The 10 Best Things You Can Buy for Your Laundry Room (for Under $50)

Washing machines leak—not routinely, but often enough to make precaution worthwhile. After all, it's never easy or cheap to undo the effects of water damage. The wise course? Equip your laundry room with a leak alarm. That way, if the washer (or utility sink) springs a leak, you can snap into action to limit the damage. However, be aware that the most basic leak alarms come with a severe limitation. That is, if you're not at home to hear the alarm sound, you're out of luck. Opt instead for an internet-enabled option like the D-Link Wi-Fi Water Sensor. When triggered, the device delivers an alert to your smartphone, so you get the information you need, right when you need it, wherever you happen to be. Available at Amazon; $59.99.

Related: 8 (Nearly) Invisible Laundry Rooms

After a few rounds in the washing machine, delicate clothing like lingerie, hosiery, and lace-detailed shirts can show signs of damage—blame it on high water temperatures and rough spin cycles. Protecting your delicates is as simple as throwing them into mesh bags, such as these ones by Bagail. The five wash bags are made of durable polyester fiber, which effectively prevents snags, stretching, and tears. The bags will pay for themselves, saving you money by extending the life of your clothes. Available on Amazon; $9.89 for a set of five (1 Jumbo, 2 Extra Large, and 2 Medium).

Related: 8 Low-Cost Upgrades for a Hassle-Free Laundry Room

De-wrinkling your clothing is a must for keeping a polished or professional wardrobe, but the supplies used to do the job take up precious real estate on laundry room shelves or cabinets. With the mDesign Ironing Board Holder, you can get back your storage space by keeping everything in one convenient location. The sturdy bottom hooks provide a place to hang your board, while the steel basket can store your iron, detergents, clothing pins, and more. Position the holder on your laundry room door or against a wall, thus improving the room’s functionality and stretching the limits of your storage space. Available on Amazon; $17.99.

When you've no room to pop open a folding board and no patience for the setup and storage required with each use, the Houseables Ironing Blanket poses a simpler solution: Lose the legs. This heat-resistant padded mat wraps over flat metal surfaces (like, say, the top of your washer or dryer) to turn them into temporary ironing boards. Secured by its heavy-duty corner magnets, it won't budge during laundry duties until you're ready to roll up, fold, or hang the 32 ½-inch by 17-inch blanket for next time. Houseables' flexible design is so convenient both at home and on the road that you'll soon be saying "so long" to your squeaky ironing board. Available on Amazon; $13.99.

Related: 8 Things You Didn't Know a Clothes Iron Could Do

The beauty of front-loading washers and dryers is that they are as space-smart as they are energy-efficient. Homeowners can stack them in a closet or set them side-by-side and reclaim the space atop the appliances as if it were a countertop! When you opt for the latter laundry room design, though, you need to take care that you don't lose clean laundry to the dust behind the machines while you sort socks and fold towels. Enter the Haus Maus Laundry Guard: Held in place along the edges of your adjacent machines by rare earth magnets, the 8"-tall plastic screen completely contains whatever you dump on top. When you one day decide to stack them, you can fold the modular design into a smaller configuration to fit atop the set—great for storing surplus bottles without worrying about one falling off any of the sides and out of reach. Available on Amazon; $29.95.

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