Tour my small laundry room renovation and get ideas for laundry storage solutions, cat feeding areas, and cat litter organization.
Welcome to the cat room, where my furry babies allow me to store my washer and dryer. They do charge me a monthly fee of food/water stipend and it’s in my contract to clean their litter at least three times a day, but that’s a small price to pay for storing such bulky appliances. I recently gave the room a mini makeover, so I thought I’d take an opportunity while the masters were napping to photograph how it looks now. Want to take a quick tour of my laundry room/cat room combo? Don’t worry, they signed a photo release form.
Sunroom Turned Laundry Room
Let me give you just a little backstory. When we first moved into our new house (here’s the YouTube tour right after we got the keys) the laundry location was inside a small closet in the kitchen. The last three houses I had had laundry closets, and before that the washer and dryer sat right smack on an open wall in my wallpapered kitchen of my bachelorette pad apartment. I knew having another laundry closet would be so disappointing, especially since this is our “forever” home.
So after scouting around the house and talking with our contractor who is handling our renovations, we decided the small used-to-be screened in porch was a perfect relocation place. We had an electrician run appropriate power for the appliances, a plumber add the water lines, and our contractor verify the structural capacity to hold the weight of the washer and dryer.
Once we were good to go, Best Buy delivered our shiny new LG washer and dryer, and the nice delivery guy gave me all kinds of tips for keeping the front loaders clean and not-stinky. (First time front-loader owner here) He was AWESOMELY helpful.
Paint And Shelving
First on the list for the room renovation was painting the walls and adding some storage over the washer and dryer. I used the same muted pink paint (Breathless from Sherwin Williams) that I used in my home gym and it really looks great since the room gets a lot of sunshine.
I hung this adjustable closet system (the same one I use in all my closets) because I needed somewhere to store all my laundry supplies and linens. This closet system is perfect for a laundry room because you can adjust is over and over again as your storage needs change, and it’s as simple as just rearranging the shelf brackets and moving the shelves and rods. I considered doing built-in shelves and cabinets, but I’m a mind-changer and I like to move things around, so that kind of commitment just doesn’t work for me.
Bins And Baskets
Over the washer and dryer, I use these bins and baskets scored from Michael’s years and years ago to hold towels, bed linens, table linens, and a few miscellaneous items that don’t have a home anywhere else in the house. I also use one of the big bins to hold my doggy diaper bags so I can quickly grab it when Winston goes for a day trip with us.
Laundry Supply Storage
I also keep a wooden tray from the Target Dollar Spot on top of the washer to corral the laundry supplies. On top of the dryer, the metal laundry bucket serves as a trash can for lint and dryer sheets, and the acrylic tissue box holds clean, new dryer sheets. I think it looks much cleaner this way, versus an actual trash can and branded dryer sheet box. And the cats can’t get into the the trash and dryer sheets this way, which is great because the twins are very destructive curious.
Cat Feeding Area
Pivot to the left and you’re at the cat feeding zone. I used a 12-Cube Organizer Shelving Unit to make four separate feeding cubbies for our four kitty babies. I lined the bottom of the lower four cubbies with this washable shelf liner and stuck them into place with repositionable gel museum dots. Sticky contact paper doesn’t come up very easily and has to be thrown away after one use, so this non-adhesive shelf liners and gel dot combo allows me to clean the mats and reuse them.
Instead of the classic fabric bins for the cube shelf, I went with sturdy plastic baskets. Our cats are nosey and could easily pull out the fabric bins, and I was constantly finding them in the floor with all the contents scattered around the room like a feline tornado had just hit. (Oh wait, it did.)
I keep all the pet supplies in those bins, like grooming essentials, Litter Genie refills, dog clothing, extra pet toys, and a pet first aid kit. These are harder for the kitties to pull out, and they can’t get messed up from their curious claws. Plus, since the bins are plastic, they are stronger and don’t bulge like the cheap fabric ones do.
On top of the cube shelving, I keep the airtight container of cat food with a scoop inside, and a little candy jar of cat toy replacements. Somehow cat toys disappear around the house more often than I understand, and our mighty little hunters cry ferociously when they can’t find them. There must be some kind of Bermuda Triangle for stuffed mice somewhere in this old 70’s house of ours. (My guess is the weirdly shaped creepy closet in the front of our bedroom).
Cat Litter Area
On the other side of the room is the cat litter area. We have four cats and three litter boxes (Jackson Galaxy would throw a fit that I don’t have 5 boxes) and I clean them about three or four times a day. I know that seems a little excessive, but one of our cats is a senior and another has chronic colitis so if boxes aren’t clean I’m mopping up tracked messes in the floors. (and bathing paws)
The Litter Genie is my BFF in this room since I scoop litter so much. Instead of having to take out single plastic bags three times a day, this bad boy holds all the stink inside until it’s full, so we can take out one giant poop sausage link later. (Sorry, not sorry for my gross comedy)
And the Booda litter box is my Senior baby Rose’s favorite. It has a ramp so her 15 year old bones can get in and out easily. In this corner, we also keep a plastic bag lined trash can for the litter scoop and litter refill. In front of the litter boxes is this litter mat, and it’s the best one EVER. I’ve tried all the litter mats on the market, and none of them have kept stray litter in place like this one does.
Other Cat Favorites
Our laundry room is right off our bedroom, and also links to our home gym, so there are two doors in one corner. Having the door open to our bedroom has been pretty annoying, especially when my husband is working night shift and needs to sleep during the day. The sun from this bright room blares into his sleep space. So I added this cat opening so the door can be closed but the kitties can still come in and out as needed. It’s as adorable as it is functional.
Sweet Baby Doc loves the anti-fatigue mat in front of the washer and dryer. Nobody tell him I bought it for my own comfort when folding laundry, ok? Just let him think it’s his cozy comfy napping mat. Total aside, remember nap time from kindergarten? I think jobs should implement that same strategy. Where’s that petition?
And going back to the feeding cubbies, this method works well for our kitties. They all have designated their own cubby and for the most part only eat from that bowl. It’s funny how they created their own version of assigned seating. And if someone is caught in the wrong cubby, they come tattle on them to me. Like they want me to scold them or something. It’s funny and frustrating. If only I could speak cat. Or if only they’d stand up for themselves…
Want More Pet Storage And Organization Ideas?
One half of the twin set, Marty, has informed me that we’ve all overstayed our welcome in his space and we are officially being escorted out by his big 22 pound bodyguard Anakin. So since we’re getting kicked out of the cat room, why not head over to the Pet category archives for more pet organization and storage ideas? I’m going to go scoop litter and give treats because my washer/dryer rent is due soon.
