How to organise my utility room... help please

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

So it seems the problem is me not the space i have. I have never had a utility room before and its not the godsend i thought it would be. I have a sink and unit and a thin open shelf - on one wall.

Boiler, fridge freezer, undercounter freezer, washing machine, and a void on the other side. Thin open shelf over counter top.

I have a double wall unit i can replace the open shelf over the sink.

It ends up with washing baskets, clothes airers, hoover, mop and other stuff on the sides and floor. I am investigating a ceiling airer to free up floor space. How else can i make it work for me?

What are your genius solutions - apart from get better at washing and kondo some stuff.

Its 7ft x 11 so not tiny

[namechangedtoday15]

Have you been on Houzz and Pinterest? You can lose hours....!

[MrsNuckyT]

I assume you have a fridge freezer in your kitchen as well? If that is the case, do you really need two freezers in there and a fridge? I would rejig things around so you only have stuff on one wall, not two which would free up some much needed floor space?

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

Lost many an hour to those sites but they are all so much larger and more mudroom than british standard utility room and a lot fancier. I have a small undercounter fridge in kitchen but i often have to feed 8 people so i need lots of fridge space or i seem to need to go shopping every other day.

I think this weekend i will pull everything out and just keep what i actually use and see if i can rehome other stuff. I have tonnes of storage in this house but i dont seem to use it properly so it doesnt seem like i have ifyswim. I also dont have storage that fits my need, i end up slinging my hoover in the utility room and then tripping over it as there is no where that it naturally fits. ummm off to google some more

[Leopard12]

Would definitely recommend the ceiling clothes airer, love it, clothes do dangle about head height depending on your ceiling height but at least it's out the way when not in use.
Is there anywhere else you could put your hoover, mine lives in the under the stairs cupboard/cloakroom.
Another option although requires a rejig/expense my uncle has a really large tall cupboard, it has no base and looks like two cupboards on top of each other but the doors are glued together and no shelf so mop, bucket and brush get shoved in there.

[BreakfastAtSquiffanys]

I have mop and floor brush on spring clips on back of door. Gets mop off floor so it dries properly

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

Dont have an understairs cupboard so hoover, mop etc has to live in there but liking the idea of a cupboard to store then in, i have a narrow wall which i could customise something to fit. Def going to get a ceiling airer - the ceilings arent very high but i am quite short! and it would be easier than an airers which i have to dance around.

I have a lot of stuff for parties, extra glasses, plates etc but only actually host parties a couple of times a year so i will move all that stuff to the garage. Its the washing - i am never on top of it EVER.

I wanted a home organisation station somewhere i could keep the masses of stuff that comes with school, presents for parties etc but i seem to not have enough space which is mad as my utility room is bigger than my first kitchen.

Keep the great ideas coming, thanks

[poocatcherchampion]

It is not quite physical organisation but we do all our washing on a Monday / Tuesday. 4 loads most weeks (family of 5) and we take over the utility room for drying and loading etc and the kitchen for folding and sorting. Then put it all away on the Tuesday in one go and then I have 5 days for drying paintings, getting out cleaning products, stacking junk to sort and sorting it. Then I push it all out the way again when we bring the washing down on Sunday night and it starts over.

It works perfectly.

I have also spent time getting rid of lots of bits and bobs that we absolutely do not miss.

[poocatcherchampion]

PS we have under counter fridge in kitchen, fridge freezer in ut room and small chest freezer in garage.

[poocatcherchampion]

PS again! I keep party gifts etc in large clear plastic boxes on top of the top cabinets. I measured the space for a perfect fit.

[Bluecarrot]

Not quite related to op but to other poster- was a revelation to me that school uniform did not necessarily need washed at the weekend. It's still done weekly... I just never have to do any laundry at weekends anymore. Hurrah!

