10 Simple DIY Laundry Room Ideas

August 30, 2022

Your laundry room could become one of your favorite rooms. It’s true! Yes, it’s a work room—home usually to a washer and dryer set along with all manner of washing and cleaning supplies, an iron and ironing board, and probably a few extras if they’ll fit. If you’re really lucky, you have a utility tub or sink there, too—maybe even a small powder room for convenience.

Yet, there’s something soothing to a purposeful room where everything has a place. It’s more pleasant for you to use the space, and it’s easier for other family members to do their own laundry chores without misplacing or breaking your things. If your space needs some help, here are some easy DIY laundry room ideas and projects to make doing the wash less of a burden and maybe even relaxing in its simplicity.

1. Lighting

Contractors often skimp on laundry room lighting, but the quality and color of light in a room impact whether we feel like spending time in it. If you’re dealing with cold fluorescents or a dingy ceiling fixture that simply doesn’t yield enough illumination, you might want to change up the lighting. At the very least, you need to be able to treat stains and be able to tell if your wash load got clean. Large or small, laundry rooms often benefit from a ceiling fan with a light fixture, especially if you have delicates that you prefer to air dry. The right lighting and ventilation will help to keep your room well-lit, dry and fresh.

2. Hanging Racks and Hangers

Having hangers handy with places to hang them is incredibly helpful.

A rack or bar above the washer and dryer gives you a place to store hangers and keep them sorted—shirt hangers versus pant or skirt hangers, for example, or children’s hangers versus those for adult clothing.
Wall-mounted drying racks come in every configuration imaginable—from retractable folding versions with rods for draping wet items to slick six-tab swing arms that let you hang multiple items on hangers. When they’re not in use, you can simply fold them away or swivel them against the wall.
If you have space, you can install a hanging or wall-mounted closet rod that lets you hang clothes as usual—to dry, to iron or simply to organize.

Having the right equipment to hang items means that line-dry-only items are less likely to somehow end up in the dryer and that dried items are less likely to end in a crumpled heap.

3. Cupboards and Shelving

Hanging a few wall cupboards, installing shelving, or adding a base cabinet or two isn’t hard, and it will more than repay your investment in appearance, organization and storage.

Wall cupboards let you store things and keep them hidden from view behind cabinet doors. They’re perfect for the things you want handy—laundry detergent, stain treatments, softeners or fragrance enhancers, for example—and for keeping all of those things beyond the reach of little hands.
Base cupboards often accommodate a lot of non-laundry-related or heavy items—house paint, for example, tools or pet supplies. Some configurations allow for pull-out features or slide-in accessories like rolling bins.
Shelves and cubbies provide open storage. These can be particularly useful for storing frequently washed items related to extracurricular activities or hobbies like sports uniforms, workout clothing or gardening garb. You can also add baskets or bins to give open types of storage a more uniform look.

Whether hanging cupboards or shelving, be sure to anchor your addition securely into the wall’s studs per the manufacturer’s specifications. Cabinets, shelves and brackets have their own weight, and laundry supplies—and many of the additional non-laundry items that end up in a laundry room—are usually heavy items.

4. Counter or Tabletop Space

When you’re sorting and folding laundry, you need a clean surface where you can organize everything.

If you have front-loading machines, you may be able to add a running counter that goes right over them.
If you’ve added a base cabinet or two, you’ll be able to gain counter space there.
You can also add floating counter space or pull-out or fold-down table surfaces.
Don’t forget vertical space. A multi-level rolling cart may give you plenty of folding surface on top with shelves below where you can separate and organize items.

Of course, the challenge with counter space is keeping it clear of clutter—all the more reason to have the right types and amounts of storage.

5. Ironing Board Storage

Love it or hate it, some clothes and textiles must be ironed. Ironing boards can be awkward to just prop somewhere, yet you need them to be accessible, clean and ready to use.

