Most homes aren’t built to be that practical – especially when you look at your kitchen. The majority of houses are built with integrated washing appliances in the kitchen area. Your washing machine sits under your worktop, which means it has two negative effects on your space:
- It takes up room that could be better suited to a storage cabinet
- It makes the kitchen extra loud when the washer is on
In an ideal world, you’d stuff the washing machine in a lovely little utility area separate from the kitchen. It would be the perfect place to do your laundry – there’s just one problem: you don’t feel like you’ve got enough space in your home for a utility room.
Sure, you’ve got some smaller rooms or little hallway spaces that could be converted into a utility room; you’re just not sure if it’s possible. Well…it is! You can convert small spaces into brilliant utility rooms by utilising a few clever home renovation tricks.
Conserve space with stackable appliances
Space is the big thing holding you back from converting a small room into a utility area. Most notably, you need space to fit the two main appliances: your washing machine and dryer. Both take up a decent amount of floor space – but you can get around this with a stackable washer and dryer. It instantly saves space yet retains all the functionality you need from a utility room. You can wash and dry your clothes without feeling like the room is overly cramped.
This also helps you free up more space in your kitchen where these appliances used to be!
Incorporate a fold-down ironing board
Your utility room should be a place for you to relax and deal with all your clean and dirty clothes. Most people love using these rooms to do the ironing – but that throws up another space-related issue. How are you fitting an ironing board into a small area?
Again, it could take up too much space and leave you with no room to move around. Thankfully, you can buy small fold-down ironing boards that attach to the wall and fold out when you need them. They take up way less space and help you bring your utility room dream to life.
Install a pole across the top of the room
Here’s a funky idea: install a long metal pole across the top of your room to hang things on. It’s a great option for drying clothes when it’s wet outside, and you can’t chuck them in the dryer. Think of it like a shower pole for your shower curtain; only you have little hooks or pegs around the pole to hang the washing on.
Make sure there’s at least one open window in the room to prevent mould growth, and you’ve got another really clever space-saving utility room addition.
Add a wall-mounted airer
Alternatively, you could use a wall-mounted airer for a similar effect. Like your ironing board, this airer will attach to the wall and spend most of its time folded back to avoid taking up any space. When you need it, you fold the airer out and hang clothes on. Depending on how big your small space is, you might be able to incorporate the pole and the airer to dry as many clothes as possible. It’s a great idea if you’ve got lots of clothes that can’t be dried in a tumble dryer.
Use the walls for storage
While we’re talking about the walls, let’s discuss some storage options. You can incorporate all kinds of wall storage solutions to keep key things in your utility room. Here’s an obvious one: make some shelves to store laundry detergent and fabric softener.
You could nail hooks to the walls to store coat hangers when you’re doing the ironing. Get creative with your wall storage ideas, and you’ll soon find loads of ways to store all your utility room essentials without taking up loads of space installing cabinets.
Install an extractor fan
This is probably the most practical addition to your small space and arguably the only essential tip to follow. Install an extractor fan (or two) on the wall leading outside. This sucks up all the hot air and reduces humidity in the small room – which can get really high when you’re drying clothes. It stops your utility room from being a damp dungeon that encourages mould growth.
You don’t need to use all of these ideas; they simply give you examples of how to convert your smallest space into a functional utility room. Even a slightly large walk-in pantry can be turned into a utility area with these tips, which lets you add a room to your home without paying for an extension!
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© Copyright 2025 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
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