14 Creative Ways You Can Use A Utility Cart In Your Home

Whether you find organizing your home to be a creative outlet, reinvigorating project, or daunting task, it's something that must be done from time to time. Sometimes, when you have a smaller space to work with, or an abundance of stuff to organize, you may have to think out of the box when it comes to fitting everything seamlessly. There are so many ways to get creative with how you organize your home, and that's where utility carts come to play. 

While you may have thought of these as a storage piece to use solely in your garage or workspace, they're a versatile item that can add style, flair, and elevated organization in your home. As IKEA points out, they can be used for everything from work to play. Whether you need a place to store things next to your desk for easy access, or a home for drinks and snacks you and your guys can enjoy — the options are endless. Plus, most carts have wheels, which means you're not confined to just one location. There are many ways you can get creative with your utility cart, so let's spur some ideas below.

Have a well-stocked guest room

To be the hostess with the mostess when welcoming guests, you can have a well-stocked utility cart so that anyone who visits feels right at home and has all the essentials at their fingertips. Use a utility cart to stock the room with anything they could need. Julie Blanner lays out different things you should put in a guest room to fully equip it. 

She notes it's helpful to provide guests with easy access to drinking water. Include plastic water bottles or a filled water carafe and cups in the top portion of your guest room cart. Additionally, snacks are sure to be appreciated by your guests — if you know their favorites, that's a thoughtful touch. Everyone always wants to connect their devices to WiFi, so a framed sign with your network information is also sure to be much appreciated. If you really want to ramp up your guest cart, include a single serve coffee machine on the cart with all the applicable fixings. Your guests will surely be impressed by your efforts!

Get fit with a fully-stocked workout cart

A workout cart can really up your exercise game, giving you everything you need to get in a good sweat. For example, many Peloton users have begun equipping their exercise area with a fully-stocked workout cart so that everything they need for their ride is within easy reach. Leah Ingram of Real Sophisticated Consumer shares some Peloton accessories you can add to your cart. These items include your Peloton shoes, free weights, a heart rate monitor, handlebar towels, and headphones. 

For any other kind of workout, some items you'll want to include are water bottles, spray deodorant, resistance bands, face wipes, and even a wireless speaker. The better equipped you are to workout, the easier it will likely be to motivate yourself to do so. You can even put a motivational sign or message board on your cart, reminding you to be consistent in your efforts to stay healthy and fit.

Find every craft supply with ease

Creating is a fun hobby to have, but it certainly can requires a lot of materials. Sometimes, these materials can be tough to organize and can cause a lot of clutter to accumulate in your space. Lovely Etc. shares some ideas of how you can cut down on clutter. These include purging supplies and asking yourself if you're really going to use them. A good rule of thumb that the blog cites is to ask yourself if you've used the item in the last six month. If you haven't, it could be worth tossing it for the sake of staying organized and tidy. It's also worth getting rid of or donating supplies that you have an overabundance of in order to save space.

Creating a craft supply cart could help with your decluttering efforts, too. Plus, this would consolidate all of your supplies into one place, which makes it easier to create in any area of your home, given the fact that a cart is super mobile. Give yourself the gift of craft convenience and cleanliness all in one with your nicely organized cart!

A perfectly organized pantry is a utility cart away

Is your pantry a disaster zone? Do you find yourself struggling to find what you're looking for whenever you cook a meal? A utility cart could be the perfect way to take your pantry from chaos to organized! Adding a cart to this space allows you to put things like fresh produce that isn't refrigerated on a shelf for easy access, or you can use it as a spot to organize your spices and commonly used items like olive oil. If you have an abundance of coffee pods, this is a wonderful place to dump them so they're easy to grab, but not taking up an entire drawer in your kitchen.

Closet Factory discusses using "zones" to organize your pantry, which is something that a utility cart can assist with. This system separates items into different categories, such as canned goods, dry ingredients, liquids, and special foods. The idea is that once everything has an assigned zone, it'll be easy to find and keep in its place.

