A while back, I gave my laundry closet a major makeover, and while some of the big DIY projects are the first to catch you eye – like the green cabinets above the washer and dryer – this space is actually full of quick and easy organizing hacks that you can complete in about five minutes each.

This post contains some affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

1. TRANSFER DETERGENT INTO CLEAR LAUNDRY ROOM CANISTERS

I transferred my laundry detergent pods and my OxiClean powder into two large, glass canisters {and added washi tape detail to each}. Not only do these canisters add a little style to the laundry room, they also allow me to see when I am running low and need to add these laundry necessities to my shopping list.

I made sure to place these canisters in the far back corner of the deep countertop, far out of reach of little hands!

2. Use a Pretty Basket as a Laundry Room Lint Bin

Since our laundry closet doesn’t allow space for a garbage can on the floor, I used to pile lint up on the counter before finally carrying it all to a trash can elsewhere in the house. When planning our laundry room makeover last fall, I came up with a more function {and more stylish} solution.

I found a black and white striped, lidded jute basket that I was totally smitten with, and I realized it would be a perfect as a lint collector. Now I just fill up the basket each time I do a load of laundry, and then empty the lint to the bathroom trash down the hall when the basket fills up.

3. ADD A TOWEL RAIL FOR HANGING CLOTHES

Before our recent laundry closet makeover, I had a clothing rod high up in the back, left corner of the closet, but I’m short and I couldn’t easy reach that rod, so it rarely got used. I wanted to find a better solution {one that my short self could reach}, so I opted to add four bar towel holder to the inside of one of the closet doors.   

Not only does this towel rack on the door work great for hanging up clothes as I take them out of the dryer, and the four bars also work well for items that need to hang to dry. I was able to get rid of my bulky, folding drying rack, and now when I have a shirt that needs to line dry, I can just drape it over one of the rods of the towel rack.

4. KEEP EXTRA HANGERS IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM

This one isn’t so much an organizing “hack” – but it’s one of my favorite laundry room organizing products, nonetheless, and it’s so inexpensive! I keep a plastic hanger stacker on the laundry room countertop and fill it up with the empty hangers out of our closet so that I always have plenty of hangers on hand for clothes coming out of the dryer.  

5. USE LIDDED JARS FOR SPARE BUTTONS & MENDING

All of those spare buttons and little packets of thread that come with new clothes can be hard to keep track of. I like to use inexpensive lidded glass jars to corral these small items, as well as other mending related supplies, like scissors, thread, needles, and pins.

I also use four more of these same lidded glass jars to contain small laundry supplies. You can read all about what I keep in the other jars in this detailed laundry closet organizing post, and you can get the DIY details of the black and white stripes that I added to the jar lids in this post. 

To maximize storage space in our small laundry closet, I installed an Elfa mounting rail from to the back of one of the doors, and attached three Elfa Utility Large/Deep Baskets. Four of the lidded jars fit perfect in each basket, and I use the top basket {out of reach of the kids} for bottles of stain removers and sprays. 

6. USE A BABY WIPES CASE TO STORE DRYER SHEETS

The baskets on the back of the laundry room door have plenty of room for most of my laundry/cleaning products, but I had to get creative when it came to my dryer sheets. The box that they come in was too big to fit in the baskets, so I searched around the house for a smaller container that I could transfer some of the dryer sheets into for easy access. I came up with a travel sized Huggies baby wipes case from the nursery that is perfect for the job!

This case holds quite a few dryer sheets at a time, and I can just flip open the lid and pull them out one at a time.  I keep the larger box of fabric softener sheets in the linen closet, and just refill this handy plastic case as needed. Here are some similar refillable cases…only prettier. 

7. COLLAPSIBLE LAUNDRY BASKETS TAKE UP LESS SPACE

Laundry baskets can take up so much room between use, so I got rid of all of my bulky plastic baskets, and replaced them all with the collapsible mesh laundry baskets. I keep a couple of these baskets in our master bedroom closet {tucked behind our hamper} to make it quick and easy to carry clothes down to the laundry closet, and I stash another couple in the space between the washer and the wall in the laundry closet, ready for use to carry clean clothes to the appropriate rooms.

These collapsible laundry baskets are plenty to big to hold an entire large load of laundry, and they pack a whole lot of function into very little storage space!

The post Five Minute Laundry Closet Organizing Hacks appeared first on Blue i Style.

