When you think about designing your home, the laundry room might be at the bottom of your list. After all, it’s a room most of us don’t intend to spend much time in. They are usually designed to be functional, not beautiful.
Well, Mamas, we are here to change your mind! Our latest installment in our Minimal Upgrades series focuses on the humble laundry room. We’re giving you all our simple style tips for making a laundry room feel like part of your home, and not just an afterthought. With design hacks this good, you might find yourself looking forward to laundry day!
Pre Sort Your Clothes
Sorting clothes can leave you with a bigger mess than when you started. Think about it. You have to go through the hamper, find the right colors, and then end up with piles of clothes on the floor, waiting for their turn to be washed.
Save yourself time and space by pre-sorting your clothes with a multi-bag hamper. This handy tool can hold up to 3 separate laundry bags on one rack.
This is also a great tool for families who want to keep their personal laundry separate. Each family member can have a bag of their own. When they are ready to wash? No problem. Simply remove the bag of your clothes. No more rummaging around for your t-shirts in the communal hamper needed.
Add A Fun Wall Design
The average laundry room isn’t known for having a cute or welcoming atmosphere. Most of our washers and dryers are shoved into a dark basement room, or maybe a side storage room.
One of the best ways to make your laundry room feel more inviting is to incorporate a bright statement wall into the room. There are lots of ways to do this, from wallpaper, to paint. We’ve been obsessed with these DIY wall mural hacks that give a wallpaper feel for half the price.
Open Shelving
Open shelving is really having its moment, in the design world. Why not add it to your laundry room?
Because all you need is a wall, open shelving can be a great storage solution for rooms that are short on space. They are particularly useful in laundry rooms, which typically have lots of products and tools that need a place to live.
However, open shelving isn’t just practical. It’s also a great way to customize the vibe of your room. You can display art, plants, or any small knick-knacks that will help give the room a warmer feel.
Create a Folding Table
You know the drill. You pull the laundry out of the dryer, carry it up to your room, and dump it on your bed to fold. Then you get distracted by a work phone call, or your kids asking for a snack. You forget all about it until it’s time to go to sleep. Then you are faced with the impossible call: put off bedtime to fold the laundry, or dump it back in the basket to get all wrinkled?
You need a better solution. An easy hack is to create a built-in folding station in the laundry room itself!
If you have a front-loading washer and dryer, you can use the top to create a custom folding table. A piece of butcher block is a relatively inexpensive way to do this, although you could of course choose any sort of countertop material.
You’ll feel much more productive having a dedicated space to do laundry, and avoid any clutter disasters, further down the road.
Add a Hanging Rack
Prefer to keep some of your favorite pieces out of the dryer? You absolutely need a hanging rack.
While you can get a cheap drying rack off of Amazon, they are bulky and can’t fit that many clothing items at a time. Installing a hanging rack saves on space, and looks much nicer.
We love the minimal look of this industrial-style clothing rack. Pair it with matching hangers and you’ll have a laundry room that looks better than your actual closet.
Get Creative With Your Storage
Remember those open shelves we were talking about? As pretty as they are, the effect tends to be ruined when they’re holding a big orange bottle of Tide.
No worries, though, Mama. Your laundry products can look as chic as you are, with a few adjustments.
Storing your detergent pods and powders in reusable jars can be a great way to add character to your laundry room. We love these elegant, apothecary-style jars. Because they are glass, they help you visually keep track of how much product you have left!
Add an extra touch of organization by using these gorgeous laundry room labels! Your laundry room will be looking Pinterest-worthy in no time.
Step Up Your Sustainability
We’re all about keeping things sustainable, here at The Cool Mom Co. Your laundry room is a huge part of that.
Did you know that the ways in which we wash our clothes can have huge environmental impacts? After all, all the chemicals that we use in our laundry detergents are going back into our water system. Not to mention all the microplastics that are released when you wash synthetic fabrics.
The good news is that a sustainable laundry room is easier to achieve than ever! Companies like Dropps offer eco-friendly detergents in compostable packaging.
Stop microplastics from going back into the water by using a laundry bag like Guppyfriend for your synthetic clothing. While you’re at it, it is time to ditch your dryer sheets! Instead, opt for wool dryer balls, that will make your clothes dry faster than ever.
Make Conscious Lighting Choices
You might not necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about the ambiance of your laundry room. But we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again! Lighting. Is. Everything.
Particularly for those of us who have basement laundry rooms, lighting can make or break the space. Adding in a statement lighting fixture can help the room look more cohesive. Be sure to opt for a lightbulb that gives off a warm light, rather than a harsh fluorescent.
Not up for changing out a light fixture? Lamps can be a great, affordable solution!
Feeling inspired? Which tip are you going to try for your laundry room? Share with us in the comments below!