IKEA Has An Affordable Multi-Use Solution For Laundry Room Storage

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you need a little more storage in your laundry room but don't want to spend a lot of money, IKEA has a multi-use item to solve your problem. The SUNNERSTA is a wall-mounted storage resource — a rail with hanging hooks and containers — beloved by customers for its affordable functionality. The product adds vertical storage to any busy area of the home and provides extra space for everyday items.

Priced at only $4.99, the SUNNERSTA is one of those affordable laundry room finds that's great for small spaces and helps keep you organized. You can use the hooks to hold spray bottles of stain treatments, hang mesh laundry bags, or to keep tabs on socks that have lost their partners. The included hanging containers are useful for holding laundry essentials, such as clothespins. If you like to hang-dry certain garments, you can use the hooks for this. Each hook has a 9-pound weight capacity, and each container can bear up to 4 pounds; the total weight capacity of the system is 36 pounds. 

Depending on your planned application for the SUNNERSTA, you'll want to think through the best location to hang it. Mounting it behind the washer or dryer can increase storage capacity in an otherwise dead space, but it likely won't provide sufficient room for hanging clothes. Since the SUNNERSTA rail and its components are all white, they won't draw too much attention to themselves and should blend seamlessly into many laundry rooms, no matter where they're placed.

Properly mounting your SUNNERSTA will ensure it works well for you. For starters, this product is not sold with the required mounting hardware — a standard practice at IKEA. Despite being initially frustrating, their reasoning is sound: using the wrong screws for your wall type can interfere with performance. If you don't have a selection of screws at home, you can eliminate some of the guesswork by purchasing IKEA's TRIXIG set ($12.99), which has compatible hardware.

Despite SUNNERSTA's small size, it's always best to use an electronic stud finder before drilling into the wall. Not only is this the best way to find wall studs without making holes, but it will also prevent accidental damage from hitting electrical wires. If you're able to install the SUNNERSTA into your wall studs, you can rest easy knowing it will stay secure. When installing the SUNNERSTA into drywall, use appropriate drywall anchors. Self-drilling ones like E-Z Anchor Twist-N-Lock Drywall Anchors ($9.97 at Home Depot) are ideal if you lack power tools, and their 75-pound capacity is more than enough for the SUNNERSTA and whatever you're hanging from it. For best results, you'll also want to use a level to guarantee the rail hangs perfectly straight on the wall.

Once the SUNNERSTA rail is installed, you can optimize it to suit your needs and create a functional laundry room. While it comes with four hooks and two containers, you can purchase additional hanging components if you need more of a particular type. Are your kids always leaving items in their pockets? Grabbing another SUNNERSTA container ($0.99 at IKEA) will give you space to put pre-laundry pocket contents. The containers are also great for holding laundry items, like wool dryer balls and fabric softening sheets, if you use them. Should you need more capacity for hanging items, an additional pack of SUNNERSTA hooks ($0.99/5-pack at IKEA) can do the trick. If more surface space is what you need, the SUNNERSTA shelf ($1.99 at IKEA) gives you a spot to place things. For individuals who want a splash of color, the SUNNERSTA containers come in an array of hues, including beige, blue-gray, and bright orange.

This storage system is highly rated among customers — 83% of whom gave it five stars at the time of writing. Among the positive feedback, many say it is easy to install and performs well, offering a good value for the price. One review states, "I used this in my laundry room and my family command center. I also purchased the shelf for it." Negative reviews for the SUNNERSTA are quite limited, and most are due to the lack of mounting hardware.