Laundry room sink ideas come in various shapes, sizes and finishes. So we've rounded up some great looking sinks for you to peruse and a guide to how to choose the right one for your laundry room.
When it comes to laundry room ideas, choosing the right laundry room sink has a lot to do with how many bumps and bangs the sink will have to deal with.
Capable of dealing with hand-washing, pre-soaking stained clothing, muddy shoes – and perhaps even paws – used paint brushes and cleaning the BBQ, it’s important to look for a sink that's hard-wearing and prioritises utility and versatility.
With so many sinks out there to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together a guide with some great large and small laundry room sink ideas, what materials to look for and types of laundry room sink to help you make the choice that’s right for your laundry space.
9 laundry room sink ideas to help you choose the right one
Edyta Drutis, Director, Brand & Communications, North America at BLANCO explains more, 'While a laundry sink is typically used for cleaning, soaking or hand washing soiled clothing, it can have a number of additional convenient uses when you don’t want to make a mess in your kitchen or bathroom sink.'
'Utility sinks may be used for bathing small pets, watering house plants, arts and crafts, or other general cleaning purposes like filling mop buckets.'
'Additionally, if you have a laundry/mudroom combination, a utility sink is an ideal spot for rinsing dirt or sand from shoes, clothes, and hands before entering the home.'
1. Utilitarian stainless steel laundry room sink
This Trinity stainless steel Utility Sink with pull out faucet from Home Depot (opens in new tab) has a 32 inch by 16 inch bowl to accommodate larger items when washing blankets or comforters and provides enough space to even wash/groom your dog or pet.
This sink is great for a laundry room with plenty of square footage. Place it alongside laundry room shelving to keep essentials to hand.
2. Undermount Silgranit laundry room sink
Undermount sinks look streamline with the rest of your laundry space and they're also beneficial due to all the workspace around them.
Blanco's liven dual mount laundry sink (opens in new tab) is deep enough to wash a weighted blanket by hand and other hefty linens. With Blanco's patented non-porous, stain resistant silgranit material, the sink has a low maintenance, anti-bacterial surface.
3. Neat cabinet mounted laundry room sink
Suitable for a variety of laundry rooms, cabinet laundry room sinks are particularly perfect for compact spaces. The closed cabinetry is a nifty storage nook for laundry essentials.
Freestanding laundry sink from Transolid (opens in new tab) has a deep acrylic basin with a dual spray head faucet and ample space in the cabinets - a winning laundry room storage idea.
4. Stainless steel undermount laundry room sink
Stainless steel is by far the most durable material for laundry sinks but its utilitarian look isn't everyone's favorite.
Opting for stainless steel as an undermounted sink keeps the tidy aesthetic of your laundry room countertop, while disguising the ever-practical but somewhat jarring stainless steel.
The Roma brushed stainless steel undermount laundry room sink by Ruvati (opens in new tab) has the added bonus of accessories that convert and disguise the sink into a solid wood chopping boards, a colander, steel/silicone rollup dish rack drainer with rinse grids.
5. Enamel cast iron laundry room sink
Accommodating all your heavy duty laundry tasks, enameled cast iron is scratch-, stain- and burn-resistant, so can be used as a sink for more grimy garage chores as well.
Kohler's Park Falls cast iron utility sink (opens in new tab) offers traditional styling with a deep basin that can be dual mounted (top-mounted of undermounted), giving you the freedom to show it off or keep it out of view.
Or you could opt for an older Belfast style laundry sink and use our guide how to restore an enamel sink to its former glory.
6. Top mount, self-rimming laundry room sink
The major advantage of top mounted, self rimming or drop-in laundry room sinks is that they are the easiest to install compared to the undermounted variety.
Sterling's Latitude utility sink (opens in new tab) is low-profile and has a unique quarter-deck design to provide shelf space to keep cleaning equipment out of view.
The durable vikrella composite material is crack-resistant and a practical choice for heavy-duty laundry chores.
7. Vintage style wall mounted laundry sink
Fancy a welcome pop of color in your laundry room? The vintage inspired Randolph Morris Falco Cast Iron Sink from Vintage Tub & Bath (opens in new tab) is wall mounted and small enough for even the smallest laundry space. Made from cast iron and porcelain enamel, the antique style has rugged durability yet stays easy to clean.
8. A farm style utility sink
Made in extraordinarily durable fine fireclay which resists chips, stains, cracks and scratches, this Ratel single gloss white sink from Amazon (opens in new tab) is a must-have in any modern laundry room space. The apron style mount also makes a real statement and will look slick with a marble countertop like in the image above.
