With the average American family doing more than 400 loads of laundry each year, it’s no wonder the laundry room has become one of the most popular remodeling projects in the house. Often out of sight and out of mind, most laundry rooms are designed like closets rather than efficient utility rooms. According to decorator Jenny Komenda, with just a few inexpensive changes you can brighten your clothes and your mood by transforming your laundry room into a bright, functional place.

Check out these tips on how to create more efficient and enjoyable laundry rooms:

  • Dealing with a dark, cave-like laundry room can be a chore. By taking off the doors on a few of your upper cabinets, you’ll open up the space and create a place to store baskets. Assign baskets for every member of the house and sorting will be a breeze. 
  • Painting the insides of your cabinets a fun color is a simple way to brighten your day every time you reach for your detergent. Another easy way to improve your space is to attach cork panels on the inside of the cabinet doors and create a space to pin useful information, such as stain removal tips.
  • Don’t like the cabinets, floors and countertops in your laundry room? Every surface can be painted or resurfaced. Update your laundry room with paint and a concrete overlay for less than $30. Say goodbye to the outdated linoleum, brick pavers and old, dark cabinets.
  • A rolling laundry butler with a hanging bar, a rolling basket and a drying rack can be your best friend. It’s the perfect choice for smaller laundry rooms that haven’t been updated in a few decades.
  • Don’t neglect your laundry room walls. Hanging interesting art and mirrors will elevate your room and make it feel less utilitarian and a little homier. Suddenly those 400 loads of laundry most of us will do this year may be enjoyable. 
  • A folding station makes all the difference. Use a slab of stone or a simple piece of painted medium-density fiberboard (MDF) on top of washer or dryer units to create a folding station that also prevents socks from slipping in between the appliances.