The Best Utility Sinks For Your Laundry Room
It’s a fact - utility sinks can be the perfect functional addition to any laundry room!
Growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy mixed with an aspiring artist. I loved to get dirty and create things with my hands - making a mess never really concerned me.
Lucky for me, cleaning up my artistic experiments was a lot easier because I was able to take advantage of the large utility sink in our laundry room.
Like so many things we all take for granted when we are growing up, I never really had full appreciation for how awesome that utility sink was until I moved out of my parent’s house.
Living on my own, I have never had more than a washer and dryer closet for a laundry room, which means no more awesome sink to help me easily clean up all my creative messes with ease.
I know I am not alone because so often when remodeling laundry rooms we hear that a utility sink is at the top of the must-have list.
Now when working with clients, the conversation about adding or replacing utility sinks in a laundry room comes up often. For many people, their laundry room just doesn’t feel complete without one!
That’s why we are always on the lookout for great options that can work in different size laundry rooms - and with different size budgets.
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What Are Utility Sinks?
Utility means something has multiple functional purposes - and that is exactly what a utility sink offers in a laundry room and beyond.
Utility sinks come in various sizes, can be wall mounted or installed in a cabinet, can be made of different types of materials, and used in as many ways as you can dream up.
They are multi-functional sinks that can be used for whatever you may need - for gardening clean up, washing pets, washing clothes, cleaning art supplies, as a place to clean a mop, or even washing up yourself.
Benefits Of Utility Sinks In A Laundry Room
Laundry rooms are where a lot of the dirty things in your home go to get cleaned up. Having a utility sink in your laundry room will be an outstanding help in making sure the mess is contained so that it doesn’t end up spread to other areas of the home. With so many uses, it isn’t hard to see why adding one would be a benefit to a laundry room.
Here are just a few of the benefits our clients seem to appreciate the most about their laundry room utility sink:
Size -
Utility sinks are generally much deeper than other sinks throughout your home. The depth allows you to put larger items inside to wash, and makes it easier to avoid splashing messes outside of the sink. There are also quite a variety of widths and depths of utility sinks for laundry rooms which makes it easy to find an option to fit into your space. You only need a few feet to be able to add a utility sink to your space!
Durability -
Utility sinks are made from durable materials that can withstand a lot of use. Pretty much anything you want to wash up that needs more space than a bathroom sink, and anything you would rather not put in your kitchen sink where you prepare food can be washed in these strong sinks. Things like dirty shoes, your pets, and even cleaning or other chemicals. A utility sink is meant to take a beating without you feeling guilty for using it that way!
Cost-Effective Upgrade -
Depending on your current laundry room space and plumbing, adding a utility sink can often be a cost-effective upgrade to the space that won’t necessarily take extensive work or remodeling. It has a great bang for you buck!
Types Of Mounting For Utility Sinks That Can Be Used In A Laundry Room
Utility Sinks With An Attached Cabinet -
These sinks come as one piece mounted into a sink base cabinet.
Wall Mount Utility Sinks -
A wall mount sink attaches to the wall using support brackets and generally has open space beneath.
Floor Mount Utility Sinks -
The sink has legs that go down to the floor to support the basin, and may also have additional supports attaching it to the wall for a secure installation.
Drop-in Or Undermount Utility Sinks -
This style of sink is installed into a countertop that sits on a sink base cabinet.
Choosing The Right Material Utility Sink For Your Laundry Room
Utility sinks come in an array of options for materials. Depending on how you plan to use this sink, you will want to consider which sink may be the best fit for your needs.
Here are a few popular materials for utility sinks:
Acrylic -
Acrylic is a type of plastic that is also mixed with small amounts of glass and resin to form a strong, durable, and stain resistant material. This is popular as it can last a long time, is available in many different colors, and can be formed into different configurations.
Stainless Steel -
Stainless steel is utility sinks are durable, easy to keep clean, wont chip or crack, and can withstand regular use pretty well. Their downfall is that some chemicals such as bleach can damage the steel, they may dent with rough use, and they have the potential to rust if scratched.
Enameled Cast Iron -
Enameled cast iron is a material that has been used for a long time. Made from cast iron with a strong ceramic coating on the outside, cast iron is extremely strong and is dent resistant. Two concerns people have with enameled cast iron utility sinks is having enough support for the weight of the sink and that the coating can be scratched and chipped over time.
Choosing The Right Size Utility Sink For Your Laundry Room
Finding the right size utility sink for your laundry room can be relatively straight-forward. If you selected a wall mount or floor mount sink, then you should have the actual dimension of the sink, or larger, available to accommodate it. The same is true of a combination sink with cabinet below.