If you want to keep your full-sized board handy and mobile yet secure, wall-mounted ironing board hangers install easily, and many come with a keeper for the iron and its cord too. Pick a cover pattern that you like because it will be visible.
Another option is to install a built-in board that is stored in a cabinet mounted into the wall. Boards typically fold up and down and offer a swivel feature that lets you install and use the ironing board almost anywhere in the room. Most come as a kit that includes the cabinet, the board and a few accessories.
A third option is a retractable ironing board that stores in a cabinet drawer. The boards typically fold neatly and come with slide rails that you install.

However you choose to store your ironing board and iron, be sure that you’ll have the area needed to use it and an electrical receptacle within easy reach for the iron.

6. Dirty Laundry Holding Area

Whether you prefer bins, pull-outs, roll-outs or something else, you probably need a place to hold items that need to be washed but can’t be yet. You may be accruing a load of whites, for example, or holding off to do laundry until Saturday, but you need an option that’s better than a heap spilling across the laundry room floor.

Large hampers come as sectioned sorting hampers. Bins are marked for light, dark and color load items and may be stationary, collapsible or wheeled.
Sorting cabinets may offer pull-out or tilt doors that let you store dirty laundry discreetly yet sort as you deposit. They usually have solid tops that can double as a folding area.
Some hampers look like rattan furniture complete with lids yet offer sorting bins, style and mobility.

7. Laundry Supply Storage

If your storage is primarily open shelves, having all of your supplies readily visible can look busy and even be a source of stress. Using baskets or bins can transform all of that into a much calmer visual and more organized functionality. If you like to be able to see what’s in the basket, opt for some of the industrial-style wire mesh versions. They’re sturdy and right up to date. Big glass jars and apothecary-type containers are also great options for smaller items like soap pods, dryer sheets, small scrub brushes, scissors or a mending kit, for example.

8. TV Wall Mount or Stereo Speaker

Depending on how much time you spend in your laundry room, having a small screen or quality stereo speaker conveniently mounted on the wall can help to pass the time. Stream your favorite music or movie while you sort, fold or iron.

9. Non-Laundry-Related Item Storage

Laundry rooms are often a repository for many items that are not laundry-related yet have no other logical place. If this sounds familiar, you might want to allocate an actual place for them in your laundry room.

Household cleaning supplies typically include mops, brooms, vacuums, dusters and dust pans that can be corralled with a wall-mounted mop and broom holder or cabinet.
Pet supplies typically include various leashes that stay nicer when hung up and food supplies that are often bulky and could benefit from a neat plastic bin to keep them fresh.
Home maintenance items like paint, spackle or leftover wallpaper or tile need to be kept at normal temperatures and safe from damage.
Tools, tool chargers and toolboxes often find their way into a laundry room simply because they’re often needed for everything from hanging a picture to assembling a new purchase.

As a DIY laundry room project, simply deciding what can and cannot be stored in the laundry room can be a feat in itself.

10. Don’t Forget Your Appliances

Even with all of the additional details outlined above, your washer and dryer are still the stars of the laundry room. If they aren’t operating at maximum efficiency, or don’t offer all of the features you need, it may be time to replace them with a newer model.

When you’re ready for an upgrade, reach out to your local Coburn’s Kitchen & Bath Showroom. Our consultants can help you find the perfect washer and dryer set for your home and lifestyle. Find a Kitchen & Bath Showroom near you today to get started: https://showroom.coburns.com/locations/

A significant part of having a working laundry room that’s pleasant for everyone to use is being able to keep it well-lit, clean and organized. After all, it’s one of the most crucial areas for making a home run smoothly.

If you’d like more inspiration for some easy DIY laundry room projects, a laundry room overhaul or upgrades for any other room in your house, stop by your nearest Coburn’s Kitchen & Bath Showroom. Our consultants can show you our extensive collections and give you exactly the level of support you need to make every room in your home your favorite place to be.