I wasn’t trying to remove the white melamine finish, but I needed to rough it up enough that the surface would easily accept the adhesive we planned to use to affix the vinyl planks.

We then cut the strips to the right lengths to fit the edges of the melamaine board.

This time the bend and snap method worked perfectly…

We used our brad nailer to attach the thin strips of vinyl plank to the edges of the melamine board {front and sides only, not the back since it would be against the wall}. We used one brad nail about every six inches, but they are virtually invisible against the dark color of the vinyl.

Once we had a small mark at the top and bottom of each plank, we lined up a straight edge ruler between the marks and used it to score across the full plank.

But for use on my countertop, I didn’t want these rubber strips protruding on the exposed edges, so we used our utility knife to trim it off on the planks that would align with the front and edges of the countertop board. By sitting the planks on top of a couple of pieces of cardboard, we were able to press deep enough with the utility knife for a nice, smooth cut.

We then took the vinyl plank out to the garage, clamped it to our workbench, and used a hand saw to cut along the two short sides of the notch.

We then used the utility knife to score along the long edge of the notch, removed the tape, and used the “bend and snap” method to remove the notched section.

I just love the way our faux countertop looks, and you’d never know that it was nothing more than a white melamine board covered in vinyl planks! This solution looks so similar to the WilsonArt Noir Timber laminate counter that I had my heart set on, but for a fraction of the price!

The WilsonArt counter would have cost us more than $600 for this small space, and our DIY version came in just under $100 (and that includes the cost of the white melamine board that we already owned).

This dark wood-look countertop not only adds function to our small laundry space, it also makes it look so much more like the finished laundry room I had been dreaming of!

By extending the counter all the way to the wall on the left side of the washer and at the back of the washer and dryer, we gained extra usable space for canisters of detergent and a cute basket for collecting lint!

My collapsible laundry baskets also fit nicely in the little nook to the left of the washer below the counter.

Now I can fold laundry on top of the washer and dryer without worrying about clothes and socks falling behind the machines!

Our DIY countertop turned out better than I could have hoped! It’s been a year and a half since we first created it {sorry for the delay on the tutorial} and it’s holding up great!

This simple DIY wood plank countertop is perfect for our laundry closet, but it would also be a good way to create a desktop or work surface in an office, craft room, or kid’s room!

The post DIY Wood Plank Laundry Room Countertop appeared first on Blue i Style.

I don’t post cleaning tips on the blog very often, but I was so excited to finally find an answer that eliminated some of my laundry woes, I thought I had better share it in case others have been struggling with the same frustration! This post contains some affiliate links.

Let the Dawn Platinum Erasing Dish Foam sit on the clothes for five minutes or so before washing.

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This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

A couple of years ago, I had my eye on some new canisters for the master bathroom, but I knew eventually we’d be doing a major reno project and wanted to hold off on buying new canisters until then {we finally got around to that graphic glam bathroom makeover this spring}. Since I wasn’t ready to spend any money at that time, I decided to dress up my existing canisters with something I already had on hand – silver washi tape.

I created stripes on the canisters using the washi tape – with each piece of tape overlaping slightly in the back.  I ensured that each stripe started and ended in the same place, allowing me to turn the overlaps out of view.

And when I was done – less than five minutes later – my canisters had a whole new look!

I used them in the bathroom for two years after adding the washi tape, and it never peeled off. They looked just now as they did then. I’m no longer using them in the bathroom {because they were replaced with new beauties from CB2}, but I’ve relocated themto my husband’s closet where we’re using them to store collar stays and similar small items.

Last fall when I was planning our laundry closet makeover, I had visions of black and white stripes dancing in my head, but since the laundry closet doesn’t have a lot of room for decor, I had to find ways to incorporate the stripes into my functional items.

I started by adding some striped washi tape to the edges of the shelves {be sure to read that tutorial if you want to try it, because they’re is a trick to getting it to stick!}

I also added the same black and white striped washi tape to two different sets of canisters to create stylish storage for all of my laundry room essentials.

First up, I bought 8 BURKEN jars with lids from IKEA for the bargain price of $2.99 each. I compared my roll of washi tape the jar lid and determined it was exactly the same width. I love when things work out that way! I quickly added one strip of washi tape around the top of each jar.