When it gets a little more complicated to select the right size utility sink is when choosing a drop-in or undermount sink that will fit into a base cabinet. First, you will want to figure out the space available in your laundry room for the sink before selecting your cabinet. You’ll want to make sure you allow space for countertop over overhang on the sides that are not directly against a wall. Most often we see a countertop overhang of 1” past each side of the cabinet that is not flush with a wall. If you’re using someone for countertop installation, make sure to check with them for their typical overhang dimension.
Once you know the size sink base cabinet you can fit into your space, you will be able to select your utility sink. You’ll have to choose a sink that is at least slightly smaller that the cabinet to make sure there is space for the sink to be installed.
Using the example from the image above, if you have 45” of space available in your laundry room, you might choose a 36” base cabinet. With a 1” countertop overhang, the total width would be 37”. That still allows 8” of space for some flexibility for this particular laundry room to adjust the washer and dryer locations more easily, if needed. Of course, the cabinet could be larger if desired. Based on the 36” sink base cabinet, the size utility sink that would most commonly be used would be 33”.
When selecting a sink, most manufacturers will mention the required sink base cabinet size, so make sure to keep an eye out of that if the route you plan to go!
Utility Sinks With A Cabinet For Your Laundry Room
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If you’re looking for an all-in-one option that is both cost-effective and looks great, then a utility sink that comes installed in a cabinet is a great choice. I appreciate that you can choose from different materials of sink, from acrylics to stainless steel, depending on your preference. There are a bunch of attractive designs for these cabinets to tie into the style of your laundry room. The cabinet is a great way to add additional storage space to the room as well! I think we can all appreciate that many of the following options come with the sink, cabinet, and faucet included to make this a super easy choice all around.
Wall Mounted Utility Sinks For Your Laundry Room
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Wall mounted utility sinks can be a great choice if you’re looking for something simple that won’t take up floor space. These sinks are made of durable materials and offer lots of room in the basin for easy clean up. I also like the unique look of some of the cast iron farmhouse utility sinks that are a nod to a different time and on trend with many farmhouse-style homes.
Floor Mount (Freestanding) Utility Sinks For Your Laundry Room
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If you want a simple, super functional, cost-effective, utility sink- many floor mount options are going to be a great fit! They offer a large basin with legs that support it, and often there are also brackets that help secure it to the wall so you know it is safely in place. There are a wide variety of sizes and material options available, all within reasonable prices.
Undermount And Drop-in Utility Sinks For A Laundry Room
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If you’re planning to add cabinetry to your laundry room, then a drop-in or undermount utility sink could be a great addition! The type of sink you choose will depend on the countertop material you’ll be using. Undermount utlitiy sinks can be used with solid surface, quartz, and granite countertops. Drop-in utility sinks can also be used with those materials, as well as laminate or butcher block countertops. A drop-in sink is necessary with laminate or butcher block counters as you would want to ensure no water could penetrate into the edge of the countertops from around the top inside of the sink.
Types Of Faucets For Utility Sinks In A Laundry Room
Depending on the style of sink you select, you’ll have different options available for the types of faucets you might choose.
A typical faucet you might think of for a utility sink was a fixed tap with separate hot and cold knobs like the options shown below. This style absolutely works, but it isn’t always the most functional. If you are hoping for something different, you’re in luck because utility faucets are not limited to just this style!
These days the most popular type of faucet we see for a utility sink in a laundry room is one with a pull out, or pull down, sprayer. This allows flexibility for washing whatever might be in the sink that day. A higher arc to the faucet also gives you more space to put items in an out of the sink easily without the faucet getting in the way.
When selecting your faucet, you will want to make sure to pay attention if there are predrilled holes in your utility sink. If there are, you need to select a faucet that will match the layout of the holes to ensure you won’t have any difficulty with installation.
Countertop Deck Mount Utility Sink Faucets
Wall Mount Utility Sink Faucets
Conclusion
Over the years my appreciate for utility sinks in a laundry room has only grown. As I am building my own home, it was definitely one of the “must-have” items. A utility sink adds so many possibilities for function in a laundry room, it makes it hard to imagine why anyone wouldn’t want one. With so many wonderful options for sizes, styles, and price points, it truly is possible to find a utility sink to fit just about any home!
Now I want to hear from you - Do you currently have a utility sink or do you plan to add one to your laundry room? Which style of utility sink do you prefer and why? Let me know in the comments below!
