This narrow laundry room is big on storage cabinets but light on flat work surfaces. Get the most out of your counters with under-cabinet lighting that’ll help you eke efficiency out of every square inch of counter space.

Image: Frederick & Frederick Architects / John McManus Photographer

Do-it-yourself storage that’s easy to install — and easy to change whenever you want — this modular storage system from Flow Wall features cabinets, shelves, racks, and bins that fit onto easy-to-install mounting brackets on a wall panel. A 4-by-8-foot modular system costs $800-$1,000, depending on accessories.

Image: Brittany aka PrettyHandyGirl

Put that space over your washer and dryer to good use with a simple and inexpensive shelf (of course, you’ll need a front-loading washer for this trick). Support a shelf on 3 sides for maximum strength — this solution is especially handy in a compact laundry room in a small home or apartment.

Image: Country Kitty Land

Lots of elbow grease and imagination turned a dingy basement into a stylish launderette, complete with a vintage cement laundry sink and hand-painted checkerboard floor. The lighting fixtures are made from old colanders and mason jars. An 80-year-old salvaged doll house adds storage for detergents and other necessities.

Image: Bees Knees Bungalow

Designer Eleanor Olsen figured out what to do with two old plate racks — she used them as the basis for custom-made, pull-out drying racks. With a rack fitted to a bottomless drawer and full-extension hardware, each over-the-appliance cabinet unit cost about $175 to build. Bonus: The cabinet tops make convenient work surfaces.

Image: Total Spaces Design / Total Spaces Design on Facebook

This hidden ironing board unit is actually two pieces — Karr Bick designers fitted a modular fold-out ironing board center inside a kitchen pantry cabinet to create a seamless wall of laundry storage. The ironing board unit includes a handy electrical outlet.

Image: Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath Design

Two dryers? If you’ve got a busy, active family, you might appreciate the extra capacity. Because it takes less time to wash than to dry, an extra dryer means you can finish those mega-mid-week laundry chores in less time. For electrically powered dryers, you’ll need a separate 240-volt circuit for each appliance.

Image: Artistic Designs for Living

How about a twofer? Make your laundry room do double duty by stashing your wrapping station there. Racks of paper and ribbons are at your fingertips when you need them and conveniently out of the way when you don’t. Use the flat top of your appliances as a wrapping work station.

Image: The Creativity Exchange

These little socks might have lost their way, but if they hang around long enough, a perfect match is bound to show up. Clip your rogue socks to this fun rack and you’ll be a step ahead of those laundry gremlins who keep stealing your footwear.

Image: Lucketts Store