How do you organise your Utility room (if you have one) freestanding storage or fitted kitchen type? Tell me what you store in yours ?

[herbgarden]

Our old tiny kitchen is soon to become our utility room. We had some circa 1970 kitchen units in there which we were going to use for storage. The builder has dismantled them for now whilst he does bits and bobs in there and I then wondered whether we really need those units back in or should we get some more ikea like storage things in there.

What do you use your utility room for ? My washing machine and condenser dryer are going in there - no boiler in there so not a "warm room". I'm thinking coat pegs - anything else ? (We have a garage off the utility so can store "tools" etc in there...

Organise -er not really. It is basically a dumping ground for laundry, tools, tins of paint, cool boxes/bags etc and the ironing board is permanently up ! We also don't have a boiler in there but it is still pretty effective for drying clothes (we have a ceiling mounted rack). We have sink in there which is useful, a freezer, fridge/freezer, washing machine and tumble dryer, wine rack (!). Storage is an undersink unit(for washing powder and cleaning products) and ideally we would install wall cupboards to take less used kitchen gadgets which currently take up room in the kitchen cupboards.

We have kitchen units in ours. I think it is nice to have a worktop, so things cannot fall down the back of the machines.

We store bulk buys in there and garden toys.

We have a broom/mop cupboard, which also has bits and bobs like the vacuum and some cleaning stuff in, the washer and dryer (obviously), linen cupboard and a small deep freeze. Oh, also one of those extendable washing line things for line drying stuff. We should have the ironing board in there but I never use it so it sits in the back of the larder gathering dust . I'd love to have a countertop of some type and a sink, but that's a job for another time...sigh.

We have some worktop space but most useful thing is shallower cupboards on one wall floor to ceiling. I stacked b&q kitchen wall cupboards one above the other, and because they're shallow you can see everything in them straight away. I keep cleaning stuff, spare glasses, loo rolls, vases, shoe kit etc etc and don't have to scrabble about in backs of deep cupboards to find things.

We have an overhead airer too, and some worktop. The ironing board. Washing machine. Big sink. Hooks for coats.

We need more storage; I like the idea of shallow cupboards.

In terms of what it's used for - mostly it's Laundry Central - washing, drying, ironing, but also storage for non-food related householdy stuff, and food-related but infrequently used kitchen equipment - shoe kits, vases and flower-arranging stuff, specialist cleaning equipment, hoover bags, loo rolls, cool bags, sewing kit, batteries, everyday DIY kit (drill, screws, hammer, picture hooks), first aid kit, lightbulbs, jam-making stuff, candles and torches in case of power cut, children's craft stuff.

John Lewis of Hungerford have some amazing and gorgeous utility rooms in their brochure, but not on the website - worth getting for inspiration.

We have kitchen units, dryer & freezer. Also used for bulk stuff & majority of cans/jars.. We have shelves on the wall as they are too uneven for units

washing machine
tumble dryer
tall freestanding freezer
microwave on worktop (didn't want it cluttering up new kitchen! LOL)
couple of wall units - keep all cleaning products in them so kids can't reach them
lower kitchen units have things like vases, dusters, cycling helmets, 'spare' carrier bags, jam pan in them.
sink

Very small utility with chest freezer and sink down one side with boiler in corner and ceiling airer.

Washing machine and dryer on other side with wall units above.

Crammed to bursting with all manner of rubbish

This is v useful as we've just seen our architect (we're extending and remodelling) and we've decided to make our utility room bigger - hurrah. It'll be like having two kitchens - a messy one that I can shut the door on, and a posh one for living in.

Actually ours is very organised, and it makes a big difference - it's very small, but it has everything we need.

One wall has floor to ceiling shelves, which are filled with baskets. Each basket contains a different sort of household item. This stores an incredible amount of stuff, out of the way of small children.

The facing wall has the washing machine, a large freezer, the microwave, and more shelves with all the laundry related materials.

It doens't have a window, so we wouldn't want to iron in there. If we'd wanted to, we could just have slotted in a lift-up ironing board and space for the iron, too, and that would save a rather annoying bit of household equipment which does hang around the house.

Grendelsmum - did you get any help to design it? It's coordinating all the shelves/baskets which would make my head explode. I really like the idea of a lift up ironing board (not that I ever iron, but DH does, and it would be nice to hide it away).

We have kitchen units (cheap ones from Howdens), a sink, washing machine, a coat cupboard and, best of all, space for a laundry airer and a wall-mounted rack for shirts. I can't bear festooning wet washing round my house in the winter (and we generate too much to tumble dry it all).

It does become a bit of a dumping ground (in particular for things that are en route to the garden shed but never quite made it), but I can shut everything away. I wouldn't be without a utility room now.

ooh tell me about the wall mounted rack for shirts. sounds brilliant.

I am also planning to use Howdens units for my utility room.Its going to be used to store my v. large fridge,my washing machine and dryer plus a whole row of floor to ceiling storage cupboards as there will be no storage in my kitchen.I just need to decide on the type of cupboards[want a couple of pullout larder ones] and i am looking for somewhere to store my laundry.I was also thinking of a blackboard wall [ or is that passe?] and a cork wall [ to organise my 4 dc's lives].Can anyone give any useful tips on brilliant storage? [for general clutter ,shoes etc - cause we have a lot!].Also will have a sink and a traditional laundry rack and a lot of junk probably.

