Sneak More Storage Into Your Laundry Room With A Solution That Works For Any Budget

On one hand, having a laundry room makes your life so much easier. Who wants to mess with lugging baskets of dirty clothes to the laundromat? On the other, having a tiny laundry room can be a headache. You're constantly looking for ways to store your laundry essentials and make the space as functional as possible. Having a small laundry room that maximizes every square inch often requires a little creativity. One way to do that is by reclaiming unused spaces like the corners of your laundry room. A corner shelf gives you a spot for your laundry detergent, dryer sheets, or other necessary items.

A compact or closet-style laundry room typically only measures about 5 feet by 3 feet. Small laundry rooms give you a little more space with typical dimensions of 5 feet by 7 feet. Most washers and dryers are 27 inches wide. When you double that and add a few inches for clearance around the machines, you have almost 5 feet of space that's required for appliances. That doesn't leave much room for storage, which is why you need to take charge and make every empty space like the corners of the room functional. Laundry room shelving is a common way to incorporate storage solutions. You'll often see this as a single open shelf above the washer and dryer. Other laundry rooms use one or more cabinets installed on the wall. However, those typical storage solutions don't make the best use of corners. If you have an empty corner available, try using corner shelves to add laundry storage.

Add laundry room shelving that fits corner spaces perfectly to maximize the use of space. Freestanding corner shelves like the FRÖSJÖN corner unit from IKEA for $50 work well if you have a slightly larger laundry room with available floor space. This shelf is just over 5 feet tall and has five shelves, so you'll get plenty of storage within just one corner of the room. The wedge shape of a corner shelf makes it fit perfectly without taking up much floor space. However, if the rounded shelves won't fit into the corner, you might choose a narrow cabinet or rolling shelf that matches the depth of the washer and dryer. Measure the gap to determine how wide the cabinet can be.

A tall shelf that sits on the floor might not be an option in a smaller laundry room. Wall-mounted or floating corner shelves like the set of two Conamily Corner Shelves for $30 give you a storage solution that you can install above your washer and dryer. You can find them in a range of materials, colors, and sizes, but the shelves tuck neatly into a corner due to the 90-degree angle at the back. Add a single corner shelf if you just need a little space, or install multiple shelves to give yourself extra storage space. If you have a top-load washing machine that's near the corner where you want to install shelves, take into account the clearance for the lid, which is usually about 24 inches. Switching the shelves to the dryer side of the laundry room gives you more freedom to place shelves lower.

The best use of the corners in your laundry room depends on the overall size and layout of the space. One way to create a larger corner space with more storage options is to choose a stackable washer and dryer set for your laundry room. This consolidates your washing and drying activities to one side corner and leaves the other corner open for built-in storage, a table or countertop for folding laundry, and other storage solutions.

If you have a larger laundry room, you may have a free corner without stacking your washer and dryer. Consider a built-in cabinet with a countertop that curves around the corner. The Inval Washed Oak Wood Three-Shelf Corner Bookcase from Home Depot for $240 may be a good way to get the built-in corner cabinet look for less. You could also install a small sink in the corner for working on stains, pre-soaking laundry, or hand-washing delicate items. Another option is a shelving unit with large option shelves where you can slide in laundry baskets. You can use a premade shelf or build custom shelving that fits perfectly and helps you utilize small gaps in your laundry room.