My Laundry System

I have been considering what to do with my laundry "closet," since I do not have an actual room.  I have limited storage in my laundry area.  The house came with one of those standard wire shelves that never seems to be efficient or very strong.  A major problem we have is no good storage area for laundry baskets.  I have been using some pop-up cloth laundry baskets because I can store them when not in use, but I would love to have several of the sturdy plastic baskets.

I now have a solution.   I used Google SketchUp to design a tentative laundry cabinet system.  Keep in mind, my design is still crude, but I wanted to show it off and possibly get feedback.  I plan to replace the existing wire shelf with a custom built cabinet system, as pictured below.

Jennifer's Hanging Laundry System - Front View

Following this design idea, I will need four pieces of 3/4" plywood cut in 16" x 24" dimensions.  Then I will need four 16" x 26" pieces of 3/4" plywood.  These pieces will build the shelf structure.  I will then install metal brackets or make  wooden "brackets" to hold my laundry baskets.

Another view of hanging laundry system

The cabinet will be constructed of 3/4" plywood as well.  I will need two 16" x 24" pieces of plywood, two 15 1/2" x 16" pieces, one 15 1/2" x 22 3/8" piece for the cabinet back, and one 24" x 17" piece for the cabinet front which would be hinge mounted on front of the cabinet frame.


*Update*  I consulted my resident engineer for design critique.  He recommends that I replace the brackets with a divider shelf in the center so that my four laundry baskets will rest on a solid support.  If we do this, we will not put any stress on the plastic handles which could cause them to break.  Also, shelves will be more appealing when we sell our house in the future.  I will work on an updated sketch for our new design.