How I Made Over Our Laundry Closet For Free (In One Afternoon!)

Are you suffering from a boring laundry closet or a small laundry room that needs a little facelift? See how we completed a laundry closet makeover in an afternoon for free, plus get a free laundry room art print!

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Beautiful marble counters, deep sinks, an ironing station, and a built-in tower of laundry baskets for each member of the family: those are just a few of the fancy laundry room features I see on Pinterest every day.

But, I venture to guess that most of us sort through mud-covered pants and spaghetti-stained shirts in plain and possibly downright nasty spaces.

I’m lucky to have a small laundry closet on our second floor, just outside our master bedroom. But until recently, it was just a boring, utilitarian space.

Laundry Closet Makeover: The Blah Before

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The “before” version of our laundry closet isn’t too bad. After all, I could be sorting our darks and lights in a dimly lit, damp basement.

But if you’ve been following me for a little while, you know that I truly detest laundry (see evidence here and here). I mean, does anyone love doing laundry? Do you? Are you eagerly awaiting a full hamper just to have the satisfaction of a pile of clothes neatly folded Kon Mari style?

It’s totally cool if you do. Would you please come to my house?

Anyway, here’s our boring laundry closet, which is just outside our master bedroom.

Not a very motivating space, right?

Here it is at another angle so you can see just how tight the closet is.

One afternoon, faced with the prospect of four loads of laundry, I decided that enough was enough. If laundry must be done (of course it must), then it should be done in a much cuter room. By “shopping” my house and completing a few creative DIY projects, this mini laundry closet makeover was finished in a single afternoon – for free!

Let me give you the little tour and show you how you can complete a similar makeover if your small laundry room or laundry closet needs a pick-me-up.

7 Easy + Free Ideas to Organize and Decorate Your Small Laundry Closet

1. Make a cute DIY lint bin

Several months ago I hung a grocery bag on our laundry closet door to collect dryer lint, candy wrappers, fruit squeezie tops, and clumps of dirt from my kids’ pockets. Although the bag was super effective it wasn’t pretty, so on a recent Saturday afternoon, I made a cute lint bin from an empty box of instant oatmeal packets.

The brightly colored wrapping paper, a leftover from a fun DIY wall art project, served as the inspiration for the whole laundry closet makeover. Get the full tutorial for this lint bin here.

2. Add an unexpected hook

I replaced the Command hook with a pretty dragonfly hook that was gathering dust in a drawer (yes, I have a drawer filled with hooks!), and now my hangers are much happier.

They must be, right?

3. Create a bin for “hand wash only” clothes

While I try to avoid buying clothes requiring special care, sometimes I can’t resist them. It’s risky to toss your hand-wash-only clothes in the hamper with everything else, and several cute tops were ruined by my carelessness.

This plastic basket is discontinued, but here’s a similar one. A little wrapping paper, some cardstock, and scrapbook letters from my sticker stash make the basic basket much prettier.

The basket is mounted to the wall with a bit of ribbon and clear Command hooks.

4. Decorate your dryer sheets

Dryer sheets can look nice, too! I wrapped our box of dryer sheets in wrapping paper using the same method used for the lint bin.

5. Add a shelf (or dress one up)

We had an extra floating shelf just floating around (hardy har har) so my husband installed it above the washing machine to hold the dryer sheets, a mason jar for pocket odds and ends, and a few decorative items that I found around the house. I love how the colors all coordinate with the wrapping paper, and the shelf adds much-needed storage and organization to our small laundry closet.

6. Create quick clothespin art

A small embroidery hoop, fabric scrap, and clothespins make instant 3D wall art, but if you have more clothespins, create a statement piece with a much larger embroidery hoop.

7. Hang artwork

Framed art is a perfect way to brighten up your small laundry closet – even if there’s hardly any wall space. Since I have more art prints than I know what to do with, I added colorful arrow artwork from my collection and created my own print (keep reading to download it for yourself).

A Stress-free Small Laundry Closet Makeover

Could I paint the walls or the cabinets? Maybe add a wallpaper accent?

Sure.

If I had time.

Which I don’t.

While this isn’t the most dramatic laundry closet makeover you’ll see (by a longshot), I hope it proves that you don’t need to spend much time, or any money, to add some beauty to even the most utilitarian space in your home.

Get Your Free Laundry Room Printable Art!

Laundry sucks, but a pretty laundry room makes it better! Snag your own copy of my free “Laundry Sucks” printable PDF, along with loads of other printables available exclusively to subscribers.

Source List:

I saved a lot of money by using things I already had, but if you like this look, here are sources for similar items I used.

• Wrapping Paper
• Dragonfly Hook (set of two)
• Wall-mount Drying Rack
• Blue Mason Jar
• Plastic Storage Bin
• Clear Command Hooks
• Slim Velvet Hangers
• Arrow Art Print (comes in three colors)

Click on an image to go right to the product:

Check out these other ideas!

• 14 Ways to Organize Your Life for Free (and Cheap)
• 2 One-Minute Tips That Will Organize Your Laundry Closet
• 5 Smart Ways to Organize Cleaning Supplies Under the Kitchen Sink
• How to Make a Laundry Room Lint Bin That's Free, Cute, + Functional!

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