All I need is a little cabinet!

Sometimes you wonder what people are thinking when they do the layout on a house. For some strange reason, my laundry room is long and narrow and pretty much dysfunctional. The former owner was a quilter, and I guess she had her sewing machine set up there, but it had been put away when we looked at the house.

So, the washer and dryer are crowded in one corner and there's a narrow space left that's pretty much useless. And though there are cabinets above the washer and dryer, they're stuffed and overflowing. (I need to actually open the doors and find out what's inside. I'm betting I could chuck half of it.) Basically the room has become a drop zone for anything that comes into the house.

THAT HAS GOT TO STOP.

So, I thought I'd buy a cabinet to put at the far end of the room. Something that could take the laundry detergent, etc. It would be even better if the bottom half could store a dirty laundry basket. Currently, we have a space for that at the bottom of our ONE AND ONLY linen closet, that could be better used for ... I dunno ... linens???

So I went hunting for a cabinet and found that whatever I like is either too expensive, or no longer available.  Like that pink cabinet to the left. (It came in other colors, too.) That's exactly what I'm looking for. This was actually listed as baby furniture and, because I like it, it's no longer in stock--anywhere. : (

Then there's this beautiful cabinet from Paula Deen's furniture line. Isn't it lovely? And only $1,465 (but free shipping!  Whoopie!). Nearly $1500 to store dirty laundry? I don't think so.

Home Depot has some storage stuff in the $200 range (looked them up online) but they don't stock them at the store--they're only available online, and I'm afraid they'll look too cheezy and may not be sturdy. I buy my laundry detergent in bulk. Will a big jug like that make the shelves buckle?

I looked on Craigslist, but everything there was made of particle board. (I stopped buying particle board furniture a l-o-n-g time ago.) So I don't know what I'm going to do.

When my parents bought their last house, a metal utility cabinet came with it. My mother stored odds and ends in it but would not part with it. It wasn't until she passed away that I got hold of it. I scrubbed away years of dirt and spilled ickiness, and repainted it inside and out. It's now in my enclosed porch and stores my gardening tools. If I could find something like that for the laundry room, it sure would make life easier. Until I can find something, I guess the laundry room will remain a drop zone. : (

Any ideas on how to solve this dilemma?