We asked Cleanfluencer Lynsey Crombie, a.k.a Lynsey Queen of Clean, to tell us exactly what every good laundry room should have, to save us the guessing game.
Designing a utility room can be a bit of a minefield, what with all the amazing utility room ideas and utility room storage inspiration on, ahem, RealHomes.com.
Lynsey says, 'Utility rooms should be practical spaces with plenty of storage and essentials. Laundry products are a given but if you’re wondering how best to utilise the space, you'll need some other basics that are sure to make washing and drying clothes convenient, easy, and maybe even enjoyable.'
Below, we pick the brains of the one and only Lynsey Queen of Clean to find out exactly what we need on hand in our utility rooms.
- Need small utility room ideas? We've got some stylish and practical inspiration for teeny laundry rooms.
Lynsey Crombie's essential laundry products
First and foremost, your utility room is for your never-ending washing mountain and with that comes many laundry products. Lynsey recommends the following utility room must-haves:
- Laundry care products: 'Liquid detergent, fabric conditioner, stain remover and white vinegar.'
- 'Tumble dryer balls to speed up drying time.' Or why not consult our best tumble dryers and get a brand new machine.
- 'Tumble dryer sheets to keep your laundry smelling fresh.'
- 'Starch spray for those awkward items that need that extra care – starch spray is great for pure cotton items and linen that crease easily, starch sprays are also great to remove static.'
- 'Crease spray to remove those awkward creases when you don’t have the time to iron.'
Lynsey Crombie's utility storage essentials
Utility storage is paramount for a multi-tasking utility space. Aside from storage baskets for all the miscellaneous clutter and nifty shelving, Lynsey recommends the following:
'Laundry baskets are a must and if you are limited on space look at a fold flat basket that can often slide onto the top of your washer or dryer.'
- Laundry baskets: 'Laundry baskets are a must and if you are limited on space look at the fold flat basket that can often slide onto the top of your washer or dryer.'
- Clothes hangers: 'Not all items of clothing needs ironing, some you can up straight away and if you keep hangers close by it will stop any creased forming.'
- A folding area: 'As clothes come out of the dryer fold and organise into iron and non-iron pile. A folding space keeps you from travelling laundry into other rooms in your home.'
- A drying rack: 'If you have space, there are plenty of drying racks that you can install up high and attached to walls too – perfect for those rainy days and winter months.'
- An ironing board and iron: 'It is important to keep all items laundry related together, so you know where everything is and everything has a home.'
- A bin: 'Perfect for tumble dryer fluff, which needs removing after every use and when emptying pockets before they go in the washing machine.'
- These best ironing boards can help tackle creases no matter how small or large your space.
Lynsey Crombie's clothing care essentials
When you learn how to do laundry, caring for your clothes is without a doubt a fundamental principle. Aside from laundry products, Lynsey also recommends the following:
- A sewing kit: 'So if you spot missing buttons or dropped hems you can action quickly and know where your kit is.'
- Mesh bags for when washing delicates: 'These are great for bras, silk undies and lace items that can sometimes get tangled up.'
- Ready to learn how to use a washing machine properly? We've got all the info you need to extend the life of your washing machine and clothes.
Lynsey Crombie's utility room product hacks
Laundry hacks don't come any better than those from a cleaning expert. Lynsey shares a few of her other utility room must-haves.
- Store old towels: 'Old towels to collect up any possible leakages that can happen in your laundry room – washing machine can leak if overloaded or if an item gets trapped in the door.'
- Hand wash: 'Most laundry rooms have an entrance from the outdoors, so keeping a hand wash to hand will keep your hands clean and stop the spread of germs.'
- Paper towels: 'Great for blotting stains! Getting to stains as quick as possible is key, paper towels are great for fresh stains and will soak up any excess with ease. If you spot grease stains from cooking, you can cover the stain with a paper towel and then gently iron over this will remove the stain, use this same process for wax crayon stains too.'