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Hi -- I've got a really small laundry room ... so small in fact that it's tough to take a good picture of it ... and I need to install either some cabinets or shelves for storage.
Cabinets are aesthetically better, but I really need something to hang clothes on when I take them out of the dryer ... so maybe those wire shelves are the best bet functionally speaking.
Or I could put some shelving on the back wall and put one of those tension rods toward the front of the space to hang clothes on.
Wow, it's small but tall. You could do cabinets and add a rod below, or do a split of cabinet and then rod across the same level.
Is this for hanging dry or wet clothes?
I have a small laundry space too, and I have cabinets and across and below them i have pull out drying line that connects to hang drip drying and I put a towel on top of the washer dryer to catch the drips.
For hanging dry dress shirts and stuff I mounted a folding hanging rack to the side walls (one on each side) like this:
What you really should consider, is moving the laundry area to the basement. While it may be costly (with gas or electric hookups, water, etc., should cost maybe $500-$1000), but it will be worth it in the long run. That's what I did with my old home, and plan to do it with my new one.
You can make your new laundry area as large as you prefer, which you may need, considering how limited your space is in your current setup. And then you can have as many wire shelves and cabinets as you want!
As for the space that used to be your laundry room, you can do whatever you want with it. I made mine a pantry, due to its close proximity to the kitchen. Whatever you want to do!
This is what was done in one of my rentals. It's actually a house that I lived in, and then I bought another one turning the old one into a rental.
It has a laundry area similar to yours. The space was the width of a standard washer and dryer sitting next to each other, as it appears in your laudry.
You would get two cabinets. One would be a standard height cabinet (tall) and the other would be size you often see installed above a refigerator. I don't know exactly what the size would be. You can figure out what works for you, but let's call it 1/4 or 1/3 as tall as a standard height cabinet.
You would mount one on the left and the other on the right with their tops even. It'll look like a capital L on its side with the leg of the L hanging down. Of course, install them well so they go wall to wall.
Then, mount a hanging rod from the side of taller cabinet and extend it to the wall. It'll be beneath the shorter cabinet. It can either be one of those cheaper tension rods or you can do it nice with a permanently mounted rod. It's up to you, just mount the cabinets high enough to give hanging room above the washer or dryer.
This way you have the best of both worlds. You have a place to hang damp clothes and you have a place to put all the stuff you don't want to see. It can be done nice and it'll look good.
One last thing . . . I suppose it doesn't matter a lot about the location of the hanging rod if you have front loading machines. However, if you have a top loading washer, I would put the shorter cabinet and rod above the dryer. That way the washer lid won't hit the hanging clothes.
Garth's idea is good. If you have any floor space at all on either side (or in between) your washer and dryer, consider one of these items. I got mine at Target for about $35. This one is a bit more expensive, but the hanging rod is adjustable for height. I like being able to sort my clothes and hang things to dry in 18 inches of space. Kmart Online Shopping for home accessories, TVs, clothing, and more
What you really should consider, is moving the laundry area to the basement.
Ha! I just moved it upstairs so I don't have to keep walking up and down the stairs all the time. I'll take the smaller room over the greater distance, but thanks.
This is what was done in one of my rentals. It's actually a house that I lived in, and then I bought another one turning the old one into a rental.
It has a laundry area similar to yours. The space was the width of a standard washer and dryer sitting next to each other, as it appears in your laudry.
You would get two cabinets. One would be a standard height cabinet (tall) and the other would be size you often see installed above a refigerator. I don't know exactly what the size would be. You can figure out what works for you, but let's call it 1/4 or 1/3 as tall as a standard height cabinet.
You would mount one on the left and the other on the right with their tops even. It'll look like a capital L on its side with the leg of the L hanging down. Of course, install them well so they go wall to wall.
Then, mount a hanging rod from the side of taller cabinet and extend it to the wall. It'll be beneath the shorter cabinet. It can either be one of those cheaper tension rods or you can do it nice with a permanently mounted rod. It's up to you, just mount the cabinets high enough to give hanging room above the washer or dryer.
This way you have the best of both worlds. You have a place to hang damp clothes and you have a place to put all the stuff you don't want to see. It can be done nice and it'll look good.
One last thing . . . I suppose it doesn't matter a lot about the location of the hanging rod if you have front loading machines. However, if you have a top loading washer, I would put the shorter cabinet and rod above the dryer. That way the washer lid won't hit the hanging clothes.
Excellent idea! Unfortunately, I gave up and just went with the ugly wire racks that you can hang clothes on. Ah well, it's just the laundry room, but that is a good idea.
Garth's idea is good. If you have any floor space at all on either side (or in between) your washer and dryer, consider one of these items. I got mine at Target for about $35. This one is a bit more expensive, but the hanging rod is adjustable for height. I like being able to sort my clothes and hang things to dry in 18 inches of space. Kmart Online Shopping for home accessories, TVs, clothing, and more
Thanks . . . not enough space for that, but appreciate the thought.
I guess you could get a stacking washer and dryer so you would have space for a cupboard and hanging space underneath next to them. I have a small laundry room also, but I do have about 1 1/2 feet of hanging space next to the washer and dryer, and double cupboards over them. One thing we plan to do is make more shallow storage space in the wall between two of the studs, for extra storage.
Last edited by gentlearts; 10-10-2010 at 07:44 PM..
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