#laundrymakeover

Other than the kitchen, our laundry room is the busiest place in the house. Almost a full year into this global pandemic and it feels like there is no end to this mess 🤦🏻‍♀️ Since I am still dedicated to wiping down and washing EVERYTHING that comes into the house, our laundry machine is on constantly...and I dread folding and ironing all day long 😣

Seeing some beautiful #laundrymakeover on instagram, I wanted to transform my little space and hopefully make the chore a little bit more enjoyable. 

More important than aesthetics, the prime reason for my laundry room makeover is to improve the ergonomics and functions of the space.  Those who are responsible for doing the laundry will know it can be a labor intensive task...and often with heavy duty lifting too 😅. The goal of my little laundry room makeover is to overcome some specific challenges in my space, and perhaps give you some ideas on how to improve your own space! 

1. The bottomless laundry basket 

Prior to the pandemic, I was trying to do as little washing as possible, so for years I’ve been using a large (and tall) laundry basket from #ikea with a lid. It was working fine for years until recently...not sure if its my aging shoulders, or the fact the washing machine is constantly running (so the basket never fills to the top)...or a combination of both...😅 IT IS PHYSICALLY TIRING to empty dirty clothes from a deep laundry basket!  We also like to separate dark, light and color clothes for washing, so we need at least 3 laundry baskets! With limited space in our laundry room, I was in search for a solution that allows for sorting, fits in our small space and is easy to load and unload. After some searching on #amazon, I’ve found myself a new LAUNDRY TOWER!

3-Tier Laundry Basket - Multi-layer Clothes Storage Basket

This laundry basket is available as a two or three tier tower with a top rack for storage of items that you need to access quickly! I decided to go with the three tier option to have a separate basket for light, color, and dark clothes 😊

All three baskets are removable for easy unloading! I’ve had this for a couple of months now and love how functional it is! No more diving into the laundry basket to pull out the last pair of socks at the bottom of the bin! 

2. Heavy Lifting of the XXL size Laundry Detergent from COSTCO

If you buy your laundry detergent from COSTCO like me, you’d know how heavy it is to lift and pour from the almost 5L size bottle! Sure, some brands comes with a dispensing spout but they often leak everywhere if you leave the bottle on its side...and it looks super ugly.  Also, not all brands comes with the dispensing spout (I love the Woolite Dark Laundry Detergent!)! Since the bottles are so big and heavy, they are usually left on the floor and I’m always tripping over them 🤦🏻‍♀️! 

Solution: A drink dispenser!!

I saw many people using a regular drink dispenser to contain laundry detergents and I think its such a brilliant idea! It is functional and also looks awesome!! After some searching, I’ve found the best deal (and easy to pick up during the pandemic) at #Kitchenstuffplus! They offer easy on-line purchase for same day curbside pickup and their products are very reasonably priced! This is the one I ended up picking up: KSP Oldtyme ‘Chalkboard’ Beverage Dispenser Stand

I chose the 2 jar option as I use two types of laundry detergents. I’ve also seen others using one for detergent and the other for fabric softener. If you have wall shelving, these would go very nicely on a wall shelf. Since I don’t have any space left on my limited shelving, I have left them on top of my dryer and they immediately become a focal point in my laundry room!

3. Messy Shelves!

Bottles and bottles of cleaners and other cleaning supplies often make the space look messy and cluttered. While the best way is to hide them away in a cabinet, reality is that we have too much stuff and too little cabinet space! The easiest and cheapest way give the space a more ‘clean’ look is to organise them with #storagebins ! I found these cute rose gold wire baskets from #dollarama for $4 each and absolutely love how they look! 

I also made sure to pick up some solid colour plastic storage bins to hold items that I don’t want to be visible. 

4. Ironing board 

The ironing board itself is the problem isn’t it? It is SOOOOO heavy and takes up so much room! I don’t have the luxury to leave it out all the time so I have been hiding it behind the door with an ‘over the door’ hook. Lifting it off the hook and finding the space (usually in the hallway) is an exercise on its own😖! The table top ironing board wasn’t an option for me as I don’t have a table to put it on.  I’m also very short so it is not ergonomically possible to iron on top of the washer/dryer combo. 

Many custom designed laundry rooms will have a built in ironing board in a cabinet or in a wall, but they often cost over $600 and there is no way I would invest that much on an ironing board...unless I am actually doing a whole house renovation but that is just not possible in the mids of a pandemic😣! That’s why I am super happy to find an affordable alternative from Amazon! Ivation Wall-Mounted Ironing Board

This fold down ironing board is very close to a stand size and can be mounted on any wall surface (with or without studs). It is sturdy and easy to fold down or lock in place with a single handle lever💪🏻! No more killing my shoulders over moving the ironing board!!

5. Dull + Boring Space 

Lets face it, the laundry room is a boring place that no one really enjoys to be in, right? But maybe there is something we can do to make it a little less dreadful? If you follow my other page PARTYUNICORNS , you will know that I do lots of DIY projects! The first thing I did to beautify the space is to add a beautiful room sign! You can use a simple wood panel and paints from the dollar store and add a custom vinyl sticker from Party Unicorn Studios to customise a unique door sign for your room!

Party Unicorn Studio can customise vinyl adhesives for you and offers free delivery within the GTA! 

Next, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I’ve added a Google Nest Wifi Extender in my laundry room! If your laundry room is located in a place where you need a boost of wifi signal, it is a good idea to get this Google Nest Wifi extender! My laundry room is located upstairs and close to the office, where on-line school is currently happening daily! Adding a boost of Wifi signal on the second level has helped to strengthen the signal for Google Classroom😊! Personally I love using it to turn on the radio or to add some relaxing background music when I’m doing some ironing! 

I have  recently fallen in love with using diffuser and essence oils at home! The lemon diffusion oil from #youngliving is perfect for the laundry space! Instead of using a diffuser, I simply add a few drops on the petals of my artificial flowers for a subtle but consistent fresh lemon scent! 

Taking some simple steps can dramatically transform your laundry room into a space you can enjoy! I am so happy to have found ways to make the space work better for me.  Hope I’ve given you some ideas to transform your space as well! Let me know in the comments what you’ve done to freshen up your laundry space!