Welcome to the inaugural Saving Spoons post! So excited to finally get this series off the ground! Since everyone loves laundry, I figured why not start in the laundry room!
Laundry is inevitable (unless you are a full-time nudist) so why not make a space that is function and attractive as well.
So after a lot of work and sweat and more work by professionals, we turned this scary hole into a laundry room!
It wasn’t a large space to begin with so we tried to make the most of what we had! We love our front load washer & dryer. Worth every penny! I wasn’t sure if I thought it would be a pain getting the clothes out of the drier since I am short but I have no trouble reaching at all!
Behind the lovely curtain (that I made out of a table-cloth that I loved but hated using on the table) is a shelf that holds things like bulk paper towels, light bulbs, etc. Who wants to look at all of that?
The laundry sorter cart also helps make the most out of the space! I usually have a few hangers there so when I’m moving clothes from the washer to the dryer, if there is anything that doesn’t need to go in the dryer I can hang it up to dry right away. The mesh bag you see hanging up was on the side but I moved it to the bar so its easier to reach. It holds unmatched socks. Once a week or so I go through the bag and match up socks (you’d be surprised how many matches you find after you cycle through several loads of laundry). It definitely helps take out some of the frustration! I also like that the sorter bags aren’t huge so I can’t let laundry pile up which makes it easier to keep with!
We hung the ironing board and iron on the wall so that its out-of-the-way but still easy to get to. This picture makes me think that I really need a new ironing board cover. Something fun and funky. Any suggestions?
So now you’ve seen some of my ideas on how I save spoons in the laundry room but I also wanted to give some link love to these awesome posts that I have come across about making your laundry room a beautiful and organized space!
12 Ways to Beautify Your Laundry Room – Tip Junkie
What are your best tips for keeping your laundry room organized and making the laundry as painless as possible?
I also have front loading washer and dryer. Mine are on pedestals and I have a much less painful time using them than the top loading washer I used to have.
Even though it takes up a lot of space, I leave my ironing board up all the time. I realized I would never use it when it was folded up because of the hassle of getting it set up.
If I didn’t have a toddler that would pull it down I would leave it up too! I hate dealing with the ironing board!
Love how you made the most of an otherwise unusable space. Very nice!
Thanks!!!
Love the post! I also love the idea of the whole saving spoons concept for your blog posts. When we first purchased our house ten years ago our washer and dryer were out in the garage. This lead to many socks being rewashed after being dropped during the washer to dryer transfer and no one wanting to do laundry during the winter months (New England winters = icebox garage). This lasted about a year. Then, in the interest of effiiency, we took an underutilized room on the first floor of the house and turned it into a laundry room. This is one of the smartest renovations we did to the house and this was even before I got sick! We now have a short trip between the bedroom, bathrooms and the laundry. We know when the machines are done and don’t have to carry a kitchen timer around and hubby added sound baffling insulation into the walls so you really can’t hear the machines. Plus the new front loaders I bought are even quieter! I often don’t even know they are running. My friend who has fibro is going to do the same thing to her house. She loves the idea of having the laudry on the first floor instead of in the basement. Way less stairs involved on laundry day.
At our previous apartment the laundry was in a separate building so it was such a pain! So I was so excited to finally have a laundry room and not have to go outdoors to do laundry (which is awful in rain or winter!). My mom now has arthritis so I’m trying to convince her to move her W&D upstairs (instead of the basement) for the sake of her knees!
Cute, cute! Love the saving spoons idea and am jealous (not really, more envious I would say,) of your front loaders! Because I am such an avid recycler (mmmhhmmm.. cheap) I am making sure to get the whole life out of mine before I trade them in for a new model. At least I know they are energy efficient, just not human efficient-ha!
We didn’t previously own a washer or dryer before moving in but knew that it would be something that we wanted to invest in because I wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible! I love all of the options they give! Definitely worth the investment – when yours keel over 🙂
This looks great! You have done a great job of what you have. I don’t have a laundry room yet, sigh. We just have a small space next to our kitchen that fits our washer and dryer. I hung up a pull up bar (my Hubby ended up not wanting it for his workouts) and that works as our bar to hang clothes to dry. I can’t WAIT to have a real laundry room!
We’ve never had a real laundry room before either so it was a real bonus when we bought our house!
Great use of your small space. And the front loading washer and dryer is so very nice. I live in an apartment and have to go to the laundry that I share with my fellow neighbors…
We did that for 3 years before buying our house! And living in a college town, it meant sharing a laundry room with college kids who weren’t always the most respectful of others’ things! I’m so glad those days are over! Hopefully it won’t be long for you either!
I really enjoy your blog.
I actually don’t know that I could survive without my laundry sorter. Between my husbands work/dress clothes, my son’s soccer gear, and all the other laundry- sheesh. Such a great-looking laundry space you made!!
Thanks Ashley!
[…] had to do quite a bit of work in the laundry area upon moving in (although it’s still not quite where I want it) but everything else has pretty […]