My Favorite Ways to Update Your Laundry Room on a Budget
As anyone who’s ever had to lug dirty laundry to the laundromat knows, having your own laundry room is a godsend. But the convenience of doing laundry whenever you need it becomes less convenient if you lack storage, shelves, or countertop space. However, if a complete laundry room renovation isn’t in your budget, don’t worry: you can update your home laundry room with just a few relatively inexpensive additions. Combined with fresh paint and other inexpensive upgrades, you can achieve a more beautiful and functional laundry room on a budget.
Use storage racks under your washer and dryer.
If you have a separate washer and dryer in your laundry room, purchasing appliance stands with built-in drawers is an easy way to add useful storage. You’ll need to measure the height in your laundry room to ensure it’s the right height, and you’ll likely need help moving and installing the appliances. But once you’ve done that, you’ll not only have a place to store all those unsightly bottles of detergent and other items, but you’ll also find it easier to load and unload clothes because you won’t have to bend over as much.
Install shelves behind the laundry room door.
If your laundry room is in a separate room with a door, you can maximize storage space by adding a narrow shelving unit behind the door . It will be just deep enough to accommodate all your laundry essentials, keeping the space organized without taking up valuable floor space.
Install shelves above the washer and dryer.
If your laundry room is short on storage, you have several options. One of the simplest is to install a countertop above your washer and dryer. You can do this yourself, for example, by cutting up a piece of wood or using scraps from a kitchen renovation, or you can purchase a countertop with edging, like this one . This instantly transforms the top of the appliances into a convenient, flat surface where nothing will slide off the moment you turn your back. If you have more vertical space and need more options, a tiered over-the-appliance shelving system is a great solution, providing multiple shelves and hanging rods to keep everything off the floor and organize the space.
Add a compact ironing center.
Even if you only iron occasionally, having a proper ironing board is essential, and ideally, it should be conveniently located near the laundry room. If you have plenty of space, you can, of course, simply install the board, but if space is limited or you simply want to keep things tidy, you can choose a door-mounted ironing board or a wall-mounted version, like this one . The board folds away when not in use, but is always easily accessible.
If you want a more advanced option, you can install an Iron-A-Way ironing center , which is expensive and will likely require professional installation since it is designed to be built into the wall and connected to your home’s electrical system.
Consider installing a portable sink in your laundry room.
Having a utility sink in your laundry room is great: it allows you to rinse clothes, clean up spills, and wet-clean stains right there. If your laundry room doesn’t have running water, you might not want to call a plumber to install water and sewer lines, but you don’t have to. This portable sink provides this basic functionality without the hassle of wiring or plumbing. Simply fill it with water, charge it with a USB-C cable, and set it up in your laundry room for use whenever you need it.
Install a clothes dryer.
It’s a simple addition, but having a place to dry clothes right in the laundry room is a huge convenience. While you can certainly buy a freestanding clothes dryer , it’s worth considering a wall-mounted one as an upgrade. This model from mDesign looks great and folds up when not in use.
Buy several laundry detergent dispensers.
Dosing liquid detergent can be inconvenient, and when you’re in a rush, precise measurements can be inaccurate, resulting in insufficient detergent for the entire wash or wasted detergent, increasing your costs. This rechargeable electronic detergent dispenser attaches to most plastic detergent bottles and dispenses the exact amount of detergent with the touch of a button. If this is too complicated for your laundry room, you can purchase an inexpensive detergent cup holder like this one to simplify and streamline the process of filling cups.
Add a freestanding kitchen island to your laundry room.
If you need space to fold and store laundry in your laundry room but don’t have vertical or wall-mounted options, take inspiration from your kitchen design and install a freestanding kitchen island or laundry cart. This model from Kitsorack is a laundry basket with a shelf, so you can put dirty laundry in it and store laundry above, but any mobile cart or island will make your laundry room more functional.