Nov 12

LAUNDRY OVERHAUL

Updated: Nov 30

Do you have a laundry "room" in your hall closet like THIS?!

Can't reach those items for your daily

cleaning?! or even FIND them?!

Does the mess make you cringe when you open the doors?!

Do you have to SQUEEZE through the hallway when someone is trying to do the laundry?

I acknowledge that things could certainly be worse, but there are a couple of frustrations with this laundry closet area that bother me on a daily basis and I am ready to fix them?

Join me on this DIY makeover while I highlight the areas of concern, address them collaboratively, and then hopefully conclude this post on a positive note and a SMILE...and a glass of wine if you like! 😊

From this..... To this.....

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**FIRST, LET'S DISCUSS OUR LAUNDRY ROOM WOES:

Extremely restricted workspace.

While our hallway is 48" wide, it becomes quite narrow when the 30" pivoting doors to the laundry closet are open during laundry tasks, making it impossible for anyone to pass through without hitting the doors or bumping into someone.

The doors of this closet always remain open....need I say more?!

Lack of organization.

This area is a complete mess when it comes to storing supplies. We keep both laundry and cleaning supplies in this room....I'm sure there is a bottle of Windex around here somewhere...

Insufficient storage space.

There is absolutely no space for laundry baskets or storing the ironing board in this area as it is. I thought that installing shelves a few months ago would fix all our storage problems, but unfortunately that was not the case. I am extremely grateful to my Husband for assisting me with the installation of those shelves, but it just wasn't enough to make the space fully functional.

****OKAY, RANT OVER! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!

While there are many small-room storage solutions available, these are the ones that have proven most effective for us! Even though your space may vary from ours, I trust you will discover some valuable ideas from this DIY blog today!

🧺 Goals reached during this laundry room makeover 🧺

Fix the "too big" closet doors issue
Create storage space for laundry hamper(s) & ironing board
Organize the cleaning & laundry supplies

Fixing the "too big" closet doors issue took some thinking because we wanted the space to be stylish, but we also needed to be able to access the laundry and supplies quickly without having to swing the doors wide open every time. This caused a lot of slamming of the doors since we're always in a hurry and the hinges wouldn't hold the doors shut tight. VERY ANNOYING!

~Previously, we discussed installing bifold doors since they take up less hallway space when open, but figured we'd still have the issue of opening them every time we need something. We also tossed around the idea of a barn slider, which would obviously allow more room to walk through, but then we'd have to slide it back and forth to access one side or the other. Neither of these options seemed to make sense for us.

Our ultimate bold move was to eliminate the doors entirely. It was instant gratification! We can now walk through the hallway, have plenty of space to do laundry and grab items from the closet without disturbing each other! I love the accessibility of this space, finally!!

WHAT ABOUT those left over hinge recesses?!

Following some advice of a local contractor, we chose the simplest remedy by filling the recesses with professional grade wood putty, sanding, and then repainting the entire framework bright white. This took some time and patience, but it turned out acceptable....not perfect, but acceptable!

~Another option would be to use shims and wood glue to fill the gaps. Then add putty, sand, and paint. This was a lot more work and probably best to be done by a professional if we wanted perfection. If it really bugs you to see imperfection, then you always have the option to replace the frame all together. I LOVE OPTIONS!

CURTAINS OR NO CURTAINS?!

That was the next hurdle...do we leave it wide open or do we hang curtains?

We ultimately decided to install (2) 54" wide curtains just to be able to hide the appliances while company is over. We hung them on the inside of the door frame with a standard curtain rod. This way they didn't hang in the walking space of the hallway. Another great success in the project!

I LOVE THE WAY IT LOOKS & FUNCTIONS!!!

Paid link CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PRODUCT DETAILS.

Creating a storage space for the laundry hamper(s) & ironing board in a space this tight required some creativity. We noticed the washer and dryer could move far right or far left to allow more storage space, so that was a BIG WIN!
~We eventually decided to move the washer and dryer to the far left so we could then have space on the far right wall to hang the ironing board & iron, as well as not just one, but TWO laundry bags on the wall! I happened to have these bags on hand from a few years ago, but if you follow the link below you'll find lots of options for hanging laundry bags!
https://amzn.to/3Ore0Sb
Paid link

I WAS GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT!

Already our storage had DOUBLED in this laundry room!

Organizing the cleaning and laundry supplies was a breeze! Since this laundry space would be left open for daily use now, we wanted it to be appealing to the eye and still be fully functional with supplies within reach.

~We searched Amazon and found these great containers for the laundry detergent and fabric softener. They're just the right size and are not heavy at all. They're plastic with suction seal lids that snap down tight. The spouts have a nice easy flow so they don't pour out too much at once. They also came with sticker labels!! LOVE THEM!!

Paid link. CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PRODUCT DETAILS.

Walmart also has nice storage containers. We chose a short glass jar for holding the baking soda ("laundry powder"). We use it often times when our clothes or towels are extra smelly, it really helps to neutralize those bad odors.

~As for all the spray cleaning solutions, we placed them on the second shelf up, still within reach for daily use. So far we've not needed to pull out the ladder to access anything that we use often, it's been really nice!

~We purchased a lint bin from Amazon (instead of having an open top trash can) and placed it on the right side of the dryer since it's magnetic! This might be my favorite Amazon purchase for this room. It's hidden out of plain sight, fully functional and holds a lot of lint and trash! I highly recommend!

*Paid link* CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PRODUCT DETAILS.

~We splurged for a thick mat for this space as well and it's surprisingly wonderful! It's a smooth material so lint doesn't collect on it and it's really easy to clean. It's very nice to stand on when we are doing laundry. This particular one came with a smaller matching mat, so we used it in front of our kitchen sink. These can be found on Amazon as well!

*Paid link* CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PRODUCT DETAILS.

WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE RANDOM SOCKS?! They're our greatest pet peeve! We kept throwing them in a basket and then had to lay them all out any time we tried to match them up. Then, my husband found a great solution! Also found on Amazon, these sock hangers that let you separate the missing socks! Now they hang on the left wall by the washer and take up zero space! YAY!