9. A deep freestanding utility sink
A great budget alternative, the 18 gallon capacity Swan white premium floor mount laundry sink from Amazon (opens in new tab) can fit larger, bulky items and is a great place to wash or groom your dog or any pet for that matter. Plus it's constructed from 'virtually indestructible' Veritek with no surface coating to chip or crack which ensures it's got a long life in this hardworking space.
Is it worth having a sink in a laundry room?
'Every room in your home deserves to look and function at its best. Smart design is starting to permeate every corner of the home and the laundry room is no exception,' explains Edyta Drutis, Director, Brand & Communications, BLANCO (opens in new tab) North America.
'While a laundry sink is typically used for cleaning, soaking or hand washing soiled clothing, it can have a number of additional handy uses when you don’t want to make a mess in your kitchen or bathroom sink. When it comes to the laundry room, you should never compromise on the quality of your sink, faucet and accessories.'
What kind of sink do you put in a laundry room?
When choosing a laundry room sink, one of the biggest considerations is where you're going to put it.
This depends on how much space you have to play with, if you have countertops and also plumbing considerations.
For example, if you have a small laundry room you'll be looking for a compact option in a freestanding design.
Here are the different types of laundry room sink and what you need to consider when choosing the right one for your space.
- Wall-mounted laundry room sinks: Attached directly to the wall, these laundry sinks need to be attached directly to wall studs located behind the drywall due to the sinks' weight.
- Freestanding laundry room sinks: If you are looking for an inexpensive laundry sink option, a freestanding or floor-mounted laundry sink is your guy. It usually comes in a deep single or double basin usually with its own legs (but these may come separately).
- Cabinet mounted sinks: Think a bathroom vanity cabinet with a laundry sink attached. The cabinet on the bottom will have doors to handily stow away laundry clutter, store laundry detergent so it's readily available when hand-washing items, and will also hide the lower plumbing. This type of sink typically has less capacity than other varieties.
- Top mounted and undermount laundry room sinks: If you already have existing counter space to use, drop-in or undermount laundry sinks are what you'll be after. The drop-in (or self-rimming) sinks are inserted from the top into an opening on the countertop. While undermount sinks attach to the bottom of the countertop, under an opening. These laundry sinks seamlessly blend in with your laundry room design and provides same-level workspace in the form of the surrounding countertop. The downside is that, like cabinet mounted laundry room sinks, they can be shallow for washing grubby garments.
You'll also need to think about what its made from and how durable the material is for what you'll be using it for.
We've rounded up the most common materials most laundry room sinks are made from so you can make the right decision for your family's needs.
- Stainless steel: Highly durable, stainless steel sinks resists chemicals, are heat resistant and sand-able with steel wool (although deep scratches can't be fixed). The downsides are they can dent easily and they are pricey. We've got the lowdown on how to clean stainless steel so you can keep yours sparkling.
- Acrylic: Lightweight and inexpensive, polypropylene is best for wall mounted sinks and are usually the easiest to find. However, this material can stain easily and may react with chemicals.
- Enamel cast iron: Durable, resistant to stains, heat resistant, an enamel cast iron sink is a period living lover's dream, if you can get your hands on a vintage-inspired version. Watch out for chips on the enamel surface, though as you'll need to repair these before the cast iron starts to rust.
- Ceramic: Fired at very high temperatures, ceramic laundry sinks have a non-porous surface, which is stain resistant, easy-to-clean and sturdy. Avoid dropping anything heavy though as it's susceptible to chipping.
What size should a laundry sink be?
Drutis says, 'you should always prioritize depth when selecting a laundry sink, we recommend a deep 12” bowl depth that’s perfect for soaking. Width will largely depend on your space, BLANCO offers several sizes to accommodate any sized laundry room.'
More laundry room sink considerations
Design: Laundry room sinks can look fairly utilitarian as standard, but there are modern designs on the market that will seamlessly blend with your laundry room decor.
Drutis says, 'Just because this space isn’t the centerpiece of your home doesn’t mean it should be an afterthought; take a moment to consider how much time you will be spending in this room and how hard your fixtures here need to work.'
'By finding pieces that are both practical and elegant, you’ll set yourself up for more enjoyable laundry trips that leave you feeling as refreshed as the clothes you’re washing.'
Keep it clean: Laundry room sinks can get grubby, stained and scratched over time and with all that dirt comes a ton of clogging issues. It's best to always use a removable filter to catch any materials before they enter larger drainage lines. Here's our guide to how to unblock a sink if you get in a pickle.
What not to do: Laundry room sinks are often seen as safe to dump toxic chemicals like paint thinners but this couldn't be further from the truth. The drain from your laundry room sink goes into your home's regular sewage pipe and from there into sewer mains and septic tanks.
