When we converted part of our garage into a home gym, we lost a good amount of storage space. That meant I needed to rethink and optimize the space in the laundry closet above our washer and dryer.
Before
The original cabinets weren’t cutting it — they left a lot of wasted vertical space. Since the laundry closet already has doors, I didn’t need more cabinet doors to hide clutter; I wanted open shelving that would make everything easy to access and organize.
The System I Chose
I went with the IKEA Boaxel system, which cost about $150 including tax plus $20 shipping. The setup included:
- 6 shelves (31 ½” × 15 ¾”)
- 3 wall uprights (39 ⅜”)
- 2 suspension rails (32 ½”)
- 9 brackets (15 ¾”)
The width was perfect for the closet, and I customized the shelf heights using real-life measurements: a Costco toilet paper package, Tide detergent bottles, and my tallest cleaning canister.
The Install
We removed the old cabinet, patched the wall, filled holes, sanded, and painted before installing the shelves. The whole IKEA system was up in one evening.
The Organization
To make it even more functional, I added a few extras:
- Laundry detergent cup holders from Amazon (link)
- Clear storage containers (link), inspired by my 5S engineering training (I’ll write a blog post on that soon!)
I love being able to see exactly what I have at a glance. I also use the FIFO (First In, First Out) method: new products go in the back, older ones in the front. That way, nothing gets forgotten or wasted. Now, when I open the laundry closet, I know instantly what’s left and what I need to restock.
It’s been a year since the makeover, and the system still works beautifully. The next step? Adding more labels so every product has a permanent home. Maybe that’ll be next weekend’s project!
Optimize with Jacqueline 
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