[Bluecarrot]

As for organisation, would you have room for an IKEA pax wardrobe in your utility room? We have two really high ones (over 2m) but they are quite narrow. I can fit all our products, vacuum, mop, gardening stuff etc in it. (Though leave the laundry powder out as used most days)
We also got an IKEA coat rack with integral shelf above it and hang 4 sturdy bags from it - one for white laundry, one colours, one dark and then one for hand wash or special care items.
The top shelf holds the basket I gather laundry in from each persons bedroom laundry basket /hold wet clothes til I hang them up.
I bought a clothes horse that has wheels so I can easily move it out if the way or bring it outside during the day and back in at night.

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

I think i need to move a freezer to garage - dont really need it just use it because its there ifyswim, i do way more washing than 4 loads but i have 2 preschoolers -perhaps i need to kondo better! ( i am not ocd about washing at all), my kids get through 2 changes of clothes a day easy. Well done you. An empty washing basket deserves a vat of wine in our house.

Like the idea of a plastic crate on top of cabinets for presents. Preschool attached to my dds actual school give me a rainforest worth of paper every week so i am turning one small wall into a notice board /chalk board / calendar wall/ art wall.

I need to be more organised with washing, i am fine with washing and drying it - its the putting it away bit i struggle with. I also need to kondo our clothes, when we were selling our last place i just kept out a weeks` worth of stuff per person and it made such a difference, no over flowing baskets or cupboards and washing was a breeze- i guess i have answered my own question!

Off to google ceiling airers. Thanks

[poocatcherchampion]

Will it motivate or annoy you if I say my 3 are preschoolers too? One in Reusables.

Although I guess as they get older their clothes are bigger!

We are super kondo and there are rules like clean PJs on Sunday and Thursday etc so I limit it. I also try to salvage from the older twos clothes where poss

[poocatcherchampion]

It was a Revelation to realise that we can just do washing that day - we have more than a weeks worth of clothing - you need 10days really to account for the time until it gets into drawers.

I only have an empty basket on a Monday morning. My goal is not that - it is do only do washing on those days.

You have to accept there is washing always. But I have never met anyone who runs out of clothes within 10 days.

It has a massive knock on effect to keeping the whole house tidy too

[GreenGoth89]

What about Gardening tool holders for mop/broom/vacuum hose? IKEA grundtal system is helpful. I refuse to take any paper home from school/nursery that isn't urgent and could be sent in an email - it saves them time and money getting it printed too!

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

Poocatcher - yes i feel totally useless now! I seem to endlessly do washing and its always a work in progress, i struggle with putting it away so i always have clean clothes lying around. I must do 5-7 loads a week.

Hubby is going to mount the kitchen cupboards this weekend and i am binning or moving everything that doesnt spark joy.

I have tonnes of storage but am not using it properly - so thats my mission this weekend and to chuck stuff out!

[Cressandra]

I do exactly the same as poocatcher with the washing, except the weekly washing start on a Friday and we have an added complication of bedwetting (which I keep separate from The System.) You have to hold your nerve. If you crack and start early on the main washing it unravels and you're somehow back to daily washing, it's bizarre. Also, eking an extra day out of PJs and kids' clothes makes an unexpectedly huge difference. This may be partly because I used to wash half-worn things to "make up the wash", not realising how that creates work. Good, plentiful, wipe clean bibs or aprons also help. Not buying white tops. Sorry this is rather off topic but I think it all helps address the underlying issue.

The tall cupboard or wardrobe is a great idea for the hoover etc.

I think the paperwork centre would not work for us in the utility, it would clash with the washing, but our utility is half the size of yours. I'd put it all near the entrance to the room so you don't need to battle through the washing.

We have shoe storage for wellies etc by the back door, and garden stuff on shelves.

[poocatcherchampion]

cress that is exactly it "holding your nerve"

I'm glad someone else uses the genius system too.

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

So i have been inspired by you guys. I have hung up 10 outfits for every person in the house - complete with pants and socks. All hung up and ready to go.

In the utility room i pulled everything out, chucked what i could and organised what needed to be kept. Hubby put up some units and hoover was found a new home. Notice boards were hung up and everything was washed and cleaned. I have found a home for the washing baskets and now i just need to keep my nerve re the washing.

I have made a diy hanging clothes airer and it works great. Any more tips on being a domestic goddess welcomed!

Thanks all