Grow a mobile indoor herb garden

An herb garden is a fabulous addition to any home. They're sustainable and extremely useful in cooking, making cocktails, and even spruced up glasses of water. If you don't have a good spot for one in your home, don't fret. A utility cart is the perfect place for your herb garden! You can put different potted plants on each shelf of the cart, and it's easy to move within your home, ensuring that you can adjust the amount of light the cart receives to provide optimal growing conditions.

EatingWell provides helpful tips on how to grow herbs inside. First, the site explains that you'll want to choose pots with adequate drainage. A saucer under a pot will provide a space that can catch drained water. Additionally, herbs need an abundance of light to grow. They should soak in at least six hours of sunlight each day and be placed next to your brightest window in order to thrive.

Keep your cleaning supplies nearby as you move through the house

Cleaning doesn't usually top the list of homeowner's favorite tasks, but, alas, it's something that must be done. One qualm with cleaning is that so many different products are required, which means you're either lugging them all around the house with you, or constantly going back and forth to wherever they're stored. Luckily, a utility cart decked out with cleaning supplies eliminates that problem. Stock the cart with all your most-used cleaning solutions and tools, so that you can roll the cart with you as you clean the house, keeping everything you could need for a sparkling clean home within an arm's reach.

Molly Maid denotes all the must-have items you should have on hand to clean with. These include a bucket, cleaning rags and microfiber cloths, baking soda, white vinegar, lemons, spray bottles, and an extendable duster. You will also want to have various brushes to scrub with, such as a toilet brush and grout scrubbing brush. Keeping these items organized in your cart is definitely not something you'll regret once you get into the cleaning zone.

Be your own barista with a well-stocked coffee bar

If you have a passion for a great cup of joe, then a decked out coffee bar is an absolute must! A mobile coffee station is just what you need, making it easy to bring it from the kitchen, to your living space, to your office. Brew the perfect cup of java whenever the urge arises.

A Blissful Nest shares how you can perfectly stock your coffee cart. First and foremost, you need a coffee machine, which should go on the top shelf of your cart where you have the most room. Next, you'll want some of your favorite mugs. Then, you'll either need coffee pods, beans, or coffee grounds depending on the kind of machine you have on hand. Sugar, creamer pods, and flavor syrups are also necessities to add to your cart. Finally, accessories such as stirrers and cocktail napkins should be at the ready so that coffee lovers can fully enjoy their brew from your cart.

Make bath time with little ones easier

Bath time with active toddlers or kiddos can be a little bit chaotic, but it doesn't have to be! To take this time from stressful to fun, you can create a bath time utility cart with everything you need to make it a blast. The Bump shares a list of baby bath supplies that you should have on hand to ensure your kiddo gets cleaned up nicely and has fun in the process.

The site suggests having a bathtub spout cover, a water temperature reader, baby soap and shampoo, a rinsing cup, and soft washcloths to make tubby time a success. Make sure to stock up on bath toys, too. There are so many on the market — from rubber duckies to bath-friendly crayons and books — there's bound to be a supply your little one will love. Finally, don't forget a towel — a hooded towel is perfect to wrap up your little love after they get out of the bath!

Create a mobile diaper changing station

Changing diapers is an inevitable part of having a baby, and if you haven't had a baby before, you may be surprised by the amount of stuff you need on your baby's changing table. When you're away from their room, it's a nice idea to have everything you need to change their diaper so you don't need to trek all the way to their room to do it. That's where a utility cart comes in! Create a mobile diaper changing station to make it easy to keep your baby fresh from anywhere in your home.

Living Textiles Company shares what you should add to your baby changing station to ensure it's fully stocked. This list includes diapers, wipes, cotton balls, a changing pad, and a few changes of baby clothes. You'll also want to have a toy in there that you can use to distract your baby when they're being changed to make it a more seamless process. Diaper rash cream is another must-have. Finally, make sure you have some hand sanitizer so that you can use it to clean your hands after every change.

