Why do you think the idle rich have always had their maids
do their laundry while they go for a drive in the country? My hunch is if they
had a laundry room outfitted like this one, they’d send the maids out for
a drive and they’d be whistling at home sorting their own
socks.
Closet Rod
And Shelf
You can get these great-looking Lido Rail
chrome brackets and rod at home centers or buy them on-line. One source is
www.aubuchonhardware.com.
This project will save you hours of ironing and
organizing. Now you can hang up your shirts and jackets as soon as
they’re out of the dryer—no more wrinkled shirts at the bottom of
the basket. You’ll also gain an out-of-the-way upper shelf to store all
sorts of odds and ends.
Just go to your home center and get standard closet rod
brackets, a closet rod and a precut 12-in. deep Melamine shelf (all for about
$25). Also pick up some drywall anchors, or if you have concrete, some plastic
anchors and a corresponding masonry bit. Follow the instructions in
Photos 1 and 2.
1. Draw a level line about 78 in. above the floor
and locate the studs behind the drywall. Fasten at least two of your closet rod
brackets into wall studs (4 ft. apart) and then center the middle bracket with
two 2-in. long screws into wall anchors (inset).
2. Fasten your 12-in. deep Melamine shelf onto the
tops of the brackets with 1/2-in. screws. Next, insert your closet rod, drill
1/8-in. holes into the rod, and secure it to the brackets with No. 6 x 1/2-in.
sheet metal screws.
Soap
Dispenser
Click image to enlarge.
You can buy a soap dispenser in the
kitchen section at home centers. Expect to pay about $12 to
$25.
Get rid of that gross bar of soap that sits on the
backsplash of your sink. Buy a soap dispenser at a home center and mount it to
your acrylic tub. You’ll need a drill, a 1-1/4 in. hole saw and liquid
hand soap. Keep in mind you can put any liquid soap in the dispenser. A spot
remover would be handy for prewash scrubbing.
1. Drill through the backsplash of your acrylic
laundry tub with a hole saw. Measure precisely so you’ll have clearance
for the soap bottle below. Choose a hole saw just a bit larger than the
threaded base of the pump.
2. Insert the threaded pump base into the hole and
tighten the retaining nut to the underside of the backsplash. Fill the soap
bottle with the liquid soap of your choice and thread it onto the base of the
pump.
Towel
Bar
Click image to enlarge.
If you’re looking for a basic towel
bar like ours, your best bet is to go to a hardware store. Expect to pay about
$8.
Get those messy rags out of the sink and onto a towel bar
so they can actually dry. Shop for an easy mounting towel bar that you can
shorten if you like. We picked one up at the hardware store that had easy
mounting holes right on the face of the mounting plate and a removable bar. We
cut the bar with a hacksaw so it would fit nicely on the side of the sink.
While you’re at the hardware store, buy stainless steel mounting bolts,
washers and acorn nuts to mount the bar. We used 7/8-in. No. 8-24
bolts.
1. Mark the location of your towel bar on the thick
rim near the top of the sink. You may need to shorten the bar first by pulling
the bar from the ends and trimming it to about 16 in.
2. Drill clearance holes at your marks and fasten
the towel bar ends to the sink with bolts, washers and acorn
nuts.
Under-Sink
Shelf
Click image to enlarge.
Tired of moving all that stuff under the sink every time
you mop the floor? Just buy a Melamine closet shelf ($5) from a home center and
a length of suspended-ceiling wall angle (sorry, it only comes in 10-ft.
lengths, but it’s cheap and you can have it cut for transport). Also pick
up four 1/2-in. No. 8-24 bolts, washers and nuts. Follow
Photos 1 – 3.
1. Using an aviation snips, cut two lengths of
suspended ceiling channel to support the undersink shelf.
2. Clamp pieces of ceiling angle or aluminum angle
to your sink legs (about 11 in. from the floor) and drill through with a
3/16-in. bit. Insert 1/2-in. long No. 8-24 bolts from the inside and thread on
acorn nuts to cover sharp bolt edges.
3. Cut a shelf from 3/4-in. Melamine board and drop
it onto the angle braces. You may need to notch your shelf if the sink trap is
in your way. Paint the raw edges of the board to protect them from
moisture.
