Wall Space & Hooks: Keep your brooms, mops and dustpans neatly arranged and off the floor using wall hooks or over-the-door hook sets, keeping your laundry clutter-free and tidy. If you have the space, consider including wall shelves for added storage; a wall shelf fitted with a towel rail underneath would be perfect for over your trough, providing space to drip dry clothing or your wash cloths.

A wonderfully organised small laundry – Wall shelves help make the most of the storage space available. Image: Pinterest

Laundry Hampers & Bins: Dedicate space for a laundry hamper and a small bin in your laundry – seems like a no-brainer but it’s always good to have a little reminder!

Ironing: If space allows, a vertical opening in your tall laundry cupboard is the perfect solution for storing your ironing board. If you simply don’t have the space for it, there ARE alternatives to even OWNING a traditional ironing board – Robinhood wall mounted ironing centres are fabulous for small laundries (check them out here) or even a simple ironing mat will also do the trick!

A quality ironing mat can be placed on any flat surface of your home, turning it into an instant ironing board and best of all – no bulky storage necessary!

A wall mounted ironing centre is a fantastic solution for a laundry design that is low on storage. Find out more about Robinhood’s selection of products on their **website.**

Laundry Counter Space

You won’t realise just how much you need that counterspace in the laundry until you don’t have it! If you are in the midst of planning a laundry renovation, don’t neglect your counterspace, thinking “Oh, I really don’t need a counter at all in the laundry” – you WILL miss it! Now, it’s not a kitchen; you don’t need a never-ending benchtop. Just enough to be able to plonk down your laundry basket, maybe do some ironing or folding clothes, or even to use small appliances such as breadmakers and slowcookers.

If you are unable to add benchspace to your laundry, a large chopping board placed over your trough is the next best thing in a pinch!

A little bit of bench space can go a long way in a small laundry! Image: Pinterest

Laundry Design: Lighting Ideas

Poor lighting can often create a gloomy and cluttered appearance in a small laundry. If you do have a window in the laundry, opt for clear glass rather than opaque to allow more natural light through. Ensure your artificial lighting is also adequate to illuminate the space effectively. If you are able to invest some extra cash into your laundry, you may also consider enlarging an existing window or adding another one, adding a small skylight or including a door with a glass insert, allowing you to “borrow” light from a connecting space.

Laundry design and storage ideas — Keep it light and bright in a small laundry to keep the room from feeling gloomy and cramped. **Image Source**

Laundry Colour Scheme

Another great way to help ease a cramped laundry is to work on your overall colour scheme. As we know, darker schemes will make the space feel gloomy and small whereas a lighter scheme will enhance the space, making it feel a lot more open. A lighter benchtop, cabinetry and wall colour will help lift the space, as will including reflective finishes in your scheme. You may want to consider a glass, acrylic or polished tile splashback to help bounce light around the room. Including polished and reflective accessories in your laundry will also assist in lightening up the space (and help stick to your budget too!).