Ditch the bar cart and just use a utility cart

Why use a regular bar cart when you can use a utility cart instead? Traditional bar carts can be expensive, whereas a utility cart is way more affordable — and it works just as well! Plus, utility carts look sleek, modern, and they are super trendy right now. With that being said, Style by Emily Henderson provides insight into how you can style a bar cart (or in this case, a utility cart), so that it really makes a statement in your home. She notes that on the top shelf, you should add something tall and sculptural. For instance, a vase with greenery (even if it's faux) will work. Next to that, put your drink shaker and tools in the middle of the shelf. Then, on the other side of these tools, add your most used liquor bottles — either in their original packaging or in a decanter.

Then, on the lower shelf, put the rest of your liquor bottles on one side, glassware in the middle, and another sculptural and decorative piece on the other side. If you have three shelves, the bottom of your cart can be used for overflow glassware and any other accessories you'll need easy access to, such as corkscrews, koozies, or a stash of straws and cocktail napkins.

Save trips inside for your outdoor dining essentials

Especially if you love to entertain outdoors, a utility cart could be your best friend for making it easy to gather everything you need for a night spent outdoors. Instead of spending half the evening making trips inside to grab items you forgot to bring out — such as bug spray, candles, condiments, or beverages — put them all on your cart and roll it outside in one convenient trip!

Olive and Tate explains everything you should have on hand for outdoor dining. These items include a pitcher and glass set, a wine cooler, a bug repelling machine, and a utensil set. Tablecloth weights and shatterproof serveware are also important to have on hand. Other items you'll want to have are bug spray, a wireless speaker, cocktail napkins, and anything else that you think will make your guests comfortable and happy!

Make your own little library

Book lovers can make great use out of a utility cart! If your bookcase is overflowing or you have a "to be read" stack of books that's gotten out of control, here comes a utility cart to the rescue. This is a great place to stow library books or to organize your own stash of reads.

You can also make your utility cart look aesthetically pleasing when it's stuffed with books. Epic Reads shares some ideas for organizing books so they look great. The first popular way is to organize by color, creating a rainbow of reads in your cart. Another fun idea you can use to have your cart looking interesting is to turn all the spines in rather than facing them outward. However, keep in mind that this will make it more challenging to find the book you're looking for — your cart will be more of a random "grab bag" of books.

Replace your nightstand

A utility cart makes a great nightstand, believe it or not! If you either don't have a nightstand and are looking for something affordable with a lot of storage, or if you're looking to replace what you have, consider a utility cart. You'll be able to stash everything you need, snake wires through the cart to charge devices, and roll it as close to your bed as you need.

Traditional nightstands have a tendency to get cluttered and disorganized. Restonic shares some tips for keeping clutter to a minimum, which you can apply to your utility cart nightstand setup. The site explains what you should add to your nightstand for your best night sleep, including hand lotion, lip balm, medications you take, reading material, and a flashlight. Other items worth considering are a water carafe, a notebook and pen, and tissues. Of course, you will probably also stow your phone here overnight and want to charge it. Then, you can decorate your nightstand too. 

Contain the toy clutter in the playroom

If you feel like your kids' playspace has gotten out of control toy wise, a utility cart could help get things organized. This is particularly true for toys with a lot of little pieces, or for items you have an abundance of. Use a utility cart to organize Legos, arts and craft supplies, dolls, Barbies, dress up costumes, Play-Doh, or pretty much any other toys your kids love to play with. This is great for frequently used toys, as it makes it easy to bring toys from one room to another to play with.

Pretty Simple Ideas shares some ways to reduce toy clutter as you work to organize your playroom. For example, the site notes that having a storage system is key to keeping the space clean. Giving each item a home makes it easier for kiddos themselves to help tidy up and it'll keep things off the floor. That's why a utility cart is so key in a playroom — it can really make it easy to add more storage to the space that houses all things fun.