You may be wondering how to organise your utility room stylishly. Such a practical space needs to work hard for you, but you also want it to look nice. Read on to discover my tricks and tips for creating a utility room you’ll be dying to show off on Instagram!

“Why do I wake up every morning expecting to conquer the world when I can’t even conquer my laundry?”

Having a laundry or utility room can seem like a luxury (and it is). However, if you’re lucky enough to have one, you’ll know that it’s one of those spaces in the home that can easily become cluttered and chaotic. As it’s a space behind closed doors that no visitor ever needs to see, it can quickly become a dumping ground for all manner of random things! 

I know first-hand how overwhelming it can be to even put a load of laundry in the machine when the room gets like this. It’s not a pleasant experience! 

How nice would it be to have a laundry room that felt light, airy, and stylish, with all the essentials beautifully organised and in their place? A laundry room that makes you fall in love with doing your laundry (if this sounds like a bit of a stretch, you need to read my blog here: Create a laundry routine to fall in love with).

Transforming my laundry room with a very tight budget during lockdown in 2020 is seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done to my house! It was carefully planned and executed in one week and cost me just under £100. That included painting the entire room and the new tile splashback, too! I’m happy to say it still looks exactly the same and has made my laundry days (i.e., every day) so much nicer.

 

 

Laundry rooms (often called utility rooms in the UK) have become increasingly common in modern homes. Most new-build homes now feature a dedicated space for laundry tasks as standard, separate from the kitchen. Even when very small, this space helps to optimise storage and functionality and make the job less of a chore. Today’s laundry rooms often become multi-purpose areas, too, doing double duty as mud/boot rooms or pet grooming stations.

If your laundry room feels more like a health hazard than a haven right now, the good news is that with a few tweaks and some clever storage, it can be transformed into a neat and tidy space that makes every laundry day a breeze. Whether you have a large room or a teeny nook, the mission is to create a functional and stylish laundry space that saves you time and stress and makes the laundry process a whole lot more enjoyable.

 

How to organise your utility room – in 6 stylish steps!

1. Research & create your vision 

In order to achieve what you really want, you need to know what you really want. Do your research and get clear on what you’d ideally like your laundry room to look and feel like. 

Set aside half an hour to sit down with a cuppa and browse laundry room images and ideas on Pinterest or Instagram. 

Even if your budget is tiny, you will find inspiration that you can take away and implement in your own way. Are there colours that speak to you? Wall art ideas you could use? Nice storage you could easily find on the high street? Do you want a minimalist, clean, white aesthetic or something different? This is not about spending lots of money; it’s about getting clarity on what you like.

 

2. Take everything out & clean 

To properly assess what you really need in your utility/laundry room, it’s important to remove everything and keep it out as you plan and prepare your room mini makeover. If you can, store everything away from the laundry room in a separate room so you have space to work.

While it’s empty, give the room a thorough clean and freshen up from top to bottom. If you’ll be painting the walls, now is the time to prepare for it.

 

3. Declutter

Work through all the items you’ve put aside and remove what doesn’t belong. Sort and categorise your products and supplies as you go. Look for half-used items that were lurking at the back and duplicates that you didn’t even know you had. Get rid of anything you know you won’t use anymore.

For more on organising your cleaning products, see my blog HERE.

Only put back what you need – this can be done gradually as you start to use the space again. With this method, over time, you’ll curate a functional laundry room containing only what you love, use and need for the tasks in there. Anything left over in the other room will be the excess you never use and can be donated or passed on to someone who will.

 

4. Design the room 

Here are my tips and ideas for optimal laundry room functionality and organisation:

• Generally speaking, a room will feel calmer the less there is to look at, so aim to keep the visual noise down and the surfaces as clear as possible.
• The washing machine is best placed next to or near the sink to make laundry prep easier (soaking, stain removal, rinsing, etc.)
• If possible, install a worktop to provide a flat surface to fold on.
• Storage is essential to keep the room tidy, so consider any built-in cupboards and drawers carefully to plan how you could best organise them for practicality and ease of use. If there is a shortage of storage space, you could add some open shelving. Shelves between wall cabinets are also a nice idea and offer a practical but pretty way to store the essentials. 
• Space for a drying rack or pulley is a great idea for days when you can’t dry your laundry outside.
• A hanging rod below wall cabinets or simple hooks on the wall are great for providing extra garment hanging space.
• Make sure there’s a spot for your washing basket, or if space is tight, opt for a space-saving, collapsible basket instead.
• If the room is large enough, you may want to keep your dirty laundry basket in the laundry room. Another option is to have different baskets for whites, colours, and darks, as it will be easier to see which needs to be washed first. Specially designed laundry baskets with different compartments are widely available now, making sorting easier.
• Wall-mounted ironing board storage and special hooks for your iron (like THESE) help you to make the best use of the vertical space available on the walls or back of the door.
• Pull-out containers or lazy susans inside cupboards are great ways to store laundry products and cleaning supplies. They help keep the cupboard clean while allowing you to see everything you have and prevent items from getting lost at the back. 

 

5. The finishing touches

Now comes the fun bit! Once you have taken care of the basics of setting up your laundry room, you can style the space to personalise it and make it look amazing. 

A set of matching baskets and gorgeous containers for your supplies can do a whole lot to improve the look of a space, but be careful not to do this too soon. There’s no rush, and you want to get it right, so wait until you really know what you need to store before you head out and buy. And don’t forget to measure first! 

Instead of pointless decor items that sit out and gather dust, think about how you could style your laundry room with practical items you actually use every day. A pretty container for your pegs, for example, or a decorative laundry detergent holder that’s both practical and stylish.

Add a fresh touch with some greenery with a houseplant or stems. Real plants have the added benefit of purifying the air in your home, but if there’s not much natural light, it would be best to opt for faux.

Cotton-lined baskets or fabric boxes are perfect for storing clothes and linens to prevent snagging and allow the fabrics to breathe. For a high-end look, glass, metal, and wood containers are a good, sustainable choice for laundry products and supplies that you plan to have out on display. Apothecary-style glass storage and amber glass bottles look really lovely, too, and give a contemporary, stylish aesthetic. 

Plastic storage is an affordable, practical choice if you are looking for a simple, wipe-clean option for your laundry room items.

You may not want to add wall art to your laundry room, especially if there are hooks on the wall or a pulley, but choose carefully, and it could make quite an impact.

6. Label everything

Labels may not seem important, but they are essential if you want to keep everything organised and help everyone in the household see where everything belongs. No more excuses from family members who pretend they don’t know where something lives to get out of doing a chore!

 

I hope that these tips and actionable steps on how to organise your utility room have given you some inspiration and motivation to get your own laundry space spruced up and transformed into a place where you actually enjoy doing the laundry!