With a minimum space, the laundry room uses every corner for a maximum of storage. On a daily basis, it is a very practical, all-purpose room, provided it is properly fitted out. Everything must have its place: household products, linens, kitchen utensils, etc. The organization makes it possible to optimize space for better profitability. Out of sight, the laundry room also allows you to hide everything that is very practical but not always decorative. Discover tips for a multifunction laundry room.
A practical room par excellence, the laundry room is often adjoining the kitchen. It is a central space that concentrates everything that keeps the house going ( storage, household products, kitchen accessories, etc.). The laundry room must be efficient to properly fulfill its role. Follow the 18 tips and tricks from Isabelle, author of the Isabellecooksforyou blog and the Cook with my Youtube channel, and Laure Beauvois, merchandising storage assistant at Leroy Merlin, to set up an ultra-practical daily laundry room.
1. Group products by theme in the laundry room
Household products, kitchen textiles, various accessories, the laundry room houses several families. In order to better navigate, it is advisable to classify them. “Depending on the space available, group the products by item, recommends Isabelle from the Isabellecooksforyou blog. Things must be grouped together to find them more easily. Tupperware, tea towels, kitchen equipment, etc.” If you wish, you can also notify each family with a name tag or color code.
2. Do not leave anything loose in the laundry room
Out of laziness or habit, the mess sets in quickly, leaving objects lying around. A sock found, scissors, buttons on fallen shirts, etc. “All accessories, even orphan objects, must be stored in a box, recommends Isabelle. In transparent bins or mesh bins, always by theme, every little thing needs to have a dedicated place. For small items, you can also use dividers for boxes or drawers. String, tape, etc. that you use often are easier to find. “
3. Isolate chemicals
There are many household and dangerous products in the laundry room. They contain harmful materials. “Separate chemicals from the rest of the laundry room, by putting them on a separate floor, for example, advises Isabelle. The cupboard that contains them must be inaccessible for the little ones, with a special clip.”
4. Think about light and color in touches
Often narrow, the laundry room is a passage room which can be dark in the evening. “To have a well-lit space, add light under tall furniture, avoid shaded corners and think of a well-lit worktop, suggests Isabelle. Bring a little warmth to a room with color too. little cold. ”
5. Delimit the spaces in the laundry room
“Laure, storage, cleaning, and drying of delicate laundry, it is best to have an area for each space, recommends Laure Beauvois, merchandising storage assistant at Leroy Merlin. Even in a 4 m2 room, everything can fit!” The laundry room is then divided into several spaces to be intelligently distributed: the laundry area near the washing machine, the storage area in the cupboard, cleaning downstairs, etc.
6. Occupy every corner of the laundry room
Arranging the laundry room is to optimize every square centimeter to gain storage space. “In the laundry room, every nook and cranny must be put to work,” says Laure Beauvois. “Custom-made storage boxes and shelves to store and organize everything.”
As the laundry room requires minimal traffic, all of the space can be occupied. “Between the wall and the fridge, we can slide the ironing board; at the top of the walls, we hang baskets … Every small space can be used to unclog the rest of the house, recalls Isabelle. Even the ceiling can be used to hang out the laundry, like our grandmothers, with transparent thread, clips for small laundry, and hangers for shirts. ”
7. Multiply the small accessories
Like any practical room, the laundry room must use tricks to facilitate its daily use. “Hooks to hang brooms, a mini ironing board, transparent bins to put everything in its place, hanging bins to pull out to save storage … We think it’s superfluous but it’s not gadget at all! “, according to blog.
Another tip for clothes or linen unused during a season, vacuum bags allow you to shelter the textile, reduce it, and store it for a few months.
8. Provide an open area and a closed area
“In the laundry room, it is advisable to have an open area to have everything on hand quickly, suggests Laure Beauvois. Conversely, the room must also have a closed area for storing dangerous household products.” Closets help protect laundry from dust and keep it clean.
9. Use the vertical surfaces of the laundry room
In the laundry room, each surface can be used to organize or simplify household tasks. “Take advantage of household appliances to magnetize schedules and washing machine programs and keep them in sight”, recommends Isabelle. Even the smallest piece of wall can be used to hang things up with small hooks or masking tape.
“Think about bypassing and optimizing the hot water tank or the boiler to hang up notes or make lists”, suggests Laure Beauvois of Leroy Merlin.
10. Find ideas in the household shelves of supermarkets
During the weekly shopping, take five minutes to linger in the household accessories section to get some ideas. “I like to always have a ruler with me and a small notebook to write down the measurements,” says Isabelle. “When you spot an accessory, it is better to buy a copy to test it at home and if you are convinced, buy it else.” An anti-waste tip to avoid accumulating unused accessories.
11. Prefer furniture with little depth for the laundry room
Depending on the space available, the layout of the laundry room must be adapted. “In a narrow room like the laundry room, it is better to have everything close at hand and limit the depth of the cupboards, recommends Isabelle. The objects placed at the back tend to be forgotten …”
12. Do a general sorting of the laundry once a year
“Like the rest of the house, I do a great sorting (preferably in summer to be able to ventilate everything and store outside if necessary) by putting aside what I do not use, by disposing of another place what I don’t use much, ”says Isabelle.
13. Put kitchen furniture to arrange the laundry room
Often adjoining the kitchen, the laundry room can be a continuation of the room with similar furniture. “When it’s time to redo your kitchen, ask your kitchen designer to do a little gesture by offering you some pieces of furniture for your laundry room, even in a lower range, suggests Isabelle. This way, you benefit from an optimal layout.” The trick works as long as you call on a kitchen designer for a rather large project.
14. Think about a recovery jar
Especially in the laundry room, there are always little things lying around. Plan a pot dedicated to these unidentified objects while waiting to find their original place. “This lost object jar is intended for lost socks, buttons, etc., specifies Isabelle. When I do my cleaning or my ironing, I realize that such and such pants have lost their button. I can directly go and look inside.”
15. Opt for a large sink in the laundry room
As the washing machines are already present in the laundry room, additional water supply is often easy to install and minimal work to be done. “Having a sink in the laundry room is very practical, it allows you to wash your shoes with mud, to clean your hands after work, to empty the mop bucket, etc.”, specifies Isabelle.
16. Install wall tiles to facilitate maintenance
Arranging the laundry room also means thinking about simplified maintenance. “The walls are easier to clean if they are tiled, says Isabelle. If you have a sink, it’s essential.” The wall covering is also useful to avoid damaging the walls with machines in particular.
17. Think of a work surface with electrical outlets
As in the kitchen, worktop is very useful for many reasons. “We often forget it, but the worktop in the laundry room is very practical for folding laundry, putting down things, etc., Isabelle recalls. ‘maintenance or cooking. ”
18. Provide an empty basket in the laundry room
Baskets are trendy, you might as well take the opportunity to use them wisely! “I always keep an empty basket in the laundry room to pick up whatever is lying around the house, reports Isabelle. The evening before going to bed, I pick up all of everyone’s things scattered around and I dispatch them in their place.”
Laundry Room Organization and Free Printable Labels
ok so how do i print them?