We got it designed by the kitchen designers who designed the kitchen, but actually all the baskets are from Ikea, to save a bit of money.

We painted it a really cheerful colour which makes a difference, too.

we have washing machine and tumble drier with a kitchen like cupboard between them, a sink on the top with a work surface. We also have a clothes airer that hangs from the ceiling above this side - Ikea, yonks ago, great buy! I use it all the time and it's out of the way.

We also have a tall freezer in our utility room and it stores the ironing board etc. I wish ours was bigger then i would also store wellies and coats in it.

ours is v small, we have combined washer/dryer, kitchen cupboard next to it (with cleaning products etc in) with worktop over, small wall cupboard with lightbulbs etc in, small towel heater on wall (had spare one from doing bathroom and as no radiator it helps to heat room and gives space to hang drying washing. Ironing board, ceiling airer, coat rack and shoe rack.

thanks Grendelsmum and others

I have a wooden work top with HUGE sink and wash machine and tumble dryer either side

On work top I have IKEA metal wire drawers for sorting laundry. I have wooden drying rack attached to celing. Pegs on back of door. Ironing board hanging on wall behind door

I LOVE IT

teta how can your kitchen have no storage? Please explain!

my laundry room is the back entrance to the garden so is more boot room than anything else.

Sink and 2 under cupboards. dryer, washing machine. 3 wall cupboards above and 1 tall unit next - this is all on one side. Various hooks and things and one cheapo pine rack from ikea with slotted shelf and a hanging rail beneath for hanging shirts!

on top of worktop (a must have i think) is breadmaker and coffee maker and laundry baskets. All household tat lives in this room. eg lightbulbs, cookie cutters, birthday type stuff, dog food, bogofs etc

Other side, freestanding old kitchen dresser full of art and craft stuff and kids games. Tall book case with all garden and wildlife and outings type books.
on floor, dog bed, chewed up doormat.

On wall lovely french clock!

Ours is a bit like an old fashioned scullery - with a sink for the grotty pans and stuff that need scrubbing, washing machine and drier, iron and board, broom, mop, catfood, cat beds etc. Also the toaster and microwave which aren't allowed in my kitchen.

A huge worktop is a must to allow for folding washing. And cheap b&q kitchen cupboards which we got 75% off saving hundreds of pounds

A misted glass door to allow the light from the back door through to the kitchen.

Perfect timing for this thread! We are designing new kitchen/utility room etc in our new house in UK. Currently live in Budapest.

Utility room here is long and narrow and has sink unit with cupboard underneath with all cleaning stuff. Then washing maching and dryer on top. Then fridge/freezer - DH's beer fridge. Then a narrow pine shelf unit with dog food and bits on and various other items - garden stuff etc. Along other wall a metal Ikea shelf with extra pots and pans on and 3 plastic boxes on the bottom for recycling. There is a pantry at the end of the utility room too which has all extra food stuffs etc.

In new house we will be reusing the current kitchen units which are only 6 years old and perfectly good, in the utility room. Will have washer and dryer. Lots of cupboards. Work top. Dogs will sleep there so will have dog cages. Hanging space for some coats and things but will also have a 'boot room' so mainly just for shoes/fleeces etc for gardening. May put a hanging rack but we think we can leave one in the boiler room where it is currently. That would save space but would mean lugging washing to and fro. May need to rethink that as boiler room will be other end of house.

The kitchen will have a wall of full height cupboards which will be used to store china and glassware and pots and pans.Maybe we will have an island unit with baskets that can be used to store fruit and veg. plus an under-counter fridge for drinks etc.But all tins etc. and large fridge[because looms like a stainless steel giant and absorbs all the light] will be moved into the utility room.This is all hypothetical at the mo. as architect forgot to apply for planning permission for a vital part of our extension.So we are now doing some other jobs first[bathrooms plus reroofing] in the hope that permission will come thru' before builder goes off site to do another job.The entrance to the kitchen extension is thru' the kitchen window plus we will have a door on the r.h.s. chimneybrest to the utility and another door to the back hall and pantry[which is going to become the new cloakroom and bootroom].Hence with a range size cooker in the old chimney breast there is very liitle space for cupboards so the kitchen will be purely a food prep. area.Our kitchen is a typical Edwardian,dark room and even with the butlers pantry knocked thru' it is still not a large room[for 4 dc's!].Finally reading thru' this you might well ask how come we are not knocking thru'.We have a 3 story house and the costs of propping up 3 floors is prohibitive to open up the kitchen fully .Hence this is really not viable.Apologies for such a long rambly post.

In my next house, I want a utility room downstairs AND a laundry room upstairs.

Hi Herbgarden - long time no see! Hope all good with you and the family - come see us on the Fab Feb postnatal thread: we're having a minireunion with older posters reposting and sure everyone would love to see you.

On your question - we're redoing our house from the end of the month and putting in a tiny utility room which will have washing machine and tumble dryer (stacked on top of each other) and tall thin cupboard to the right with hoover (in a cubby hole at the bottom), iron, ironing board, handheld hoover (with electrical point to charge it in utility room) and extra storage cupboard at the top). If we had more space we'd have considered a further cupboard to store buggies/scooters/ welly boots and coats in. We werent bothered about having a second sink or airer that could be lowered from the ceiling and hoisted up - if you've got the space you may want that. Also some people put wine fridges in their utility rooms.