I love the way that, with the addition of the washi tape, these canisters now coordinate perfectly with my lidded, striped jute basket, which serves as a lint collector. If you are looking for other laundry closet storage solutions, I have got lots of tips and tricks.

The post Washi Tape Canisters Three Ways appeared first on Blue i Style.

Looking for more laundry room decorating and organizing ideas?!

The post Dry Erase Memo Board + Free Laundry Symbols Printable Poster appeared first on Blue i Style.

The final decision I had to make was how to affix the paper to the faucet and hose opening. I decided to use small, clear 3M Command strips because I knew they would hold securely, and I could leave the clear pull tabs sticking out for later removal.

Linked up at Remodelaholic

The post An Easy Way to Hide Laundry Room Faucets & Hoses appeared first on Blue i Style.

Last week I showed you my newly made over laundry closet, and shared all the stylish details, like the temporary wallpaper, the pendant light, and the abstract art. Let’s be honest, though… a pretty laundry room might make the chore more bearable, but if the space isn’t organized and functional, the bloom will soon be off the rose!

This post contains some affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

When designing my new laundry space, I spent a great deal of time focusing on the organizational and functional details. I followed the same 10 steps that I always do when tackling an organizing project, including completely emptying the space, measuring twice and making a plan, using every available space, and selecting appropriate containers.

You can read all about my organizing process here, but today I want to talk about the specific small laundry room organizing ideas and products that help our laundry closet function like a much larger space. 

Laundry Closet Organization Ideas

Despite the small square footage of our laundry closet, we’ve managed to pack in plenty of function by finding creative uses for the available space, including the walls, the doors, and even the floor.

Laundry Room Wall Cabinets

I am a proponent of using every available space for storage, so you might wonder why I chose to install only two cabinets above the washer and dryer, when there was room for three? It was about striking the right balance between all of my needs – and in this case, the need for better light in the formerly dark and shadowy closet won out. Leaving a space between the cabinets allowed me to add much needed light. The fact that the light fixture is also very stylish is just a bonus!

From the start, I liked the idea of glass front cabinets doors for added style, and because they would allow me add green to the cabinet doors without it being too much of a good thing. I knew, however, that glass door wouldn’t be the best decision if I planned to use the cabinets to store detergents and cleaning supplies, because seeing all of this inside the cabinets would make the space feel visually overwhelming. 

This is where the planning process comes in. Before purchasing the cabinets, I had already made a list of everything that I wanted/needed to store in the laundry closet, and in looking at that list I realized that the cabinets would provide just the right amount of storage to allow me to purchase paper towels and toilet paper in bulk.

It saves so much money to buy paper towels and toilet paper in bullk (at places like Costco), but I needed a dedicated space to store it all. I always keep a couple of extra rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom, but the remainder of my paper products were previously taking up too much space in the linen closet. Storing all the extras in cabinets above the washer and dryer was a much better solution for my needs.

I can now store 12 extra rolls of paper towels, and two large packs of toilet paper. Because these rolls are lightweight and soft, they are much easier for me to reach in the cabinets without fear of dropping something heavy.  

Once I decided that I would use the cabinets to store only my white paper products, the decision to select glass front doors was an easy one. IKEA Centennial, one of my sponsors of this laundry closet makeover, provided these SEKTION white wall cabinets with Björket birch and glass doors, which I painted in Sherwin Williams Kilkenny Green (SW 6740).  

Laundry Closet Back of Door Organizers

Using the cabinets for my paper supplies meant, of course, that I needed to find somewhere else to store all of my detergents, stain removers, and other laundry supplies.

To address this, we installed a platinum colored Elfa mounting rail from The Container Store to the back of the door on the left side of the laundry closet. From that rail, I hung three Elfa Utility Large/Deep Baskets. 

You probably noticed that all of the baskets are on the top portion of the door. This is because, when closed, there is very little space between the doors and the front of the my washer and dryer. In the picture below, you can see that a basket on the lower half of the door would bump into the washer.

I positioned my baskets carefully to ensure the bottom basket would clear the countertop when the door is close. But if you have a deeper laundry closet, or a full laundry room, you could certainly take advantage of more of the door space by adding baskets all the way down.

The Elfa utility baskets also come in a variety of other sizes, including narrower and shallower. I chose the widest and deepest baskets available to maximize my storage space. 

I use the top basket on the door for my bottles of stain remover spray and other laundry supplies.

