Lisa Milbrand is a copy writer for Real Simple, with a passion for writing about food, travel, and hacks to make life easier. Loves fancy restaurants, good coffee and her family (of course); not a fan of waiting in lines.

Your laundry room may not be top priority when you're picking home improvement projects, but Simply host Haley Cairo says it should be up there—as you do often spend a lot of time on laundry every week.

She renovated the room to give it a softer palette that suits the rest of her home, including taupe brick flooring that can stand up to some wear and tear, and plenty of smart organizational strategies that help streamline the space and make it more enjoyable to use—such as wall-mounted drying racks and laundry bags, and bins and baskets to corral cleaning supplies. She even happened on a $10 grabber tool that lets her reach the top shelves—no step stool required.

The end result: A laundry room that Haley can't wait to spend time in. Here's what she used to get it done.

This classic brick tile can be installed in various patterns (such as Haley's desired herringbone), and gives your floor a more rustic vibe. (Pro tip from Haley: seal the tile before you grout to ensure that you get a cleaner look.)

Haley suggests using an uncoupling membrane under a tile floor, instead of cement board. It makes it easier to install your tile, absorbs shocks, and can help manage moisture.

Swap out white grout for a warm gray to make it easier to maintain your tile.

Tongue-and-groove paneling helps you get a seamless look on your wall.

This heavy-duty adhesive makes construction projects (like brick, tile, or paneling) easier to manage.

A nail gun helps speed up installation of tongue-and-groove boards, shiplap, and other paneling.

If you're short on space in your laundry room, this wall-hung drying rack can hold plenty of clothes when needed—and fold up easily when it isn't.

These hanging laundry bags make laundry sorting a breeze.

For a room that sees a lot of dirt and moisture, Ruggable rugs separate from the rug pad so they can be tossed in the washing machine when mud happens.

Make quick touch-ups on the dirty spots with a quick spray of carpet cleaner.

Haley uses this lazy Susan to corral laundry products and keep everything within easy reach.

Use acrylic drawers to hold smaller supplies, and make it easy to see what's inside each one.

Label homemade cleaning products or other essentials so you can easily grab the right items.

Upgrade your laundry space by decanting your favorite laundry detergent into a pretty glass jar.

Corral similar items together in these metal baskets.

Reach products on high shelves without reaching for the step stool with this clever gadget.

Haley attaches these clear bins inside her laundry cabinet doors to corral laundry brushes for scrubbing stains.