Choosing Laundry Cabinets

Laundry cabinets are really no different than kitchen or bathroom cabinets. They're just located in a different room. Depending on where the laundry room is located and whether it serves multiple roles will be a determining factor in in the kind of laundry room cabinets to choose.

The choices you have are obviously wide ranging and are limited only by the amount of space you have and your budget. Getting your objectives for laundry storage cabinets laid out ahead of time will help you make good decisions about layout and functionality.

Similar to planning for kitchen cabinets, taking inventory of what you have and what you need space for in your laundry room will make sure you end up with the right amount of cabinet and shelf space.

Finally, there are several options for cabinet sources with products that fit just about any budget.

Determine Your Objectives First

Choosing laundry room cabinets starts with finding out what you're objectives are in combination with the look, style and location of the laundry room itself.

For example, your laundry room might be located in an unfinished portion of the basement and all you need is a few places to store some of the things that typically lie around the washer and dryer.

On the other hand, you might be designing or already have a large laundry room that's the main hub for cleaning, ironing and folding the family's wardrobe. In that case, more stylish and functional laundry cabinets might be on your wish list.

1. Take Inventory Of Your Laundry Room Needs
   Do you need space to fold the laundry? Base cabinets provide countertop space making it easier to sort and fold the laundry. How about an ironing board? There are laundry cabinets that come with built-in ironing boards that slide into a drawer or close up behind a cabinet door.
2. Take Inventory Of The 'Stuff' That Needs Storage Space
   This is a similar exercise to choosing kitchen cabinets. It involves figuring out what you want to store in the cabinets so that you'll be best equipped to buy the right sizes and quantity. Look around at what you currently have in your laundry room that doesn't have a home. Maybe it's more room for cleaning supplies or a place to store laundry baskets.

   Do you have piles of laundry on the floor that you can't get to right away? Base cabinets that have pullout hampers and bins are a great way to get that clutter off the floor, and also make the room a bit safer (ever get your feet caught up in a pile of laundry?).

3. How Much Efficiency & Functionality Do You Want?
   Cabinet organizers and features like rollout shelves and drawers can make laundry room cabinets a whole lot more efficient and easier to use. Slide-out racks similar to kitchen spice racks can hold cleaning supplies and other items you typically use in the laundry room. You can buy aftermarket organizers and install them yourself or you can buy laundry cabinets with these accessories built in.

The point here is that if you do some up-front planning and think about how you want to improve your laundry room, you'll end up making better choices about the style and features of any laundry cabinets you buy.

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Considerations Before Choosing

Determining specifically what you want and need in the way of laundry cabinets is a good first step. Next, consider these points to make sure you've covered all the bases.

• Cabinet Location Relative To Appliances
  
  If you have a top-loading washer and dryer make sure any wall cabinets that you hang above them don't get in the way of the washer and dryer doors. There needs to be sufficient room to swing the doors up and open. You'll also want to locate shelves or cabinets that house detergents within easy reach of the washer.
• Go For Function And Efficiency
  If you're designing or remodeling a laundry room consider the best layout with regard to your laundry cabinets and appliances so that you'll make the most out of the room's functionality.

  Using several base cabinets means you'll have a larger countertop and more work space. Place cabinet shelves at an appropriate height to make it easy to access those self-dispensing laundry detergent jugs.

• Look For Cabinet Quality You'll Be Satisfied With
  You have different levels of laundry cabinet quality to choose from. Match the quality and cost with your laundry room application. Lower priced melamine-covered particle board cabinets may be all you need in a basement laundry room. On the other hand higher quality cabinets with better finishes and furniture styling may be more appealing in first floor laundry rooms that are very visible.
• Organizers And Rollouts Make Cabinets More Efficient
  Using rollout drawers and bins make any cabinets more efficient by allowing you easier access to what's stored inside. That's especially true for laundry room cabinets that house things like hampers that need to be pulled out of the cabinet space in order to access them.

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The Choices & Options You Have

There are several options available to you when choosing laundry cabinets. Since some laundry rooms are out of sight, how the the cabinets look may not be as important as how well they function. Here are some options when it comes to buying laundry cabinets.

Buying 'Turnkey' Packages From Cabinet Manufacturers

Photo Courtesy Of Armstrong Cabinets

There are cabinet manufacturers that make cabinet "packages" specifically designed for the laundry room. One example is the LaundryCenter™ from Armstrong Cabinets.

The LaundryCenter is a customizable modular cabinet concept that features a range of accessories and options geared for the laundry room. These items include a stow-away ironing board, rollout hampers and inserts that pull out for use with hangars to air-dry garments.

The system is scalable so you can order the right quantity of cabinets for the size of your laundry room as well as tailor the organizing and accessory features for the functions you need most.

Other cabinet makers have similar organizational and storage solutions tailored for the laundry room. If you choose a custom cabinet maker, you're virtually unlimited as to the style, dimension and arrangement of cabinets for your laundry room.

Organizational Systems

Another source for laundry and utility room cabinets and storage are companies that specialize in closet and organizational solutions. Their specialties usually include design services that help you assess what your storage space needs are and make recommendations on the type and number of laundry cabinets you'll need. Some include shop-at-home services.

Sources like this include Closet Factory, California Closets and Closet Tailors to name a few. Some companies operate on a franchise system and locations vary. Their websites have locator functions to determine if there are retailers in your area.

Salvaged And Used Cabinets

An often overlooked and inexpensive way to obtain laundry cabinets is by reusing older existing cabinets. This strategy works particularly well for laundry rooms that don't need the latest and greatest cabinets and/or are located in places where aesthetics aren't important.

If you're in the midst of a kitchen remodel and your existing cabinetry is still usable, consider giving some of the boxes a new lease on life in the laundry room.

Many older homes were made with very durable solid wood or thick plywood cabinets. Maybe all they need is some minor repairs to hinges and hardware to be put to good use again.

If your own home isn't the source, maybe someone else's is. Consider using cabinets saved from other renovations. You can find them at businesses that specialize in building material salvage. Just input the keywords "building materials salvage" along with your city in a search engine to find local dealers.

Another source is Habitat For Humanity's ReStores. ReStores are retail outlets that sell used and surplus building materials at reduced prices. Proceeds help fund Habitat for Humanity efforts within the local community. Information on locating U.S. and Canadian ReStores can be found here.

Reusing cabinets for laundry room purposes is usually a win-win prospect since it's usually less expensive than buying new cabinets, minimizes the use of new resources and helps eliminate waste from filling up landfills.

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