Containing Small Items in Glass Storage Jars

When it comes to finding containers to fit in the Elfa baskets, I recommend taking one with you to test various container options. Relying on the measurements alone is deceiving, because they are based on the outside dimensions of the basket, rather than the inside. Additionally, the very center of each basket has an inset where it fits on to the Elfa rail.

I took one of my Elfa large/deep baskets with me to IKEA when I was in search of jars, and I discovered that four of the BURKEN jars with lids fit perfect in each basket. I purchased eight of these jars, and filled them of my small laundry items.

The first four jars contain sewing and mending related supplies, including a measuring tape and small scissors, thread {including those little packets of mending thread that sometimes come with your clothes}, extra buttons, and needles and pins.

The remaining four jars hold a variety of miscellaneous items, including my favorite tool for removing pills from sweaters, my mesh bags for washing delicate items, stain remover wipes and pens, and packets of HE washing machine cleaner.

I am normally a huge fan of labeling everything, but by choosing clear jars for all of these small items, I am able to easily see what is inside without the need for labels.

To make the jars more stylish, and to fit with the design of the rest of the laundry closet, I added a quick and easy black and white detail around each jar {get the 5 minute tutorial for these custom jar lids here.} These jars now also matches the washi tape detail that I added to the shelves in the linen closet.

Dryer Sheet Storage Container

The box of dryer sheets was too big to fit in the basket, and the individual dyer sheets were to too large to fit in to my glass jars, so I had to get creative in order to fit my dryer sheets in this space. I searched around for a smaller, refillable container that I could transfer some dryer sheets to for easy access, and I came up with a travel sized Huggies baby wipes case for the nursery!  

I can fit quite a few dryer sheets in here, and this case fits nicely in the Elfa door basket. Best of all, I can just pop the lid and pull them out one by one. I love finding ways to repurpose items for new storage uses! I’m storing the larger box of dryer sheets in the linen closet for refills.

Laundry Canisters for Detergent

After placing most of my laundry items in the back of door baskets, I was still left with two containers that were too large for these door baskets – my laundry detergent pods, and my OxiClean. For these, I purchased two larger canisters from Target {again, adding washi tape detail to each}.

I made sure to place these laundry canisters in the far back corner of the deep countertop, far out of reach of little hands! Similarly, I put the other laundry cleaners in the top basket of the door system to keep them out of my boys’ reach as well.

Laundry Room Countertop for Sorting and Folding

You’ll notice that other than the three small containers on the back corner of the laundry closet countertop, I have left this space wide open. Although I could have maximized my storage space by utilizing more of the counter, I specifically chose not to.

In my prior laundry closet design, the counter was cluttered with too many storage containers, which made it hard to use for its intended purpose of sorting and folding. This time around, I was very conscious of keeping laundry room countertop space wide open so that I could actually use it for doing laundry rather than having to drag my laundry to another room to find space to sort and fold.

In addition to this counter being very functional, I’m proud of how it looks! We had wanted a wood plank styled laminate counter, but the price was way out of our budget! We instead managed to DIY the look we wanted using a cheap melamine board and some vinyl flooring planks for a fraction of the cost! Get the DIY laundry room countertop tutorial here.

Laundry Room Lint Holder

Since our laundry closet doesn’t allow space for a garbage can on the floor, it’s a pain to walk to the bathroom down the hall between every load. Instead, I used to create a pile of lint on the counter that I’d eventually take to the trash every few days. When planning the laundry room makeover, I wanted to find a more function {and more stylish} laundry room lint holder.

My friend Melissa, at Polished Habitat, created the most fabulous wall mounted laundry room lint bin, so I initially thought of using her solution. But then I spotted a black and white striped, lidded jute basket at The Container Store that I was totally smitten with, and I realized it would be a perfectly as a lint holder for my laundry room. Now I just empty the lint to the bathroom trash down the hall once every few weeks when my lint collector basket fills up.  

Small Laundry Room Clothes Hanging Ideas

In the prior version of our laundry closet, I had a rod for hanging clothes as they came out of the dryer, but it was set high and above the washer where I could barely reach it, so it rarely got used.

I wanted to find a better hanging solution for our laundry closet {one that my short self could reach}, so I once again opted to use the back of a door. I purchased four bar towel holder from IKEA {similar to this towel rail}.

The outermost bar is just the right distance from the door to be used with standard hangers. Now I can hang clothes as I take them out of the dryer! And the four bars also provide an ideal space for draping multiple items that need to hang to dry!

Best of all, even with clothes hanging from the towel rack, I can still fully close the door when I want to hide the laundry away. We installed the rack high enough on the door to ensure that the bottom on my husband’s dress shirts hang just above the countertop when the door is closed.

I should also mention that I my hanger stacker {here’s a similar one} also makes doing laundry much easier. I fill it up with the empty hangers out of our closet so that I always have plenty of hangers on hand for clothes coming out of the dryer.

A Laundry Memo Board to Keep the Whole Family in the Loop

Laundry is a family affair, so to keep your clothes looking their best, it’s convenient to have a place to leave notes to keep everyone on the same page.

I often put a load of laundry in the washer, and then later my husband will move it to the dryer, or vice versa. It was always a challenge to remember to remind each other to check for stains on certain shirts, or not to dry certain items. To solve this problem, I’ve added a laundry memo board to the back of the door below the hanging rack.

To make the most of the space, I also designed a cute laundry symbol guide and placed the poster behind a KLUDD glass noticeboard from IKEA.

The noticeboard works well with either dry erase markers or chalk markers. Dry erase markers are more convenient because they just wipe away with a Kleenex or paper towel, where as a chalk marker requires water to wipe it away. However, I have chosen to use a chalk marker to make that the writing won’t rub of on clean clothes when I hang them from the rack above the laundry memo board.

HOW TO STORE LAUNDRY BASKETS BETWEEN LOADS

Laundry baskets can take up so much room between use. A few years ago I got rid of all of my bulky plastic laundry baskets, and replaced them all with the collapsible variety {these are my favorite}.

I like to keep a couple of these baskets in our master bedroom closet all the time to make it quick and easy to carry clothes down to the laundry room.

I tuck another couple in the space between the washer and the wall in the laundry closet, ready for use to carry clean clothes to the appropriate rooms. Collapsible laundry baskets pack a whole lot of function into very little storage space!

I love that our new laundry space is much more organized and functional than it used to be, but it’s also more prettier and looks less cluttered.

It just goes to show that you don’t have to sacrifice style for function! It’s all about finding the right balance and using the available space in a creative way!

A few more things to consider when planning updates to your laundry closet or small laundry room:

Should you stack the washer and dryer in your laundry closet?

We are fortunate that our laundry closet is wide enough to accommodate a side by side washer and dryer, but even so, at the outset of the makeover I strongly considered whether to stack the washer and dryer.

Ultimately I decided against stacking for several reasons: (1) the linen closet adjacent to our laundry closet already provides ample floor to ceiling shelving; (2) my boys love helping with the laundry by putting clothes in the washer, or by transferring from the washer to the dryer; and (3) I wanted to maximize my sorting and folding space with a large counter space.  

However, there are just as many good reasons that you might want to stack your washer and dryer, even if you have the space for a side by side. Stacking can add more space for easily accessible shelves and cabinets; can free up floor space if your house lacks a broom/vacuum closet. If you are thinking of stacking your washer and dryer, you might want to check out this room, and this closet for inspiration!

Do you want to raise the washer and dryer up on drawers or pedestals?

Another important consideration for your laundry room is whether to put the washer and dryer right down on the floor, or whether to boost them up onto laundry pedestal drawers, or onto a custom built pedestal with space for laundry baskets {like this one from Addicted 2 DIY}.

I quickly determined that pedestals weren’t the right choice for me because my priority was to have a usable counter space for sorting and folding, and placing the washer and dryer on pedestals would have made the top too high for me to use. But, depending on how you use your space, and what your needs are, this can be a very efficient use of space!

The post Small Laundry Room Organization Ideas appeared first on Blue i Style.

From day one I knew I wanted to tie some black and white stripes into the laundry and linen closet, but it turned out that finding black and white striped wash tape was harder than I expected. I finally found some that I could purchase on Jet.com and decided to order two rolls… however, I didn’t read the listing close enough and didn’t realize that each quantity of “1” was actually a package of 4 rolls. So I now have eight rolls of black and white striped washi tape… in other words, you should expect to see if showing up in lots of projects around here!

This whole process was super quick, and five minutes later, all my shelves were looking much more stylish! I love the way the striped wash tape looks next to the bright green storage boxes, and how it compliments the black and white striped canvas laundry baskets below the lowest shelf!

Shared at Remodelaholic

The post Washi Tape Shelf Detail appeared first on Blue i Style.

I am so in love with our brand new light and bright laundry space that I could seriously stare at it all day {and, let’s be real…I might}!

I owe a huge thank you to all three of my sponsors for this project – IKEA Centennial, Minted, and Tempaper Designs! This project would not be what it is without the support of these companies and their awesome products, and I’ll point out their contributions throughout this post. Additionally, this post contains some affiliate links, so if you buy something I recommend you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

To fully appreciate the beauty of our update space, you need to see what it looked like just five weeks ago! It was so red, dark and shadowy, and totally didn’t fit the style of our home. It was the first space I completed when we moved in seven years ago, and while I know some of my readers love it, for me personally, it was ready for a makeover.

Thanks to the kick in the pants motivation that is the One Room Challenge, I now have the laundry closet of my dreams. Well, let’s be honest… in my dreams it’s actually a big room instead of a closet. But it would still look just like this! 

Ok, before we get back to the pretty pictures, let me give you some context. Our laundry closet and linen closet and linen closet are accessed by two separate sets of double doors in our second floor hallway, but internally it is one open closet space.  

As you might suspect, photographing closets is a bit of a challenge, both in terms of light and angles, but I’ll do my best to show you all the pretty details, and of course, all of the stylish function and organization!

I’ve been wanting to find a place in our house to incorporate some gorgeous Kelly green, and this was the perfect spot!

If you saw just the photo above, you might not realize this was a laundry closet instead of a room – and that was exactly my goal! I wanted to design it to both look like, and function like, a larger more luxurious space … a space I’d want to actually spend time in.  

But nonetheless, the closet doors are actually a vital part of the overall design, because they now pack a ton of storage and function!

The concept for this design really started with the wallpaper. I met the folks from Tempaper Designs at a trade show in New York this summer, and I immediately fell in love with their textured Brick White temporary wallpaper. By the time I was on the plane home to Denver, I was already mentally redesigning the laundry room! Read the full tutorial on how to install temporary wallpaper here.

In order to balance out all that white, I wanted to add a bright pop of Kelly green – but I didn’t want it to be overwhelming, so I chose SEKTION cabinets from IKEA with glass front BJORKET doors, then I painted just the birch door surrounds in Sherwin Williams Kilkenny.

And then there is the light! I had my eye on it for months, but when I went to by it at World Market, I discovered that it had been discontinued. A few phone calls and a road trip later, I was able to buy the last remaining floor model in Colorado, but it was totally worth the effort, because, it’s PERFECT for the space!

My original design plans anticipated us purchasing a laminate countertop in with a black-grey plank wood appearance, but when the quote came back at over $600, it was a no go!

We had previously been using a simple white melamine board as a “counter,” so we got creative and found a way to cover that existing white board using vinyl flooring to create a plank wood countertop look very similar to the laminate version we had our eye on – but for a fraction of the cost. Read the full DIY laundry room countertop tutorial here.

I am a firm believer that art has a place anywhere and everywhere – including in a closet! I always drool over the Minted catalog full of gorgeous works from independent artists, and this laundry room makeover was the perfect spot for some of my very favorite pieces! From left to right: Dash by Katy Craig; Life In Color – Connections by Aimee Siberon; Splendid Spring II by Makewells; and The Meadow by Melanie Severin. All four prints are 8×10 in size are were custom framed by Minted in their distressed charcoal stained frames.

One of my biggest gripes about our old laundry room set up was that there was too much stuff on the countertop, which didn’t leave enough space for folding laundry – so keeping the counter in the new space wide open was one of my biggest goals. But that also provided a new challenge…

In the old laundry room, I used a large hat box to hide the faucets and hoses, but in the new design plan, in order to even space the art above the countertop, one on the frames needed needed to overlap the faucet inset. In order to make that workable, I wanted to find a way to make the laundry plumbing visually disappear. Here’s an in process shot from last week to remind you what I’m talking about…

Now you see it, and now you don’t…

It turns out that hiding the faucets and hoses was actually a super quick and easy project. I shared the tutorial for how to hide laundry room plumbing here.

To keep the countertop open and free for laundry folding, I limited the items on the counter to two canisters that store laundry detergent pods and OxiClean powder, as well as an adorable little black and white striped basket. There is no room for a trash can in the laundry closet, so I used to create a pile of lint on the counter before finally carrying it all to a trash can elsewhere in the house – but now I can stash all of that lint away in this basket, and then just empty it when it fills up. Sometime it’s the little things!

I love the look of the glass front cabinets, but they could quickly become an overwhelming and distracting element in the room if I filled them full of all of our laundry detergents and various cleaning supplies. Instead, I decided to fill them with all of the extra toilet paper and paper towels that used to take up so much space on the linen closet shelves. Now I can store much more than before, and toilet paper has never looked so pretty!  

Of course, that meant that all the laundry supplies had to be stored somewhere else, and that’s where the closet doors come in!  

The left door now has three baskets that contain everything that was previously stored in various boxes on the countertop.

The top basket {far out of the kids’ reach} holds all of our various sprays and stain removers.

And the two lower baskets hold eight matching jars {that I dressed up with a little washi tape}. The jars hold everything from replacement buttons and sewing supplies, to bleach pens and lint rollers. Check back next week for all the organizing details!

On the opposite door, we installed a four rail towel hanger that functions for hanging clothes as they come out of the dryer, as well as for clothes that need to hang to dry.  

Below the hanging rack, I created a guide to laundry symbols that I mounted behind a glass memo board. I left a space for laundry notes.

Now that you’ve gotten a few little peeks into the linen closet side of the space, let me show it to you in all of it’s organized glory. Of course, you know I like to make all my organized spaces pretty as well, so in addition to the matching storage boxes from IKEA, I also added some black and white striped washi tape to the edges of the shelves. Grab the quick, five minute shelf edging tutorial here.

Here’s a reminder of what the linen closet looked like five short weeks ago. It was organized(ish), but within the bins it was a mess, and it was feeling overwhelmingly red.

And now, it looks more streamlined, but it actually stores so much more! The rows of matching baskets and boxes on the linen closet shelves provide the perfect combination of open and closed storage, and the color makes me happy every time I open the doors!

The doors are doing double duty here as well – providing storage for extra blankets and all my table runners!

I’ll share a full post about the linen closet organization in a couple of weeks, so be sure to check back in for all the details!  

Before I call it a wrap, I want to show you this space in action. I mean, what good is a pretty laundry room if it doesn’t work hard, right?  

With two little boys in the house, laundry seems to be a constant, so the doors to the laundry room are open more often than not. But when we want to hide it away, we can simply close the doors and call it a night.

When we installed the baskets on the back of the left door, we positioned them so that the bottom basket would sit just above the top edge of the washing machine when the the door is closed.

You can see that even when the doors are closed, there is room for clothes to hang on the back of the door! When installing the rack on the back of the door, we were very careful to position it high enough that my husband’s dress shirts would hang just above the top of the countertop when the doors were closed.

And with that, I’m calling it a wrap on the One Room Challenge!

I’ll leave you with the before and after comparisons! I’d say the final spaces look pretty darn close the plans I dreamed up.

The post Laundry Closet Makeover appeared first on Blue i Style.

Photo source: Home Made By Carmona on Instagram | Also find her at HomeMadeByCarmona.com

Photo source: Atta Girl Says on Instagram | Also find her at AttaGirlSays.com

Photo source: Smart Girls DIY on Instagram | Also find her at smartgirlsdiy.com

Photo source: A Prudent Life on Instagram | Also find her at aprudentlife.com

Photo source: Blue i Style on Instagram | Full laundry room post

Photo source: 2 Bees In A Pod on Instagram | Also find them at 2beesinapod.com

Photo Source: Blue i Style on Instagram | Full laundry room post here

Addicted 2 DIY built this amazing pedestal to raise up her washer and dryer, providing space below for three baskets for presorting laundry.

Photo source: Addicted 2 DIY on Instagram | Also find her online at addicted2diy.com

A Prudent Life created this adorable hanger on the wall of her laundry room. It’s a great solution if you don’t have enough room for a clothing rod in your laundry space.

Photo source: A Prudent Life on Instagram | Also find her at aprudentlife.com

Photo source: Oh Everything Handmade on Instagram | Also find her at oheverythinghandmade.com

The post 12 Ways to Organize the Laundry Room appeared first on Blue i Style.